Refineries in Texas, Oil Fields, and Ports: Where the Energy Jobs Are and the Towns Nearby

The offer letter says Port Arthur. Or Midland. Or a job site you’d never heard of until last week, an hour outside Pecos. Either way, you’re about to move your life, and maybe your family, to wherever Texas happens to be pulling oil out of the ground or turning it into fuel.

That’s a lot to figure out at once, and most of what you’ll find online is either a job board or a bare list. But the map of Texas energy work is more predictable than it looks. The refineries sit in a handful of Gulf Coast clusters, the oil comes mostly from one basin in West Texas, and the ports and LNG plants line up along the coast. Once you know where the work is, you know which towns are within reach and which county’s rules will apply when you buy.

This guide lays out every Texas refinery cluster, the major oil and gas fields, the busiest ports, the LNG export plants, what the jobs pay, and the towns nearby, using figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the agencies that run each port. When you’re ready to buy, our guide to down payment assistance for oilfield and energy workers covers the programs.

Three assumptions that trip up people moving for energy work

“Boom-town prices put assistance out of reach.” Not usually. In most of the energy counties, the purchase-price limit for TDHCA’s My First Texas Home and TSAHC’s bond-financed assistance is approximately $566,354, and TDHCA’s My Choice Texas Home has no purchase-price limit at all.

“I have to work there a year before I can buy.” Not necessarily. Fannie Mae’s rules let a lender qualify you with a signed job offer when the job starts no later than 90 days after closing, on a one-unit home you’ll live in, with reserves set aside. Our guide on how lenders count overtime and new-job income explains the details.

“Down payment help is a big-city thing.” The state programs cover every Texas county, from Harris to Loving. The income limit just changes with the county, and in the energy counties it ranges from about $152,250 to $189,000 for Home Sweet Texas.

How many refineries are in Texas?

Texas had 34 operable refineries as of January 1, 2026, with a combined crude distillation capacity of 6,134,650 barrels per calendar day, according to the EIA Refinery Capacity Report released June 26, 2026. That’s about 34% of the U.S. total of 18.16 million barrels per day across 130 refineries. Five of the 34 Texas sites have no crude distillation units and are counted for their other processing units, so 29 sites actually run crude.

The count dropped by one from the year before. EIA lists Houston Refining LP’s 263,776-barrel-per-day plant in Houston as shut down, with its last operation in February 2025.

Here’s where the refining capacity sits, grouped by area, with the towns nearby.

The largest refinery in Texas

Motiva’s Port Arthur refinery is the largest in Texas and in the United States, at 656,400 barrels per calendar day in EIA’s January 1, 2026 figures. Two more Texas plants follow close behind: Marathon’s Galveston Bay refinery in Texas City at 631,000, and ExxonMobil’s Beaumont refinery at 612,000. EIA notes that Marathon named the Texas City plant Galveston Bay after buying it, to tell it apart from the smaller Texas City refinery it already owned.

That puts three of the four largest refineries in the country on the same stretch of the upper Texas coast. In Jefferson County, home to Port Arthur and Beaumont, the Home Sweet Texas income limit may reach approximately $155,692 for a household of any size, and in Galveston County about $156,000.

Oil and gas fields: where the drilling is

Texas produced about 2.10 billion barrels of crude oil, including lease condensate, in 2025, roughly 42% of U.S. output and more than any other state, according to EIA crude oil production data. It also led the nation in natural gas, with about 12.66 trillion cubic feet of marketed production, roughly 29% of the U.S. total, per EIA natural gas data. Most of it comes from four formations the Railroad Commission of Texas tracks closely.

The Permian is the heavyweight. The Railroad Commission notes that the greater Permian Basin, which reaches into New Mexico, accounts for nearly 40% of all U.S. oil production. In RRC’s preliminary county production figures for July 2026, Martin County led Texas in oil and Webb County, in the Eagle Ford around Laredo, led in natural gas.

As of August 2026, Texas employed about 212,400 people in mining and logging, which is mostly oil and gas, according to BLS state employment data. That includes about 133,300 in support activities like drilling and well services and about 62,600 in oil and gas extraction itself.

Living in Midland and Odessa

The Permian’s two big cities sit about 20 miles apart. Midland had an estimated 147,615 residents and Odessa 122,707 in July 2025, according to the Census Bureau’s city population estimates. Smaller towns like Andrews, Big Spring, Monahans, Kermit, Pecos, and Stanton sit in Permian counties the Railroad Commission lists.

Pay runs high here. In May 2025, the median wage across all occupations in the Midland metro area was $54,480, the highest of the metro areas in the wage table below. The good news for buyers is that the down payment assistance limits run high too: the Home Sweet Texas limit may reach approximately $163,350 in Midland County and about $154,102 in Ector County, for a household of any size. Our Midland and Odessa guides cover each city in detail, and the West Texas overview ties the region together.

