Fort Bend County: A Great Place to Live and Work

Just about everybody has heard of Houston, Texas–NASA, the Astrodome, the oil and gas industry–but many have never heard of Fort Bend County, which is located in the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown Metropolitan Area.

Here’s a snapshot of Fort Bend County:
Between 2000 and 2011, Fort Bend County saw a job growth rate of 78.1%, ranking it number two on CNN/Money Magazine’s annual list of “Where the Jobs Are”. In 2010 the county was named #1 on Forbes list of the “Best Places to Get Ahead.”

Those are two of the most impressive accolades the county has received, but there are others. Fort Bend ranks number one in the region for high school graduates, home ownership (the average home price is $192,600) and household income. In 2010, Forbes named it number 7 on the list of “America’s Most Affordable Cities”, and CNN’s Money Magazine named Fort Bend’s largest city, Sugar Land, as the third best place to live in the United States in 2006.

Fort Bend County’s population was 607,000 in 2011 and 40% of the population is college-educated. In 2011, 83% of residents were families, and the county has three of the nation’s top master planned communities.

Clearly, Fort Bend County is a great place to live, to work and to raise a family. If you’re thinking of relocating—either starting anew or just starting out—this is a place to consider. Texas is one of seven states with no state income tax, and the average 2-bedroom apartment rental price in the city of Sugar Land was $1302 in October 2012, according to the apartment rental information site mynewplace.com.

If you’re thinking of starting a life in Fort Bend County, you may want to take a look at the county’s largest employers: the Fort Bend Independent School District (ISD) 9,000 employees; Lamar ISD 2,800 employees; Fluor Corporation 2,400 employees (Engineering, Construction Maintenance & Technical Services); Fort Bend County 2,200 employees; and Methodist Sugar Land Hospital 2,200 employees. (Fort Bend Economic Development Council, March 2012).

In any job search, it’s important to keep all your options open. To expand your search, check out our local job board.