Top 10 Industries In Texas For Millennials

Millennials in the Lone Star State have plenty of things to be happy about – the Cowboys’ recent fourth-place finish aside. Job prospects for this generation are better now than they have been in quite some time, especially in a handful of fast-growing fields. So saddle up: here are the ten top industries in Texas for millennials.

10. Advertising And Marketing

The number of millennials selling products to people (usually other millennials) has grown 8% since 2010. In fact, they now make up 44% of the entire industry nationwide. Austin is home to GSD&M, a top-tier national agency. It also houses a huge number of small but growing independent firms. If you’re interested, Ad Age has a great overview of the city’s scene.

9. Transportation

Southwest Airlines, the long-running and incredibly successful low-cost airline, is headquartered in Dallas. They’ve been turning a profit continually since 1973, so you’re unlikely to go away if you can get a foot in the door over there. And you should – a Magazine named them one of the top 10 coolest companies to work for. If you prefer something more land-based, the state also has a large (and powerful) trucking industry.

8. Health Care

Health care is another one of the top industries in Texas. Texas Health Resources, a nearly 4 billion dollar company, has millennials making up 27% of its workforce, and it was voted one of the 100 Best Workplaces For Millennials by Fortune. There’s also Encompass Home Health & Hospice, a rapidly growing company in the field that is particularly hospitable to women.

7. Financial Services And Instutions

Texas is home to great financial services companies like USAA, which offers millennial-friendly perks like a 24-hour gym and flexible work schedules. It also houses another of Dallas’ coolest companies, Intuit, Inc. Intuit is the place that makes TurboTax, Quicken, QuickBooks, and other software guaranteed to give nightmares to professional tax preparers. All of this together means that financial services is likely to stay one of the top industries in Texas for quite a while to come.

6. Distilled Spirits

Let it never be said that Texans don’t know their liquor. Recent changes in state law have made it so distilleries can now sell directly to consumers. This has proven to be a boon to small makers of distilled spirits. And the buyers of these small-batch, craft spirits? Millennials, of course! The companies that make these spirits are hiring at a rapid rate, and need people from their target market to make sure their aim is true.

5. Insurance

As of right now, the average age in the insurance industry is a whopping 59. With what some are calling a “brain drain” set to happen as these folks retire en masse over the next few years, the stage is set for younger workers to take their place. And with over 400 insurance companies headquartered in the Lone Star state, that means plenty of opportunity for millennials.

4. Retail And Wholesale

This is by far the most popular industry for people aged 18-34 in Texas, as this study by the non-profit group Young Invincibles demonstrates. In fact, retail largely dominates the entire Southwest.

3. Hospitality

Not many people realize that the giant restaurant chain Chili’s is headquartered in Texas. Even fewer people realize that it’s one of the best places for millennials to work in the whole country – almost three-quarters of its workforce is young people. And if you work at the parent company, Brinker International, you not only get free food at Chili’s, you also get fun company events, an on-site gym, and you can even wear flip-flops to work. The state’s giant hotel industry is also nothing to sneeze at.

2. Construction And Real Estate

It’s no surprise that one of the top industries in Texas is construction and real estate. The state’s massive size means there is also room to build, and plenty of companies are there to take advantage. Out of Fortune‘s top 100 workplaces for millennials, four were Texas-based construction and real estate companies – way more than any other industry in the state.

1. Oil And Energy

After decades of stagnation in the oil business, the same young talent that is reinventing the tech sector has also turned its attention to oil and gas. These folks, who the press is branding “millennial tycoons,” are quickly becoming the new face of the oil industry.