Gulf Coast refinery towns

Houston Ship Channel. The refineries, chemical plants, and terminals along the channel make Port Houston the anchor of the upper coast. Pasadena (148,539 residents) and Baytown (86,561) sit right on it, with Deer Park, La Porte, and Galena Park also along the channel. Our Pasadena and Baytown guides cover local options. Harris County’s Home Sweet Texas limit may reach approximately $156,000.

Texas City and Galveston Bay. Texas City (59,733) is home to two refineries, and League City (119,905) is the larger bedroom community nearby. Galveston County’s limit is the same as Harris County’s, about $156,000.

The Golden Triangle. Beaumont (112,967), Port Arthur (55,804), and Orange form the triangle, with Nederland, Groves, and Port Neches in between the plants. Jefferson County’s limit may reach approximately $155,692.

Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend. Corpus Christi (317,247) has six refineries, and the Port of Corpus Christi describes the area as a major crude oil refinery hub. Portland and Ingleside, across the bay, are close to the La Quinta Ship Channel, where the Corpus Christi LNG terminal operates. Nueces County’s Home Sweet Texas limit may reach approximately $152,250.

Brazoria County. Freeport, Lake Jackson, Angleton, Clute, and Sweeny surround Port Freeport, the Sweeny refinery, and the Freeport LNG terminal. Brazoria County carries the highest Home Sweet Texas limit on the coast, approximately $189,000.

Population figures are July 2025 Census Bureau estimates.

Ports in Texas by tonnage

Texas ports handle a large volume of energy cargo, and the Port of Corpus Christi describes itself as the nation’s largest energy export gateway. Here’s how the major ones compared in 2024, the latest year in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ waterborne commerce data.

Port Houston’s own statistics put its 2024 foreign tonnage at 220.1 million short tons, slightly below the Corps figure above. Either way, it leads the country.

LNG plants in Texas

Liquefied natural gas export terminals are a growing part of the coast’s energy industry, with several large projects under construction. As of October 5, 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s LNG export terminal map shows these Texas projects:

The towns closest to these sites include Freeport, Lake Jackson, and Angleton in Brazoria County; Portland, Ingleside, and Gregory near Corpus Christi; Port Arthur and Sabine Pass in the Golden Triangle; and Brownsville and Port Isabel in the Rio Grande Valley, with Harlingen a short drive away.

How much do oilfield and refinery workers make in Texas?

Here’s what the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported for common energy jobs in May 2025, statewide and in three energy metros. These are median annual wages, meaning half of workers earned more and half earned less.

On a standard 40-hour year, the statewide roustabout median works out to roughly $22 an hour and the refinery operator median to roughly $40 an hour. Keep in mind that BLS wage estimates leave out overtime pay, so crews who work long hitches or turnarounds often earn more than these figures show.

Compare those wages to the down payment assistance limits and the picture is encouraging. Even the Beaumont-area refinery operator median of $100,660 sits well under Jefferson County’s Home Sweet Texas limit of about $155,692, which leaves some room for overtime or a second borrower’s income under that limit. The MCC and TSAHC’s bond-financed options use lower limits.

Buying a home after you move for the job

A few rules shape what you can buy once you land:

• The home has to be where you live. TSAHC and TDHCA both require the home to become your principal residence within 60 days of closing. A crew house near the job site or a second home doesn’t qualify for assistance.
• The county sets the limits. Income and price limits follow the home’s county, so living in Midland County versus Ector County, or Galveston versus Harris, can change your numbers.
• Your pay history comes with you. Lenders look at about two years of history for overtime, bonuses, and contract income, and job changes in the same line of work are common and workable.
• You may not need to wait. With a signed offer and reserves set aside, a lender may be able to close before your first day.

Our guide for oilfield and energy workers walks through the programs and the 2026 income limits county by county, and TSAHC income limits lists every county in the state.

Moving for work is a lot to take on, and the energy business has its ups and downs. But the places that run on oil and gas are real communities with schools, churches, and neighborhoods, and the people who work there buy homes in them every year. Knowing where the work is, and what help is available in each county, is a strong place to start.

Refineries, oil fields, and energy towns in Texas: FAQ

Refineries, oil fields, and energy towns in Texas: FAQ

† ShopDPA is The Texas Down Payment Assistance Marketplace, a home loan and down payment assistance referral service. We are not a mortgage lender, mortgage broker, or loan officer, and we do not originate, fund, or service loans. We connect Texas homebuyers with licensed mortgage professionals and with down payment assistance programs. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Railroad Commission of Texas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FERC, any port authority or energy company named here, TSAHC, TDHCA, or any government agency. Industry figures reflect the sources and dates cited and change over time; wage figures are BLS estimates and are not a prediction of your income. Income and purchase-price limits are set by the applicable agency and may change; confirm current details with a participating licensed lender. Equal Housing Opportunity.