Texas Tech students return, bringing much-needed boost to Lubbock economy

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Over 42,000 Texas Tech students are coming back this week, bringing income for local businesses and traffic back to Lubbock streets.

Local business leaders say these students have a huge impact on Lubbock’s economy. They make up a large part of the workforce and help drive revenue for many businesses.

John Osborne, CEO of Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, says, “It is really an exciting time for our community because you have a workforce that’s come back. You have people that are wanting to work part-time and continue working while they are going to school and you have also people that are coming in and are going to be buying some things.”

Students are buying dorm essentials, eating out, and of course, attending Texas Tech sporting events. Those sporting events bring families and other visitors to Lubbock from across the state and across the nation to spend money at local businesses and hotels.

Many businesses located across the street from campus are already seeing a spike in business before classes have even started.

Stephanie Massengale, owner of The Matador, says, “It’s a big plus for us, a big boost in sales when they all come back in. They come back in for move in and they’ve got to decorate all their dorms and apartments, so it is really a great thing.”

As Texas Tech continues to grow in admissions, so does the Lubbock economy, which means more housing, shopping, and restaurants.

Osborne says that most of the new businesses that are coming to Lubbock are hoping graduating students will stay in Lubbock to begin their careers, building the workforce and our economy.

John Osborne says, “What we see is that the clients that we work with, when they are thinking about growing in Lubbock, whether they are an existing company that’s growing or they are a new company to town and they are looking to establish operations here, one of the first things they ask us about is the graduates and the type of graduates that we get from our universities.”

Texas Tech students will begin classes this Thursday.

Copyright 2022 KCBD. All rights reserved.