Goergen 1

[NAME OMITTED]
Mr.Crosby
Govt 2306
23 November 2014
Lone Star Statistics
Why Texas Fails and Succeeds on the Scoreboard

It doesnt take a genius to see all the commotion that constantly surrounds Texas, the
second-largest and second most populous state in the United States. From simplistic online
articles stating the 101 Reasons You Should Live in Texas, to the more substantial economic
findings that Texan politicians wave around as proudly as our own flag. Texas is special in many
ways and Texans obviously know it.
But what is it that the average politician or civilian doesnt know, or care to know, about
Texas? The ups and downs of the Lone Star State are not as intangible as they may seem, and its
not just a matter of opinion. Multitudes of statistics come out of reputable organizations every
year and remain mostly ignored by the public. The purpose of this essay is to cite multiple
sources of information regarding Texas statistics and hopefully showcase the highs and lows of
Texas in a clear-cut manner.

First, what does Texas excel at? Well, the good things that Texas does are quite a
bit overshadowed by the bad, but they are good nonetheless. From having the most Miss United
States pageant winners to the highest number of military recruits in the nation, Texas does indeed
excel. Its been toted that Texas has the best economy, the most jobs and/or the most job creation
in America. In fact, whenever a politician seems to talk about the Texas economy, the words

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unemployment rate and job creation are bound to be said at some point. But does Texas really
have the most jobs, employees or otherwise? Taking a look at some statistics, Texas has an
unemployment rate of 6.3%, which is 16th in the nation. Looks like North Dakota takes the cake
on this one, with an incredibly low rate of only 3.1%. 1

Multiple sources Ive read reveal that despite the growing job market, most of those jobs
remain low wage and our unemployment rate remains a measly sixteenth in the nation. While our
job market has grown 8.4% since 2008, it seems to have little to do with our economic choices.
North Dakota has seen an exponential increase in jobs which far outshines ours, at a whopping
21.2% since 2008. And these increases are because of oil, not much else.2
What about education? Well, Texas is tied for second in the nation in High School
graduation rates at 88%. But, Texas would have to have 4,296,838 more adults with a 4-year
college degree to beat out the 1st in the nation. Not to mention needing 1,861,722 more adults
with at least a high school degree and 26,838 fewer borrowers defaulting on their student loans
just to be equal to the top competitor. So, Texas fallas a bit behind in regards to education,
despite our High School graduation rate.
According to every statistics website Ive come across, Texas is not the best at anything
substantial. Were fifth in the average annual pay, eleventh in microenterprise ownership and
twelfth in business ownership gender equality. Texas isnt the best or the worst in most

Bureau of Labor Statistics. "CFED: Assets & Opportunity: Unemployment Rate." CFED: Assets & Opportunity.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.

2

BUI, QUOCTRUNG. "How Every U.S. State Has Fared Since The Recession." Npr. Npr, 3 July 2014.

Web. 23 Nov. 2014.

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categories. When Rick Perry boasted about job creation and a low unemployment rate, he
obviously didnt go over the 16% income poverty rate or how almost 30% of all Texas jobs are
low-wage. Oh, and the high homeownership rate of 62.3% is mildly shaken by the 48% rate of
cost-burdened home buyers/renters.
Texas comprises 9.6% of all U.S property crime3, 13.8% of the number of prisoner deaths
and 43.5% of all lethal injections in the United States. This is also interesting racially, as 72% of
all death row inmates are black or Latino4, despite the state being 84.14% white. This coincides
with Texas being 47th in the nation in terms of four-year degree equality between white people
and people of color. 33.1% of New Hampshires residents of color graduated with a four-year
degree, compared to 34% of white New Hampshire residents. This is disturbing compared to the
35.3% of white Texans with four-year degrees, and 17% of Texans of color with four-year
degrees. 5
Overall, I find it difficult to conclude what Texas is good at. My findings are the opposite
of what I expected, as I thought I would have to pit the social failings of Texas against its
economic winnings, however there arent any winnings to be found. When one examines the
growing job market at its current rate, plus how many of those are part-time and/or low-wage
jobs and how this is on top of a supposed oil boom, it all comes out rather meager.

3 Top Rankings of Texas Statistics - StateMaster.com." RSS Stats. Statemaster, 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
4 Death Penalty Info Center. "Race of Death Row Inmates Executed Since 1976." DPIC. Death Penalty Info, 1
Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
5 Census Bureau. "CFED: Assets & Opportunity: Four-Year Degree by Race."CFED: Assets & Opportunity.
Assetsandopportunity, 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.

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In conclusion, Texas remains typical in a multitude of aspects. While some states soar
above and sink below, Texas remains teetering on the edge. Its important to remain unbiased,
and to focus on the task at hand. And in terms of tasks, it seems Texas needs to fix up her
education, health and prison systems. Some problems are bigger to some people, but the statistics
dont lie. We need to bridge the racial gap in education and close the prison cycle, which often
go hand-in-hand. We need to fix the homelessness problem and insure our people, instead of
focusing on things that have little to no effect on the Texas economy or lifestyle.