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Business phone system for temporary help services in Texas

3,393 temporary help services operated in Texas in 2023. Where they are, how big their teams are, and what phone service costs them.

Establishments
3,393CBP 2023
Employees
297,444mid-March 2023
Per 100k residents
10.8U.S. 11.2
State rank
2nd of 51by count

The temporary staffing agency industry in Texas

The Census Bureau counted 3,393 temporary help services in Texas in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 561320). They employed 297,444 people in mid-March and reported $12.9 billion in annual payroll. That is the 2nd highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Temporary help services make up 0.51% of the 670,878 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Texas has 10.8 temporary help services, 3.6% below the national rate of 11.2. The average establishment has 87.7 employees against 95.3 nationally. Payroll per employee is $43,296, 11.0% below the U.S. figure of $48,635.

Temporary help services: Texas compared with the U.S., 2023
MeasureTexasUnited States
Establishments3,39338,254
Mid-March employees297,4443,645,678
Annual payroll$12,877,988,000$177,308,415,000
Employees per establishment87.795.3
Payroll per employee$43,296$48,635
Establishments per 100,000 residents10.811.2

Census County Business Patterns 2023 (mid-March employment; annual payroll). Employees and payroll flagged high-noise are shown but not used in the text. Residents: Census Vintage 2024 estimates.

Texas's largest markets for temporary help services

Census published temporary staffing agency counts for 39 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Texas. The largest is Dallas, TX, with 1,176 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 93% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Temporary help services by metro or micropolitan area, Texas, 2023
AreaEstablishmentsEmployeesPer 100k residents
Dallas, TX1,17666,51614.1
Houston, TX92847,82911.9
Austin, TX35318,10113.8
San Antonio, TX23516,0868.5
El Paso, TX645,6907.3
McAllen, TX363,2493.9
Corpus Christi, TX278776.0
Brownsville, TX262,3906.0
Lubbock, TX251,3356.8
Laredo, TX231,7048.4
Killeen, TX221,1184.3
Beaumont, TX221,4725.5
Waco, TX208426.5
Midland, TX188489.5
Longview, TX17—5.8
College Station, TX15—5.2
Amarillo, TX15—5.5
Tyler, TX156606.0
Odessa, TX114866.5
Sherman, TX10—6.6
Wichita Falls, TX10—6.7
Victoria, TX1037810.1
Corsicana, TX846114.2
Paris, TX735111.1
Lufkin, TX66586.8

Top 25 of 39 areas by establishments. Source: Census CBP 2023.

Team sizes at temporary help services in Texas

32.7% of Texas's temporary help services with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 37.2% nationally. 41.9% had fewer than ten. That is the size of team where a missed call usually means nobody was free, not that nobody was on staff.

Temporary help services in Texas by employment size, 2023
Employment sizeEstablishmentsShareU.S. share
1–4 employees1,10832.7%37.2%
5–9 employees3159.3%8.7%
10–19 employees3249.5%8.7%
20–49 employees50815.0%14.7%
50 or more employees1,13833.5%30.7%

Employment-size classes count establishments by mid-March 2023 employment. Establishments with no March employees are excluded from the size classes, so shares are of establishments with employees. Source: Census County Business Patterns 2023.

Calls a temporary staffing agency in Texas has to catch

Staffing agencies fill shifts on short notice, so the phone is constantly in use with workers and clients. Early-morning call-outs require quick action. That holds for temporary help services in Texas as much as anywhere.

Calls a temporary staffing agency in Texas might handle in a typical week include:

Calls after closing time

Call-outs and shift requests arrive early and late, so after-hours routing matters.

Callata voicemail is transcribed and triaged for urgency, and business-hours routing decides where calls go once you close.

What a phone system costs a temporary staffing agency in Texas

Temporary help services in Texas average 87.7 employees, so the comparison uses an 88-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 88 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $2,640.00 a month and 88 on Ooma Office Pro cost $2,195.60. On Callata the same 88 people cost $1,759.00 a month, less than either per-seat plan.

The annual difference against RingCentral's monthly list price comes to $10,572. Some vendors discount annual contracts; the table shows month-to-month prices.

Monthly list price for an 88-person temporary staffing agency
Provider (plan)Pricing basisPer monthPer year
Callata (Callata Office)$99 incl. 5 users, $20 per extra user$1,759.00$21,108.00
Quo (Starter)$19.00 per user$1,672.00$20,064.00
Nextiva (Core)$23.00 per user$2,024.00$24,288.00
Ooma (Office Pro)$24.95 per user$2,195.60$26,347.20
Dialpad (Standard)$27.00 per user$2,376.00$28,512.00
RingCentral (RingEX Core)$30.00 per user$2,640.00$31,680.00

Competitor prices are each vendor's published month-to-month list price per user for its lowest plan that includes business calling and texting, checked September 28, 2026: Quo Starter $19, Nextiva Core $23, Ooma Office Pro $24.95 (Essentials excludes texting; one-time $29.95 activation not included), Dialpad Standard $27, RingCentral RingEX Core $30 ($20 billed annually). Prices exclude taxes and fees and may change; annual contracts lower some competitors' prices.

Area codes in Texas

Texas has 29 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. You can choose local numbers in the area codes your workers and clients know, subject to carrier inventory, or port your current number for free.

Area codes in Texas by assigned exchanges
Area codeExchangesTime zoneIn service sinceOverlay with
281786Central1996346, 621, 713, 832
469786Central1999214, 945, 972
832786Central1999281, 346, 713
512785Central1947737
713785Central1947281, 346, 621, 832
972785Central1996214, 469, 945
210784Central1992726
214784Central1947469, 945, 972
817780Central1953682
903771Central1990430
346752Central2014281, 621, 713, 832
956735Central1997none
806734Central1957none
254671Central1997none
361537Central1999none
940506Central1997none
830496Central1997none
409433Central1982none
936422Central2000none
682421Central2000817

Exchanges are NANPA-assigned central office codes (NPA-NXX) in the rate centers matched to the area's named places. Source: NANPA utilized code and NPA reports.

How Callata works for temporary help services in Texas

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in Texas, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.

Frequently asked questions

How many temporary help services are in Texas?

3,393 in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns. They employed 297,444 people in mid-March.

Which Texas metro area has the most temporary help services?

Dallas, TX, with 1,176 establishments in 2023.

What does a phone system cost an 88-person temporary staffing agency?

$2,640.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core or $2,195.60 on Ooma Office Pro at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026); $1,759.00 on Callata ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user).

Do I need to register to text customers from a Texas number?

Yes. US carriers require business texting from local numbers to be registered (10DLC). On Callata the registration is a one-time $49 fee, and texting turns on once it is approved.