Opening Keynote: Welcome to Fort Worth
Information
Fort Worth is currently the 11th largest city in the United States, recently surpassing Austin with a population of over 1.05 million residents. In 2025, the city experienced its strongest economic year in over a decade, securing $6.7 billion in new capital investment and creating or retaining over 6,900 jobs.
Downtown expansion. Over $3 billion in development is currently in the pipeline for the downtown urban core. Texas A&M is constructing a new $350 million downtown campus, designed to serve as a magnet for tech and engineering companies. Film Production: The creative economy has generated a $700 million impact to date, bolstered by a new $300 million state film incentive fund.
Key Business Metrics
The cost of doing business in Fort Worth is 5% lower than the national average due to competitive labor, rent, and energy costs.
- Businesses benefit from 0% state and local income tax, allowing companies and employees to retain more capital
- Commercial building projects reached $5.72 billion in 2025, a 19% year-over-year increase.
- The unemployment rate remains low at 4.0% (as of March 2026), outperforming both the Texas and national averages.
- Average salary commitments for new economic development projects rose to $101,419 in late 2025, up from $69,242 in 2022. The city's economy is anchored by a mix of traditional heavy industry and emerging technology sectors including over 600 companies in Aerospace & Defense with Lockheed Martin & Bell Flight.
- Home to AllianceTexas, a $120B economic engine, American Airlines, BNSF Railway, Siemens, MP Materials, Wistron, Charles Schwab, Fidelity and GM Financial.
