Economic Development
This department works
to diversify Branson's economic base by recruiting new
businesses to the Branson area, compiling demographic data about
Branson, and being of assistance to local businesses in helping
them expand.
Ever mindful of economic growth, city leaders and the economic
development department continually work to expand the tax base
through the creation of new jobs and capital investment.
Tourism is Major Industry
The city of Branson (population 7,435; 7.8 million visitors
annually and growing) is located in southwest Missouri, 35 miles
south of Springfield within the heart of the Ozark Mountains.
Branson, located in Taney County, serves as the job, service and
shopping center for a two county area with over 75,000 year
round residents. Branson is surrounded by three prize winning
fishing lakes. The city has an incorporated boundary of over 19
square miles. This city has become the focus of international
attention as both a major development area and an entertainment
and tourism Mecca. The reasons are numerous and range from the
scenic natural beauty of the area to the star studded theaters
along Highway 76 with their line-up of major recording artists
as well as other family oriented entertainment offerings
Situated within a day’s drive of 30% of the U.S. population,
Branson and the Tri-Lakes Area (Taney and Stone counties) serve
up to 70,000 visitors daily who pump almost 2- billion dollars
into the local economy. Branson has 53 theaters with
59,757
theater seats, 207 lodging facilities with 18,808 rooms and 458
restaurants that can seat 38,813.
Branson’s first convention center opened in August 2007 The Branson Convention Center provides a powerful incentive for
associations, groups and companies to visit Branson. www.bransonconvention.com
Shows
Those 53 theaters host more than 100 shows throughout the day –
breakfast shows, matinees and evening performances round out a
full day of great entertainment. Country, pop, swing, rock n’
roll, gospel, classical and Broadway-style music and productions
join comedy and magic shows to provide visitors a wide array of
entertainment choices.
Shopping
Branson’s newest shopping attraction, Branson Landing, opened in
2006. This $420 million, 95-acre development along Lake
Taneycomo blends over 100 retail shops with dining, luxury
lodging, river walk, town square, marinas, and nightlife into a
dynamic, waterfront setting.
Branson is also home to three outlet shopping malls (with more
than 200 retailers), as well as Engler Block, the Grand Village
and other unique shopping areas. Shoppers can find contemporary
clothing, Ozarks crafts, gift items, housewares, designer shoes,
luggage and a myriad of other treasures throughout the year.
Historic Downtown Branson is also a shopper and diner’s
delight. An old-fashioned 5 & 10, several boutiques and
specialty stores combined with other quaint eateries make the
downtown area truly special.
Lake activities
The Branson/Lakes Area is home to three scenic lakes offering
fishing, boating, parasailing, jet skiing, scuba diving
and swimming. While the lakes all offer great fishing for
novice and professional anglers, each has its specialty. Table
Rock Lake offers world-class bass fishing. Lake Taneycomo, with
its cold waters, offers superb trout fishing. Bull Shoals Lake
is also an angler’s paradise especially for tournament bass
fishing.
While
Branson is small in population, it has all the accoutrements of
a large community...and then some! Combined with robust economy,
well-funded schools and lovely residential areas, you’ll find a
community that cares about its neighbors. Although we can go on
and on about this remarkable place, you really need to visit the
area and see it for yourself.
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Demographics
|
| Median household income |
| |
Branson |
$40,265 |
|
|
| |
| Per capita income |
| |
Branson |
$28,629 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| Population |
2006 |
2000 |
1990 |
| |
Branson |
7,435 |
6,050 |
3,760 |
| |
Taney County |
43,770 |
39,703 |
25,561 |
| |
Stone County |
31,382 |
28,658 |
19,078 |
| |
Population by age in Branson |
| |
Persons under 5 years of age |
322 |
5.3% |
|
| |
Persons 18 through 64 |
4,823 |
79.7% |
|
| |
Persons 65 and older |
1,220 |
20.2% |
|
| |
Median Branson age |
41.3 |
|
|
| |
| Population by
race |
| |
White |
94.5% |
|
|
| |
African American |
12.3% |
|
|
| |
American Indian |
.9% |
|
|
| |
Asian |
3.6% |
|
|
| |
Other Races |
3.2% |
|
|
| |
| Real Estate |
| |
Housing Units |
3,366 |
| |
Homeownership Rate |
54.2% |
| |
Housing Units in Multi Unit Structures |
19.7% |
| |
Median Value Owner –Occupied Housing |
$123,900 |
| |
Households |
1,038 |
| |
Persons in Household |
2.37 |
| |
Average cost of houses sold in last two years |
$128,800 |
| |
|
|
|
|
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|
Workforce
|
One of Branson’s
most valuable resources is its people. Branson area
workers have gained a reputation for hard work, high
productivity and low absenteeism. One factor
contributing to our quality workforce is the
educational background of our residents. Almost 83%
of Branson’s adult population has a high school
education or better. Furthermore, some 20% of
Branson workers have a bachelor’s degree or better.
