As Gov. Rick Perry pushes his employment initiatives on the presidential campaign trail, he often touts the jobs created by the Texas Enterprise Fund. But Perry’s opponents say the fund’s contributions to the Texas economy have been far overstated. 

The engine is primed to rev up the national economy, but businesses aren’t putting the pedal to the metal, Richard W. Fisher, the president and CEO of the Dallas Federal Reserve, said today.

The Texas unemployment rate dropped from 8.4 percent to 8.1 percent in November, according to statistics released today by the Texas Workforce Commission. 

This interactive shows the demographics of poverty in each Texas county using the most up-to-date data from the American Community Survey. Browse the maps to compare poverty rates by age, sex, race and ethnicity, educational attainment and employment. 

Texas Democrats say the state Department of Insurance's request for a delay in implementing federal health reform rules could cost Texans $260 million in premium credits and rebates over the next three years.

Fewer Texans will receive food stamps in December than in November, but the number is still up overall since 2005 as the national recession continues. Our updated interactive map allows you to explore the number of food stamp recipients in your county and the economic impact of the program.

In 2010, 4.4 million Texans lived below the poverty line, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday. Poverty has increased in more than 200 counties across Texas since 2007, the year before the recession hit. Use our interactive maps to explore the change in annual poverty rates and the median household income in your county.

Texas senators cut their expenses by just 1 percent from August 2010 to 2011 — a total of $101,000. That’s not much compared to more than $1 million they saved in 2010. Use our interactive to find details on senators' 2011 spending. 

This update of our "Texas Economy by Region" interactive map compares the unemployment rate from 2010 to 2011 in each county to determine whether the economy has improved or declined. We’ve also included a map of Texas cities with pop-ups that show industry changes from 2010 to 2011. 

The Texas unemployment rate dropped only slightly this month from 8.5 percent to 8.4 percent, according to statistics released by the Texas Workforce Commission today. But the state's economy is not performing as well as it was this time last year. And as the national economy has improved, the Texas economy has lagged.

The number of Texans receiving food aid has increased by nearly 1.4 million in the last four years. Use this interactive to see the percentage of each county's population that receives food assistance and the economic impact of the federal funds.

State Rep. Larry Taylor, at a legislative hearing Thursday concerning the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, used the slur “Jew them down” when making the point that it needs to pay claims on time. He has since apologized.

This interactive shows the dramatic drop in employment at Texas state agencies from the third quarter of fiscal year 2011 to the last quarter, right before $15 billion in cuts to the 2012-2013 biennium budget kicked in Sept. 1.

TxDOT's plan to hire five new executives — each paid up to at least $250,000 annually — has received heavy criticism. How do the salaries compare to those at other public entities? We checked our government salary database to find out.

Despite the disdain of Texas' Republican leadership, the state's component of the Obama administration's Weatherization Assistance Program has been quite successful — surpassing its goal of weatherizing more than 38,000 homes.