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
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
Best City for Expats
InterNations 2018
#1
Top Metro for Construction Job Growth (December 2017-December 2018)
Associated General Contractors of America 2019
#1
Best Markets to Purchase Multifamily Assets
Tex-X 2019
#2
Best U.S. Metro Areas for STEM Workers
American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center 2019
#2
Top U.S. Metros for Job Growth (October 2018-October 2019)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019
#2
Metros With Most Corporate Headquarters
Business Facilties Magazine 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
3.0 Million
Number of Workers in Metro Houston (March 2021)
62,200
Number of New Jobs
in 12 Months Ending decEMBER 2019, Texas Workforce Commission (REVISED MARCH 2020)
#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 2019
>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
33.3 Million
Passengers Handled by 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
2020 Airport of the Year, George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Transportation Security Administration, December 2020
#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
Globalization and World Rankings Research Institute 2019
#5
The 20 Best Places to Travel in 2020