Greater Houston
Greater Houston | |
|---|---|
| Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, Texas metropolitan statistical area | |
From top to bottom, left to right: Houston, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, and Galveston | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| Principal cities[1] | |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 4,299.4 km2 (1,660.0 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 26,061 km2 (10,062 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 131 m (430 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
| • Density | 1,150.0/km2 (2,978.5/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 5,853,575(5th) |
| • MSA | 7,122,240 (5th) |
| • CSA | 7,824,643 (9th) |
| MSA/CSA = 2020, Urban = 2010 | |
| GDP | |
| • MSA | $696.999 billion (2023) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area codes | 361, 409, 713/281/832/346, 936, 979 |
Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands,[4] is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States,[5] encompassing ten counties along the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas. With a population of 7,824,643 in 2025,[6] Greater Houston is the second-most populous metropolitan area in Texas, and the Southern United States, after the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.[5]
The region of approximately 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) centers on Harris County, the third-most populous county in the U.S., which contains the city of Houston, the economic and cultural center of the South with a population of more than 2.3 million as of 2010.[7] Greater Houston is part of the Texas Triangle megaregion along with the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Greater Austin, and Greater San Antonio. Greater Houston also serves as a major anchor and economic hub for the Gulf Coast. Its Port of Houston is the largest port in the United States and the 16th-largest in the world.[8]
Greater Houston has historically been among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States; it was the fastest-growing in absolute terms during the 2013–2014 census year, adding 156,371 people.[9] The area grew 25.2%, adding over 950,000 people, between 1990 and 2000 in comparison to a 13.2% increase in the national population over the same period. Between 2000 and 2007, the area added over 910,000 people.[10] The Greater Houston Partnership projected the metropolitan area would add between 4.1 and 8.3 million new residents between 2010 and 2050.[11]
Greater Houston has the seventh-highest metropolitan-area gross domestic product in the United States, valued at $551 billion in 2023.[12] A major trade center anchored by the Port of Houston, the region has the highest trade export value of all metropolitan areas, at over $180 billion in 2024, accounting for 9% of all U.S. exports.[13] As of 2024, Greater Houston is home to the headquarters of 24 Fortune 500 companies, ranking third among all metropolitan statistical areas.[14] The Greater Houston metropolitan area was ranked the fourth-most diverse metropolitan area in the United States in 2012.[15]
- ^ "OMB Bulletin No. 20-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). White House. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (MSA)". Federal Reserve Economic Data. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
- ^ "OMB Bulletin No. 23-01" (PDF). The Office of Management and Budget. July 21, 2023. p. 56. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
- ^ a b "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
- ^ "Growth Challenges and Opportunities in the Texas Triangle". Texas Urban Planning Agency. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ [1] Archived copy at the Library of Congress (October 17, 2010).
- ^ "World Port Rankings 2016".
- ^ SCHNEIDER, MIKE; HOLLAND, JESSE J. (March 26, 2015). "CENSUS: FLORIDA CITY TOPS LIST OF FASTEST-GROWING AREAS". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area was also the top in metro area numerical increase with 156,371 people added between 2013 and 2014, followed by the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington area with a 131,217-person increase and the New York–Newark–Jersey City–Philadelphia area with a 90,797-person increase.
- ^ Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area (CBSA) Population and Components of Change Archived January 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Metro Houston Population Forecast" (PDF). Greater Houston Partnership. April 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ "Gross Domestic Product by Metropolitan Area, 2023". Bureau of Economic Analysis. December 4, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ "U.S. Exports by Metropolitan Area, 2024" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. March 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ "Fortune 500 Companies". Greater Houston Partnership. August 6, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
- ^ Trulia. "America's Most Diverse Neighborhoods And Metros". Forbes. Retrieved January 2, 2021.