Amarillo has continued on the path of steady growth with a strong unemployment rate of 2.7 percent. Along with its sturdy economy, Amarillo’s commercial market has followed a path of consistent advancement, but there are clouds on the horizon and hints of a stall are visible. Our core market indicators are showing cracks. There are fewer jobs now than there were a year ago. Commodities have been flat at best. Oil prices have experienced declines in excess of 10 percent from this time last year, with natural gas prices dropping nearly 25 percent from a year ago. Despite some early spells of ample moisture, recent heat and low rain totals have hurt Panhandle farmers and ranchers. The uncertainty regarding tariffs on these natural resources has created anxiety as well. For the city’s industrial and commercial real estate sectors, the collective message of these trends is that the long stretch of economic expansion that has propped up the market, may be in the rearview mirror. New Developments Some new land purchases with plans for industrial developments should help the tax base. Caviness Beef Packers recently purchased 100 acres with plans to build a new facility. In addition, the Amarillo Economic Development …
