The BOOM BELTTM is the center of gravity for American capitalism.
The name says it all — but the story behind it took decades to build. The eleven states that make up the southeastern quadrant of the United States — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas — made a sustained commitment to growth: low taxes, business-friendly legal frameworks, and an unrelenting focus on creating the conditions where enterprise thrives.
The results are undeniable. Capital, talent, and companies are converging here at a pace unmatched anywhere else in the country — and now, capital markets infrastructure is following too.
The next chapter of American capitalism is being written here.
The results are undeniable. Capital, talent, and companies are converging here at a pace unmatched anywhere else in the country — and now, capital markets infrastructure is following too.
The next chapter of American capitalism is being written here.
BOOM BELT
By the
numbers
numbers
$8.9 Trillion
annualized GDP
This is larger than every economy in the world except the United States and China.
40%
Total U.S.
Exports
Exports
This makes the BOOM BELT America's most important global trade gateway.
#1
Destination For
Global Capital
Global Capital
Captured $49 billion in foreign direct investment in 2024, 53% of the U.S. total, more than any other quadrant.
57%
U.S. Job
Growth
Growth
56.7% of all U.S. job growth over the last five years, now home to 53.2 million workers — the largest regional labor force in the nation.
- Lowest regional unemployment rate in the nation at just 4.04%.
700
Net New
Households
Households
An average of roughly 700 net new households move into the BOOM BELT every single day — while every other quadrant of the United States is losing population on net.
1 in 4
U.S. Companies
Headquartered
Headquartered
Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. public companies are headquartered here — and that number continues to grow.
- Home to 126 Fortune 500 companies generating $5.3 trillion in annual revenue and employing more than 9 million Americans.
- 200+ corporate headquarters relocated to the BOOM BELT between 2018 and 2024.
$15K
Saved for the
average worker
average worker
Total tax burden is 7.9% vs. 9.6% in the Northeast, saving the average worker ~$15,000 over five years. This is the lowest tax burden of any U.S. quadrant.
View the BOOM BELT Report
BOOM BELT Miami
A return to First Principles
In April 2026, the Texas Stock Exchange convened a group of distinguished business and policy leaders around a single thesis: the BOOM BELT has become the center of gravity for American capitalism, and the infrastructure of our public markets needs to reflect that reality.
Critical to achieving this goal is a return to First Principles — where policy at the state, federal, and exchange level are aligned with the foundational purpose of public markets: facilitating capital formation.
As the only primary corporate and ETP listings venue built and headquartered in the BOOM BELT, TXSE is both a product of the region's rise, and a catalyst to accelerate it.
Learn more about TXSE