An area unemployment rate that hovers
around 4.5% creates a pool of available workers that
is bolstered by surrounding communities
Missouri has lower than average rates for
unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance.
And at 6.25%, Missouri’s corporate tax is one of the
nations lowest. |
| |
|
|
|
|
Labor force and
unemployment |
| |
Taney County labor force |
26,608 |
|
|
| |
Unemployment |
6.8% |
|
|
| |
Stone County labor force |
15,861 |
|
|
| |
Unemployment |
6.2% |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Industry
Employment
(Taney County) |
Average
Annual Wages (2006) |
| |
Construction |
1,792 |
$ 36,868 |
| |
Retail Trade |
4,341 |
$ 18,512 |
| |
Administrative & Support Services |
3,165 |
$ 21,242 |
| |
Accommodation & Food Services |
7,484 |
$ 16,120 |
| |
Local government |
1,899 |
$ 34,580 |
| |
Arts, entertainment, recreation |
2,619 |
$ 18,148 |
| |
Performing arts & spectator sports |
1,724 |
$ 20,176 |
| |
Real Estate |
902 |
$ 28,444 |
| |
|
|
|
|
Cost of Living Index Comparison
Index (Mean =
100) |
| |
Branson |
88.2 |
|
|
| |
St. Louis MO |
106.2 |
|
|
| |
Des Moines IA |
95.1 |
|
|
| |
Oklahoma OK |
90.7 |
|
|
| |
Dallas TX |
96.4 |
|
|
| |
Shreveport LA |
91.2 |
|
|
| |
Hot Springs AR |
88.6 |
|
|
| |
Memphis TN |
90.1 |
|
|
| |
Nashville TN |
97.1 |
|
|
| |
Myrtle Beach |
94.9 |
|
|
| |
Orlando Fl |
100.2 |
|
|
Universities
| Branson Colleges |
| |
College of the Ozarks |
| |
Ozark Technical Community College (satellite facility) |
| |
|
| Springfield Colleges &
Universities |
| |
Missouri State University |
| |
Drury University |
| |
Evangel University |
| |
Ozark Technical Community College |
| |
Webster University (satellite facility) |
| |
Baptist Bible College |
| |
Central Bible College |
Major employers
The
economy in Branson is booming, and there are an increasing
number of employment opportunities in all sectors of the job
market. Since tourism is the mainstay of the area’s economy,
most of the largest employers are in tourist-related
industries.
Herschend Family Entertainment - theme parks, retail and other attractions - 2,300
Skaggs Community Health Center - health care - 804
Tanger Factory Outlet - retail - 550
Branson R-IV Public Schools - education - 465
College of the Ozarks - education - 258
City of Branson - municipal government - 252
Wal-Mart - retail - 250
Country Mart - grocery chain - 240
Factory Merchants Mall - retail - 200
White River Electric Cooperative - utility - 135
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Transportation

Branson’s strategic location in the
center of the United States provides for efficient access to
customers and suppliers across the United States.
U.S. Highway 65, a major north-south,
4-lane highway, runs through our city providing a corridor from
Minnesota to Louisiana. Southwest Missouri’s primary east-west
thoroughfare, Interstate 44, intersects with Highway 65 in
Springfield, 35 miles north of Branson.
The
Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) is approximately 43
miles from Branson and serves all of southwest Missouri with 70
daily flights connecting to eight international airports. www.sgf-branson-airport.com.
The Taney
County Airport, a general aviation airport, is located in the
center of the Branson attraction area. www.taneycountyairport.com.
The Branson area’s first commercial airport opens in the spring
of 2009. Located south of Branson and east of Highway 65, the airport will have a 7,140- foot runway to accommodate commercial jets,
and Branson Airport officials are in discussions with several
airlines about serving the Branson area.
Utilities
Electric
The Branson area is serviced by two electric utility providers:
(1) city - franchised, investor-owned Empire District Electric
Company (www.empiredistrict.com);
(2) a cooperative - White River Valley Electric Cooperative (www.whiteriver.org).
Natural Gas
Southern
Missouri Natural Gas has been granted approval by the city of
Branson to begin the process of providing natural gas to the
Branson region. Southern Missouri Natural Gas is pursuing the
necessary requirements with the Missouri Public Service
Commission to bring natural gas to the city of Branson. Southern
Missouri already provides natural gas to 8,000 customers in
south central Missouri.
