Business Environment

Dallas’ diverse business environment offers almost any career the opportunity to grow. Over 65,000 businesses call the City of Dallas home, including global leaders such as Texas Instruments, AT&T, Comerica and Southwest Airlines. Dallas’ 59,000 small businesses offer numerous employment opportunities.

Major Employers

Our employers help to define our community. The City of Dallas is home to a variety of firms that an integral part of diversified industry mix. Dallas boasts employment opportunities in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and more.

Our leading employers include:

Firm Industry Number of Employees
Texas Instruments Semiconductors
11,527
Baylor University Medical Center Healhcare
9,671
AT&T Information
8,100
Southwest Airlines Airline
7,859
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas Healthcare
6,501
TXU Utilities
5,500
Match Group Services
4,800
ClubCorp USA Inc. Services
4,634
Children's Medical Center of Dallas Healthcare
4,487
Wal-Mart Stores Retail Trade
4,204

Corporate Headquarters

Dallas is one of the world’s leading corporate headquarters centers. It boasts:

  • 21 Fortune 500 companies and 41 Fortune 1000 companies in DFW
  • 7 companies on the 2015 Forbes list of America’s Largest Private Companies (DFW)
  • 656 total headquarters operations that employ at least 1,000 globally (DFW)

Dallas’ efficiency as a headquarters city is based on its:

  • Quality transportation system with air operations to 148 U.S. and 55 international cities
  • Large metro professional services workforce - 561,000 jobs (DFW MSA 2015 average)
  • Affordable cost of business with a cost of living 96.1% of the national average (2015)
  • Central location and great business culture

Source: Fortune, Forbes, Hoovers, City of Dallas Office of Economic Development, C2ER, and Texas Workforce Commission

Fortune 500

There are 21 Fortune 500 companies are based in the Dallas area.  DFW Fortune 500 companies include:

  • Exxon Mobil
  • American Airlines Group
  • Fluor Corp.
  • Kimberly-Clark
  • J.C. Penney
  • GameStop
  • D.R. Horton, Inc.
  • Commercial Metals
  • Celanese
  • Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
  • Alliance Data Systems
  • Pioneer Natural Resources

Expansions & Retentions

Any holistic economic development strategy should include activities that reduce loss of private sector businesses and that attracts and retains new businesses through entrepreneurial development and recruitment. Existing businesses typically account for 80% of job creation and new investment in a local economy. While business retention and expansion efforts have gone by many names (BEAR, BR&E, BRE, R&E, etc.), Dallas is committed to business success through advocacy, information and public-private partnerships.

Taxes & Regulations

The tax structures of both Texas and Dallas do not focus on taxing work or income. There is no local or state income tax for Dallas residents and there is no corporate or personal income tax in Texas. The average per capita state and local tax burden in Texas is fifth lowest among states in total state tax burden according to analysis by the Tax Foundation (2017). Overall total state and local tax burden per capita in Texas was 76% of the national average. Dallas businesses also have ample opportunities to take advantage of foreign trade zones to reduce their business tax burden.