During this period, a controversial pay increase for commissioners and the county judge was passed by a 3–2 vote.

After heated protests from the public, the pay rates were eventually rolled back and new legislation was proposed in the state legislature to prohibit commissioners and county judges from authorizing raises for themselves during their first term of office.

Religiously and spiritually, Greater Tyler is predominantly Christian as part of the Bible Belt.

In 2020, the Association of Religion Data Archives determined Baptists, non/inter-denominational Protestants, and Roman Catholics constituted the largest share of Christendom for the metropolitan statistical area.

[9] In non-Christian religious communities, Greater Tylerites were had a minor influence from Conservative and Reform Jews numbering 254.

[9] According to a separate study by Sperling's BestPlaces in 2020, 0.4% of the total metropolitan population adhered to Islam, making it the largest non-Christian religion, but one of the smallest metropolitan Islamic populations in Texas.

In addition to the city's role in the rose-growing industry, Tyler city-proper is the headquarters for Brookshire Grocery Company, which operates Brookshire's, Fresh, Super 1 Foods, and Spring Market supermarkets in the Ark-La-Tex and parts of Dallas–Fort Worth.

[10] The company's main distribution center is in south Tyler, while SouthWest Foods, a subsidiary that processes dairy products, is just northeast of the city.

The city and metropolitan area also has a growing manufacturing sector including: Tyler Pipe, a subsidiary of McWane Inc. that produces soil and utility pipe products; Trane Technologies Inc., formerly a unit of American Standard Companies, which manufactures air conditioners and heat pumps (this plant was originally built in 1955 by General Electric); Delek Refining, an Israeli-owned oil refinery formerly La Gloria Oil and Gas Co (a Crown Central Petroleum subsidiary); PCSFerguson, an operating company of Dover Corporation that specializes in equipment for the measurement and production of natural gas using the plunger lift method; DYNAenergetics Tyler Distribution Center, part of DYNAenergetics USA, which manufactures perforating equipment and explosives for the oil and gas industry; and Vesuvius USA, a manufacturer of refractory ceramics used in the steel industry.

Beyond manufacturing and grocery markets, Tyler is the headquarters for Cavender's, Southside Bank,[11][12] and Synthesizers.com.

According to the city's 2012–2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[13] the city of Tyler's top ten employers were: Tyler features fifteen disc golf courses and seven leagues, and the surrounding area features a total of thirty-six courses and seventeen leagues.

Tyler Transit offers customers the option to purchase tickets, tokens, or passes at the Tyler Transit office, at 210 E. Oakwood Street inside the Cotton Belt Railroad Depot at the main transfer point.

Tyler Pounds Regional Airport offers service to and from Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport via American Eagle, providing service with Embraer ERJ-170, ERJ-175 and Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jets.

Tyler was the hub for a series of short-line railroads which later evolved into the St. Louis Southwestern Railway, better known as "The Cotton Belt Route," with the city last being a stop on the unnamed successor to the Morning Star between St. Louis and Dallas.