Water and sewer
The city of Branson owns and operates the
water and sewer utilities within the city limits. With two
water treatment plants and two wastewater treatment plants, the
city has the capacity to keep pace with the growth of the city
for years to come.
Telecommunications
Branson is
serviced by local telephone provider Centurytel (www.centurytel.com)
and several other wireless service alternatives.
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Growth and
Vitality
Ever mindful of economic growth, city
leaders and the economic development department continued their
efforts in expanding the tax base through the creation of new
jobs and capital investment. In 2006, the city’s economic
development department assisted in the location of 24 new
companies and the expansion and retention of 13 existing
businesses that created new capital investment in excess of $215
million. These companies created and retained more than 3,000
employment opportunities in Branson during 2006. Some of the
projects generated by or substantially assisted through the
city’s economic development efforts included:
Titanic:
the Legend Continues,
a museum attraction with over 400 priceless artifacts and
historic treasures from the ill-fated cruise liner.
The 2,000
seat Sight and Sound Theater that features elaborate
productions based on Biblical stories.
Branson
Hills Plaza that
brought the first Home Depot, Target, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart
Supercenter and TJ Maxx stores to Branson
Branson
Commerce Park, the city’s
first industrial park that includes light industrial, retail and
residential on 400 acres.
Branson
Convention Center and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel that features a 220,000 square foot convention center with a
47,000 square foot exhibition hall and adjacent 293 room hotel.

The value
of new construction in the city for 2006 set an all-time
record. Since the opening of the $420 million Branson Landing
along the lakefront in 2005, a domino effect has occurred as
developers, investors and businesses now want to be a part of
the increased national attention and capture the additional
visitors that the waterfront project has generated. This kind
of growth and enhanced economic activity benefits the community
by providing greater business opportunities, more employment
prospects for residents, a higher standard of living for
citizens, and even more reasons for people to visit Branson.
2007 Branson Tri-Lakes Real Estate Statistics (Tri-Lakes includes Taney and Stone counties including Branson)
Residential
Residential closings: 1,774 – up 16%
Residential listings: 2,536 – up 34%
Condo closings in Taney County: 102 – down 1%
Office
Downtown occupancy rate: 85% - up 29%
Highway 76 occupancy rate: 89% - up 4%
Off-Highway 76 occupancy rate: 76% up 1%
Total occupancy rate: 81% - up 4%
Average tenant rate: $12.69/sq ft – up 1%
Hospitality
Room rates and occupancy ratio (RevPAR): $37.86 – up 9%
Hotel room revenue: $210.8 million – up 13%
Room rate: $75.90 – up 9%
Occupancy rate: 49.9 – flat
Retail
Retail square feet on Highway 76: 282,405 – up 4%
Retail square feet off Highway 76: 815,141 – up 9%
Total square feet: 1,097,546 – up 8%
Total occupied square feet: 963,751 – flat
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Taxes
Corporate Income Taxes
The tax rate for corporations is 6.25% applied to Missouri
taxable income. In addition, Missouri allows 50% of federal
income tax payments to be deducted before computing taxable
income. Using the deduction, a corporation with a taxable income
of $1 million would have a Missouri effective tax rate of only
5.2%.
For corporations conducting business both inside and outside
Missouri, only income earned in Missouri is taxed. Two
allocation options are offered for calculating this income: 1) a
single-factor formula based on sales, or 2) a three-factor
formula based on property, payroll, and sales. Missouri is the
only state that permits companies to choose the formula that
results in the lesser corporate income tax liability. In
addition, Missouri has not adopted unitary tax assessment in
computing corporate income tax liability.
Certain tax credits may apply. For more information about the
incentives offered by the state of Missouri, visit the Missouri
Department of Economic Development at www.ded.mo.gov
Sales Taxes
The city of Branson has a general sales tax on retail sales plus a tourism tax on tourism related businesses like hotels, attractions and restaurants. Two of Branson’s major shopping centers, Branson Landing and Branson Hills, have special improvement district sales taxes. Click here for a complete sales tax chart.


| Property Taxes |
| Commercial and industrial real property is assessed at 32% of
fair market value. |
| Residential
property is assessed at 19% of fair market value. |
| Taney
County tax levies per hundred dollars on total assessed
valuation. |
| Taney County |
0.00 |
| Branson R-4
Schools |
3.45 |
| Taney Co.
Health |
.1404 |
| Taney
Co. Handicapped |
.0907 |
| City of
Branson |
.4902 |
| State of
Missouri |
.0300 |
| Total |
4.2013 |
| Residential example: $200,000 home x 19% = $38,000
assessed value, divided by 100 = $380 x 4.2013 (total mill levy)
= $1,596.49 total property tax within the city of
Branson. |