April 23, 2026
Every year, brands, policymakers, and infrastructure developers make high-stakes decisions about Texas: where to invest, how to grow, who to trust. Texas is one of the fastest-growing states in the country, and the competition for consumer loyalty, community goodwill, and market share has never been more intense. LSG set out to better understand the consumers at the center of it all — and what we found is worth paying attention to.
We surveyed 1,500 consumers across the Texas Triangle, 500 each in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, between February 23 and March 2, 2026. We asked them about the brands they trust, the growth pressures they’re feeling, their relationship with technology, and what they actually want to see built in their communities. What we found was illuminating, occasionally surprising, and essential reading for any brand or business operating in this market.
Texas Identity Isn’t Just Pride. It’s a Purchase Driver.
It’s easy to assume that Texans’ famous state pride is cultural color: bumper stickers and Lone Star flags. Our data says it’s something much more commercially significant than that.
Eighty-six percent of Texas Triangle consumers strongly identify with Texas culture and identity. That’s not a soft feeling; it translates directly into purchasing behavior. A plurality of consumers, 40%, say they trust Texas-based brands most, compared to just 12% who say the same about national brands. That’s a 28-point trust gap that any brand with a Texas story should be paying close attention to.
And it’s not just lifetime Texans driving this. Among consumers who moved here from elsewhere, 52% say they felt connected to Texas brands within a year of arriving. The state’s brand magnetism is real, and it converts newcomers quickly.
The brands that have earned the deepest trust and favorability across all three markets, H-E-B, Whataburger, Buc-ee’s, Blue Bell, and Dr Pepper, didn’t get there by accident. They’ve built reputations on reliability, consistency, and an authentic connection to the communities they serve.
Trust Is the Most Valuable Currency in This Market.
Here’s a finding every brand strategist should take note of: 72% of Texas Triangle consumers say reliability and trust matter more to them than getting the lowest price. In an era when conventional wisdom says consumers are purely price-driven, that number is striking.
This brand loyalty runs even deeper. Among those willing to pay more for a trusted brand, 65% say they’d pay up to 15% more. And when consumers trust a company, they don’t just stay loyal — they become advocates. The top trust behaviors our respondents reported were recommending the brand to others (65%) and sticking with the brand even when cheaper options exist (53%).
This isn’t a soft finding. This is the business case for investing in trust.
Growth Is Good. Managing It Is the Hard Part.
Sixty percent of Texas Triangle consumers believe the state’s population is growing too fast. More than half say their cost of living is less affordable than it was two years ago. Traffic congestion, rising housing costs, and infrastructure strain top the list of concerns tied to population growth.
This doesn’t mean Texans want the growth to stop. What they want is growth that’s managed thoughtfully. When asked which types of development would most improve their quality of life, respondents pointed to affordable housing (60%), transportation infrastructure (44%), and energy infrastructure (42%). And notably, 48%, including a majority of Houstonians, say they support new energy infrastructure projects near their neighborhoods.
There’s a real appetite for solutions here. The challenge for brands, developers, and elected officials is meeting that appetite with credibility.
AI Is Already Mainstream, But Not Yet Fully Trusted.
A finding that should reframe how business leaders think about technology adoption in Texas: 61% of Texas Triangle consumers use AI tools at least once a week. ChatGPT and Google Gemini are far and away the dominant platforms. This is not a niche behavior; it’s already the norm.
What’s less settled is how AI adoption affects brand trust. Consumers are essentially split: 29% say a company using AI decreases their trust, 28% say it increases it, and 43% say it doesn’t affect them either way. The message for brands isn’t to avoid AI. It’s to deploy it in ways that feel transparent, useful, and consistent with the values Texans already associate with the brands they trust.
What makes these findings significant isn’t any single data point. It’s the picture they paint collectively: a fast-growing, deeply identity-driven market where consumers have high expectations, real anxieties, and a strong sense of what they want from the brands in their lives. Texas is at an inflection point, and the brands and businesses that will succeed here are the ones that take the time to understand what’s actually driving the people they serve. In a market this competitive and this consequential, that’s not background noise. It’s the signal.
Want the full Texas Triangle Tracker Report?
Click here for a deeper look at consumer trends, demographics, and market opportunities, or reach out directly to Scott Castleman (scott@teamlsg.com) and Amy McMillan (amy@teamlsg.com) for a more in-depth data briefing.