Contributing to trade sector employment are major retail outlets like Wal-Mart, Brookshire Grocery and Dillard's department store. Retail sales growth has continued into 1994. City sales tax allocations for both Longview and Marshall have followed the growth trend in the trade sector. Marshall has had a more significant increase in allocations over the year. This increase was primarily due to a gradual upswing in prices for key commodities like beef and timber.
Beef production makes up the majority of total livestock receipts.
Because beef production is important to the local economy, hay has become the area's principal crop. Other important crops include vegetables, nursery crops and assorted fruits. Timber contributes significantly to the agriculture industry in the area. With low prices and a decline in domestic drilling, the area's energy industry has seen some difficult economic times in recent years. The impact of oil and gas is felt across industry lines, with job losses spread among all facets of the industry.