SpaceX plans to add thousands of jobs by 2030 and seeks $7.5 million in economic incentives

City of Starbase leaders approved two state economic incentive applications on Wednesday night, which could yield the company a $7.5 million refund of sales and use taxes in exchange for at least 1,000 new jobs by 2030. The money is expected to be reinvested in the company’s infrastructure projects. 

SpaceX estimates it will have more than 3,700 employees in the next five years, according to its Texas Enterprise Zone Program applications on file for two Triple Jumbo projects. Triple Jumbo projects represent the program’s largest incentive tier, requiring at least $250 million in investment and 500 newly created jobs to qualify for the maximum state tax refund.

SpaceX’s existing positions are not eligible for the $7,500 reimbursement per job. 

The statewide economic incentive program is meant to encourage companies to invest and create jobs in otherwise economically distressed communities across the state. 

“This is a competitive process; there will be other cities, other enterprise zones that will be filing with the state, so we have to show that we are creating a sufficient number of jobs and competing with other cities around the state,” Starbase City Administrator Kent Myers said. “I think it’s very important for the economy of the Cameron County area to continue to create these jobs. They are all well-paying jobs. The operation has continued to expand, so in the future we may apply for another enterprise zone. It’s all about creating jobs for our community.” 

Gigabay expansion and workforce impact

The first project is tied to its manufacturing operation: SpaceX is building its 700,000-square-foot Gigabay in Starbase, an industrial manufacturing facility that enables the rocket company to produce 1,000 Starships each year. The company estimates that the project would cost $250 million to construct by December 2026. When engineering, production systems, and site infrastructure costs are included, the company expects to invest $506 million in Gigabay. 

SpaceX had 2,796 employees working on Gigabay with an average annual salary of $84,717 as of August 2025. By the end of the year, it expects to hire 632 more workers – 315 of which are entry-level, with average salaries of $49,783. SpaceX must fill at least a quarter of those new jobs with residents of the enterprise zone, economically disadvantaged individuals, or U.S. military veterans. 

“We’ve already hired 500 new employees. Generally, it can take about five years to meet that. We’ve done that in about five months,” said Damian Barrera, a tax department employee at SpaceX. 

Barrera noted that most of those new jobs were entry-level. 

“The average pay for these positions is 12% to 20% higher than the average [Cameron] county wage,” he said. “Employees will be trained on site to move into high-skilled technical roles, ensuring long-term growth for the local workforce.” 

Nearly 100% of the jobs meet the Enterprise Zone requirements, requiring either veteran status or economically disadvantaged individuals, Barrera said. 

Launch-site upgrades and long-term investment

The second project, valued at $480 million, would upgrade two launch pads near Boca Chica Beach to support more frequent rocket launches. The work includes building and expanding the company’s ground support systems, structural improvements, and specialized machinery for testing, fueling, and launching rockets. 

That project is expected to add 500 jobs: 1 executive, 27 managers, 22 supervisors, 307 staff, and 143 entry-level roles, according to the application. Executives earn $337,726, managers $164,165, supervisors $115,146, staff $89,853, and entry-level employees $49,783. 

SpaceX had 3,296 total employees at its launch facility as of October 2025, with an average salary of $84,717, and expects to have 3,796 employees by 2030. The site expansion project expects to hire more entry-level and staff positions, including technicians, operators, and support personnel for launch operations, ground systems, and site readiness, according to the company.

The company estimates it’s already spent $3 billion on its Cameron County headquarters over the past decade. 

SpaceX had a 10-year property tax abatement from Cameron County across 46 acres in exchange for at least $85 million of investment and 300 jobs with average annual salaries of at least $55,000. That deal ended in 2024.