Employment
Amarillo's work force has grown steadily since 1990 keeping pace with the growing labor demand. In the past 15 years, total wages and salaries for residents increased by more than 30 percent.
In that time, a steady stream of people have moved here because of the attractive employment opportunities, a trend that is expected to continue as a number of local firms expect to either maintain or increase their staffing levels in the coming years.
Amarillo is considered the regional economical center for the Texas Panhandle as well as Eastern New Mexico and the Oklahoma Panhandle. The meat packing industry is a major employer in Amarillo; about one-quarter of the United States' beef supply is processed in the area.
Bell Helicopter Textron opened a helicopter assembly plant near the city's international airport in 1999, though the city's largest employer is Tyson Foods, followed by the Amarillo Independent School District.
The Amarillo Economic Development Corporation is an organization funded by a city sales tax, which provides aggressive incentive packages to existing and prospective employers to continue bolstering the economy. The organization is largely responsible for securing the services of Bell Helicopter.
The organization also sponsors a business plan competition titled the Enterprize Challenge, which assists entrepreneurs in launching a new small business or expanding an existing small business. The program began in 1995 and continues to produce highly successful small businesses. Twenty-four different businesses have received cash grants of as much as $75,000 and have created in excess of 195 new jobs because of the program.
Most of Amarillo’s commercial development is occurring outside the downtown district, which has suffered economic deterioration because of it. To help revitalized it, the organization Center City of Amarillo was formed to establish partnerships with groups who have a huge presence in the city to support the downtown. Since its conception in the 1990s, Center City has created archways across two streets, sponsored public art projects and started block parties in the downtown area.
The median income for a household in the city is approximately $35,000, and the median income for a family is about $43,000.
Men earn a median income of about $32,000 versus about $23,000 for women.