Home to a naval air station, army depot, international airport, the fifth-largest US port, and a university campus, Corpus Christi is the largest of the Top 10 job-growth metros with more than 400,000 residents. It has a long record as a reliable producer of new jobs. Last year, Forbes magazine ranked it No. 2 for employment growth among mid-size cities. Oil drilling has contributed directly to the rise with rigs and waterside terminals as well as indirectly, helping to add positions across the service, computer programming, and wholesale trade sectors over the past year. Close to 40 percent of Corpus Christi residents speak a foreign language at home.
Michael Zamora/Corpus Christi Caller-Times/AP/File
