How many employees does Tesla have in Austin? It's now one of the city's largest employers.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Tesla is one of Austin's largest employers.

Electric car manufacturer Tesla has spent years expanding its footprint in Texas. Now, a new Austin American-Statesman report finds it has become one of the largest employers in the Austin, thanks to aggressive hiring at its Gigafactory Texas headquarters.

But where are Tesla's other factories around the state, and what's the timeline behind its rise as an employer? Here's a Tesla fact sheet of sorts, including what you need to know about its operations in Texas:

More:Tesla's delivery numbers slump in Q1 amid tough quarter for company

Where are Tesla's factories in Texas?

Tesla has factories and offices all over the state, but the company's largest factory is its headquarters just outside Austin near the Colorado River at 13101 Tesla Road. Tesla also appears to be expanding its production of batteries into the Austin suburbs of Kyle and Hutto, according to a Statesman report from February.

In Kyle, the company has leased three warehouses with a total of more than 1 million square feet of space. The Statesman previously reported Hutto officials said the company had plans to occupy an industrial building on County Road 1999, but they shared few details about Tesla's plans for the space.

More:Tesla appears to be using Austin suburbs of Kyle, Hutto to expand battery efforts

Tesla also has a $375 million lithium refinery near Corpus Christi. The refinery is expected to provide lithium for about 1 million vehicle batteries produced in Austin and elsewhere, Musk said.

When did Tesla expand to Texas?

Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, announced Oct. 7, 2021, that he planned to move the company's headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Austin. Less than two months later, Tesla officially made the move to its gigafactory.

At the time, Musk cited a lack of expansion opportunities, the high cost of living and long commutes for his employees in San Francisco as reasons for the move. He also had squabbled with California lawmakers, which led him to previously threaten to move his company to Texas or Nevada.

More:Tesla driver goes viral wearing Apple Vision Pro behind the wheel

In May, Tesla built its lithium refinery near Corpus Christi.

Where does Tesla rank among other employers in Austin?

Tesla is the third-largest employer in Austin behind the state government itself and the University of Texas respectively. The car manufacturer employs 22,777 people, slightly surpassing H-E-B as the city's largest private employer, according to data provided by Opportunity Austin.

More:You'll have to pay $1,000 more dollars for Tesla's most popular SUV starting April 1

Of the top 10 largest employers, Tesla also moved to Texas the most recently. The company's first foray into Texas came in 2016, while most of the other employers had entered the state during the previous century or earlier.