The McCamey area sits in the heart of the Permian Basin, one of America’s most productive oil and gas regions. The Permian Basin directly employs over 87,000 oil and gas workers, with the broader region supporting nearly 854,000 total jobs across Texas and New Mexico as of 2023. McCamey and surrounding Upton County benefit from this energy boom, with numerous active oil fields creating consistent demand for skilled workers—yet the area’s limited housing infrastructure forces many to commute long distances or accept substandard living conditions.

West Texas, including the McCamey area, has become a major hub for solar energy development. Texas leads the nation with nearly 280,000 solar industry workers statewide as of 2024, with significant growth in the Permian Basin region. Multiple large-scale solar farms operate near McCamey, employing hundreds of construction workers during build-out phases and dozens of permanent technicians for ongoing operations. Like oil workers, these renewable energy professionals face the same critical housing shortage, often commuting long distances or living in temporary accommodations while powering Texas’s clean energy future.

McCamey proudly holds the title “Wind Capital of Texas,” surrounded by massive wind farms that power the state’s renewable energy grid. Texas leads the nation with over 132,000 wind energy jobs as of 2024, with McCamey and West Texas serving as a major hub for wind turbine technicians, construction crews, and operations staff. Wind tech positions are projected to grow 96% over the next eight years—the fastest-growing occupation in America. Yet these essential workers face the same housing crisis as their oil and solar counterparts, struggling to find affordable accommodations near the turbines they maintain and the communities they serve.