LEDA: Summer months remain economically steady this year in Lubbock

LUBBOCK, Texas — What many typically think is a slow season for Lubbock, John Osborne with Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA) said the economy has remained steady, even when students leave college for the summer.

“We really have kind of evened out throughout the year as it relates to economic activity,” said Osborne.

Activities have flocked to the South Plains, causing more people to visit and bring in revenue consistently.

“We are actually getting a tremendous number of youth sports and conferences and other tours that are coming in helping to replace some of the economic loss of the student,” Osborne said.

Osborne said according to recent data found by LEDA, statistics have already shown hotel revenues doubling in the last ten years from $7.5 million in July 2010, to around $14 million in July 2024.

“There’s been significant growth in [the] hotel industry that’s making it to where more people want to spend the night and therefore they’re eating out more and they’re shopping more and that’s helping to kind of counter the fact that we lose our students during the summertime,” Osborne said.

With new restaurants, businesses, and projects on more projects on the South Plains happening this fall, Osborne said it will be a good season economically for the city.

“USA Archie archery is here the first couple of weeks of August and so we’ll have hundreds of archers in town,” Osborne said. “But we also have the students moving back in August, that group of students that are coming in will really bring a lot of economic opportunities for our community.”

Osborne said jobs will also be hiring soon as more people bring business back to the hub city this fall, meaning companies will need more hands-on deck to help.

For more information, visit the LEDA website here.

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