Data Center Construction Offsets Tyson Foods Job Cuts in Amarillo

Amarillo would be posting clear job losses this spring without the extra work tied to data center construction, according to the latest local economic review from Amarillo National Bank.

The bank’s June 2026 report notes that employment inside the city fell by 223 positions compared with the same month a year earlier. At the same time, the broader Panhandle region added 750 jobs, most of them tied to projects outside city limits. The difference leaves Amarillo’s unemployment rate at 3.5 percent, up four-tenths of a point from last year, while wages in the city rose 4 percent against an 8 percent gain across the wider area.

Retail and travel numbers stay mixed

Retail sales collected inside Amarillo rose 18 percent from twelve months earlier, with year-to-date totals up 11 percent. New-vehicle sales slipped 4 percent and used-vehicle sales fell 1 percent. Airline boardings at the local airport dropped slightly after United Airlines ended one daily flight. Motel tax receipts climbed 27 percent for the month, helped by higher room rates even as some regular bookings shifted to short-term rentals occupied by construction crews.

Housing starts and energy activity pick up

Residential building permits issued in Amarillo jumped 118 percent from June 2025, with the dollar value of permits reaching $59 million for the month. Year-to-date permits stand 47 percent above the same period last year. Housing starts for the month reached 68, up 94 percent from a year earlier. Three drilling rigs now operate in the Panhandle, compared with none last year, while oil traded above $75 a barrel. Corn prices reached $4.66 a bushel, 6 percent higher than last June, and fed-cattle prices rose 14 percent to $257 per hundredweight.

City residents looking ahead can track monthly permit filings and sales-tax collections through the bank’s ongoing reports to gauge whether construction activity continues to offset the recent manufacturing cuts.