Houston region could account for 30% of Texas economy: report

The Houston region could grow as much as 3.14 percent per year. The Houston region could grow as much as 3.14 percent per year. Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston region could account for 30% of Texas economy: report 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Houston's economy could account for as much as 30 percent of Texas' economic growth in the coming decades, according to an analysis by a Texas consulting group.

Through 2045, real gross product in the Houston region could grow as much as 3.13 percent annually, according to projections by Ray Perryman, a Waco economist. That growth would add more than $667 billion to the state's economy, meaning Houston would contribute the largest share of any metro region to the state's economic growth between 2018 and 2045.

RELATED: Texas economy still rises and falls with oil

The Dallas-Plano-Irving metro area is projected to account for 24 percent of the state's economic growth; Austin-Round Rock could account for 9 percent; San Antonio-New Braunfels could account for 7 percent; and Fort Worth-Arlington could account for 7 percent.

The most significant job gains in the Houston region are expected to be in the services sector, the largest sector of the economy, with employment expanding by 2.14 percent annually.