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 | ||
Interactive Map of Houston–Pasadena, TX CSA
| ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Texas | |
| Principal cities | ||
| 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) | ||
| • 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, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing ten counties along the Gulf Coast in Southeast Texas. With a population of 7,824,643 in 2025, Greater Houston is the second-most populous metropolitan area in Texas, and the Southern United States, after the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
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. 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.
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. 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. The Greater Houston Partnership projected the metropolitan area would add between 4.1 and 8.3 million new residents between 2010 and 2050.
Greater Houston has the seventh-highest metropolitan-area gross domestic product in the United States, valued at $551 billion in 2023. 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. As of 2024, Greater Houston is home to the headquarters of 24 Fortune 500 companies, ranking third among all metropolitan statistical areas. The Greater Houston metropolitan area was ranked the fourth-most diverse metropolitan area in the United States in 2012.