Editor’s note: In its “Economy at a Glance” report for August, the Greater Houston Partnership – the regional chamber of commerce – looks at the Partnership’s Houston Facts ’25 publication, providing high-level information on the region’s geography, demographics, economy, and key industries, among other aspects of life in the region.

On August 6, the Greater Houston Partnership released its “Houston Facts ‘25” report. The full report is available here. Highlights from the report are found below.

Geography

Metro Houston (known formally as the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S. Census Bureau) consists of 10 counties: Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers, Liberty, San Jacinto, Waller, and Austin.

The region spans 8,838 square miles of land, making it larger than the U.S. states of Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, and New Jersey. It includes 125 separate cities and 37 census-designated places.

Demographics

The region’s population is even more impressive than its land mass. As of July ’24, it is home to approximately 7.8 million people, making it the fifth-largest U.S. metro behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas/Fort Worth. If it were an independent state, it would be the 14th largest in the country, with a population slightly smaller than Washington but larger than Arizona, Tennessee, or Massachusetts.

The population has been growing rapidly, adding 645,949 new residents since the start of the decade (April ’20 to July ’24). International migration accounts for the majority (51.1 percent) of these new residents, while domestic migration and natural population change (i.e. the number of babies born minus the number of people who die) account for 20.6 and 28.4 percent, respectively.

Nearly 1.9 million Houstonians (or roughly one-in-four) were born outside the U.S. Since Houston is so close to Latin America, it should be no surprise that the majority (62.1 percent) were born in that region. But significant swaths were also born in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.

Metro Houston is one of the most ethnically diverse places in the United States, with no single ethnic group representing a majority. The largest ethnic groups are Hispanics or Latinos of any race, White non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, and Asian non-Hispanic.

Economy

Houston’s economy remains one of the largest and most diverse in the nation. The value of all goods and services produced in metro Houston was valued at $697 billion in ’23. That is more than the value produced by most countries across the globe. In fact, if the region were an independent country, it would have the 22nd most valuable economy in the world, behind Switzerland and Poland, but ahead of countries like Argentina, Belgium, Sweden, and Ireland.

Per-capita personal income in the region was $72,453 in ’23, approximately $2,643 higher than the national average. This suggests that the average Houstonian earns more than the average American – but that only tells part of the story. Among the 20 most populous U.S. metros, Houston is the 2nd most affordable according to the ’24 C2ER Cost of Living Index, with an overall cost of living that is 5.8 percent below the U.S. urban average. The region’s housing, utility, and transportation costs are also significantly lower than those found elsewhere in the country. This means that not only do Houstonians earn more, but their dollars go further.

Since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April ’20, the region has added 645,000 jobs. Employment growth has been supported by national economic momentum, strong global trade ties, rising corporate investment, and sustained population growth. As of June ’25, total employment was just under 3.5 million jobs while the unemployment rate stood at 4.3 percent, consistent with a strong labor market.

A total of 175,520 business establishments operate in the region. The largest sectors in terms of the number of establishments are professional, scientific, and technical services; health care and social assistance; retail trade; accommodations and food services; and construction. Together, these five sectors represent the majority of business establishments in the region.

Twenty-six companies on the Fortune 500 are headquartered in the Houston area. This makes Houston the third-highest ranking metro for Fortune 500 companies behind New York City (with 62) and Chicago (with 30). Fortune also designated Houston as the fourth best place to work in the country. The region is home to over 60 companies that earned $1 billion or more in revenue in ’23, including 12 companies earning $25 billion.

Find the full “Economy at a Glance” report at houston.org/houston-data/economy-at-a-glance-august-2025. Find the full “Houston Facts ’25” report at https://wpb.houston.org/app/uploads/2025/08/Houston-Facts-2025-Publication.pdf.