Rankings & Accolades
Houston receives national and international acclaim from a variety of sources for our vibrant business climate and quality of life. Below are some of the most recent accolades.
Key Rankings & Accolades
Texas Business Climate
#1
Commercial Real Estate Development
NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association 2018
#1
Best State for Women Entrepreneurs
WalletHub 2019
#1
Job Creation by Foreign Direct Investment
IBM Global Location Report 2018
#1
Growth Prospects
Forbes 2018
#1
State for Business, 14 Consecutive Years
Chief Executive Magazine 2018
Key Rankings & Accolades
Houston Business Climate
#1
Metro Economic Growth Potential
Business Facilities Magazine 2018
#1
Nation's Best Cities for Millennials
The Langston Co. 2019
#1
Most Diverse Cities in the U.S.
WalletHub 2019
#1
Top Metros Where Young Adults are Moving
The Brookings Institution 2019
#1
Best Energy- and Resource-Based Think Tanks in the World
Rice University, Global Go To Think Tank Index Report 2019
#1
Top Metro for Economic Growth Potential
Business Facilities Magazine 2018
#1
Best City for Expats
InterNations 2018
#1
Top Metro for Construction Job Growth (December 2017-December 2018)
Associated General Contractors of America 2019
#2
Best U.S. Metro Areas fort STEM Workers
American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center 2019
#2
Top Emerging Life Sciences Cluster
CBRE 2019
Key Rankings & Accolades
Global Talent
32.4%
Houstonians With a College Degree, Higher than U.S. and Texas
American Community Survey 2017, Most Current Data Available July 2019
3.2 Million
Number of Workers in Metro Houston by Year-End 2019
#2
Cost of Living in Top 10 U.S. Cities Hiring for Jobs
Refinery29 2018
#2
Cost of Living: Cities Where Paychecks Go Far
Center for Opportunity Urbanism 2018
#2
Top Housing Markets
Metro Study 2019
#2
Least Expensive Real Estate Markets
Property Shark 2018
#3
15 Best Big Cities for New Grads
OnlineDegrees.com 2019
#4
Best Cities for Women in Tech
Smart Asset 2019
#5
Cities of the Future in North America
fDI Intelligence 2019
#5
Top 10 Ecosystems With Largest Share of Female Founders
Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2019
Key Rankings & Accolades
Quality of Life
25.8%
Cost of Living Below Top 20 U.S. Metro's Average
Council for Community and Economic Research 2019
19 Musuems
Houston Museum District
Divided Into Four Walkable Zones, Greater Houston Partnership 2018
>500
Institutions Devoted to the Performing and Visual Arts, Science and History
Greater Houston Partnership 2018
40.6%
Downtown Employees Use Transit, Shared Ride, Walk or Bike to Work
#1
Best Hospitals in America
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, U.S. News & World Report 2019
#2
Top Cities to Go and Eat
Food & Wine 2019
#2
America's Favorite Cities: Big Cities
Food + Leisure 2019
Key Rankings & Accolades
Global Destination
$120.7 Billion
Top U.S. Exporting Metro
International Trade Administration
59.3 Million
Passengers Handled by Houston Airport System
12-Months Ending July 2019, Houston Airport System
90
International Consulates
third-largest consular corps in U.S. 2019
220
International Trading Partner Countries
WISER trade & U.S. Census bureau, foreign trade divisioN 2018
#1
Best Seaport in North America
Asia cargo news 2018
#1
Largest U.S. State Transportation Network
Markets Insider 2019
#4
Alpha, Beta and Gamma Cities