Employment at Tesla Inc.’s Gigafactory Texas fell drastically in 2025, a year that saw the automaker’s sales slump and a $1 trillion pay deal approved for CEO Elon Musk.
In comparison, San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B, another major employer in Central Texas, said total employment in Travis County was 15,198. Across the Austin metro area, which includes Travis, Hays, Williamson, Caldwell and Bastrop Counties, H-E-B has 25,825 workers in its ranks.
Beyond headcount, the numbers from Tesla’s annual compliance report to Travis County reveal the company’s investment in the complex about 10 miles east of downtown Austin where it manufactures its Model Y, Cybertruck and soon its purpose-built robotaxi Cybercab. Investment in eligible property in 2025 reached more than $6.3 billion, it said. Tesla said its community investment in 2025 totaled more than $23 million.
The average wage per hour for new employees was $38.24, while the average for all workers was $41.53. The average full-time worker’s annual compensation was at least $47,147.
In early 2025, Musk was head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, a role that made some investors concerned that he was distracted from his duties at Tesla. That period also saw Tesla face threats of boycotts and vandalism at showrooms.
Since then, Musk has turned his attention toward expanding autonomous projects at Tesla. He recently said the next generation of Optimus robots will be built at Gigafactory Texas. And, in June, Tesla launched its Robotaxi-branded service, which has yet to achieve fully autonomous operations. Musk also previously set an April deadline for the start of production of Cybercab.
However, Tesla vehicle sales improved in the first quarter of 2026 from the same time last year. But the quarterly number was down about 13% from the end of 2025, and marked Tesla’s slowest quarter since the first half of 2022.
Tesla’s economic development agreement with Travis County began in 2020 and runs through 2041. It includes grants and incentives the company received from the county if Tesla meets the milestones outlined in the deal. It requires Tesla to invest at least 10% of the amount it pays in property taxes each year.
When reviewing the agreement late last year, County Commissioner Margaret Gómez said that the company had been trying to “wiggle out of” the contract’s requirements by not providing specific information needed to verify compliance.
Going forward, Tesla says it has major plans coming to Austin. In late March, Musk announced Tesla and SpaceX’s plans to build a chip manufacturing plant dubbed “Terafab,” kicking the project off with an advanced technology fab in Austin. Tesla also recently filed a site plan for the restoration of 28 acres of riverfront land, describing the project as an “ecological paradise.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.