Demographic Information
Source: Esri.com
Dive Into The LakePlex
The cities around Cedar Creek Lake form an economic entity we call "the LakePlex.”
This map shows the zip codes for the cities surrounding the lake.
All the cities are within 20 minutes or less of Gun Barrel City.
The traffic counts below demonstrate that the LakePlex is an economic entity, with Gun Barrel City at its center.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Traffic Counts -
The LakePlex in Action
The single day traffic counts of up to 25,656 are much higher than those of surrounding cities.
These are shoppers with a destination:
- To “anchor stores” Walmart Supercenter and Lowe’s Home Improvement
- To other area stores
- To events
- Or to the lake itself.
These counts demonstrate that Gun Barrel City is the commercial center of the Cedar Creek Lake economy.
Source: Texas Department of Transportation
How does Gun Barrel City stack up with Site Selectors?
Lowe's, Walmart, Starbucks, and Chrysler are all recognized for their unique site selection approaches, and all four have made - or are making - the move to Gun Barrel City.
- WalMart established a SuperCenter in Gun Barrel City in 1983. The Gun Barel City store consistently ranks among the top performing stores in Texas in terms of sales per square foot.
- Lowe's Home Improvement opened a store here in 2009 and has since become another top performing store. In addition to their financial performance, Walmart and Lowes have been good neighbors and corporate citizens, contributing to worthy causes including food pantries, Toys for Tots, Salvation Army, and many others. Last year the Gun Barrel City Lowe's was named "Store of the Year" for its community involvement.
- Starbucks is building a store, to open late 2017. A new Starbucks location has been shown to predict rising property values (known as the "Frappucchino effect.")
- A Dodge dealership will open its doors next year. When the Corporate team came to Gun Barrel City and saw the city and business activity they were sold on the location.
The experience of these site selectors demonstrates Gun Barrel City's viability for new businesses. These companies have different criteria and approaches to site selection, but they all chose Gun Barrel City after visiting and digging into the demographic and economic numbers. So did successful stores for Chili's, Beall's, McDonald's, Cato, Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell, and many others.
LakePlex Business Environment
Summary
- 140 retail establishments across the lakeplex - the most of any category
- 91 construction companies and
- 79 restaurants and motels
- Professional, health care, and other services are next on the list.
LakePlex Business Establishments
NAICS Code. | Description | Number |
---|---|---|
44 - 45 | Retail trade | 140 |
23 | Construction | 91 |
72 | Accommodation and food services | 79 |
81 | Other services (except public administration) | 70 |
62 | Health care and social assistance | 45 |
52 | Finance and insurance | 43 |
54 | Professional, scientific, and technical services | 41 |
56 | Administrative and support and waste management | 36 |
31 -33 | Manufacturing | 31 |
53 | Real estate and rental and leasing | 28 |
48 -49 | Transportation and warehousing | 24 |
42 | Wholesale trade | 24 |
71 | Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 15 |
51 | Information | 11 |
Other | 12 | |
Total | 690 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
LakePlex Work Force - Overview

Work Force - Numbers
Skills and Education
-
80% of adults 25 or over have a high school degree or higher education.
-
16% have a Bachelor's or higher Degree.
Prevailing Levels - Wages and Benefits
-
Low cost of living = competitive wages and benefits (see column chart).
Job Specific Recruitment and Training
- Partnership with Texas Workforce Commission.
For more in-depth information on our demographic data, please click the link below to download our Demographic Information Spreadsheet:
Business Establishments
Types of Establishments
Area of LakePlex
Note:
There are 1635 businesses within the Cedar Creek Lakeplex.
Consumers - Demographic Clusters
ESRI has developed a comprehensive analysis of American households using cluster analysis. Each of the six zip codes comprising the LakePlex has one or more leading clusters that characterize the population. Here are the predominant clusters within the LakePlex.