Houstonruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Energy — upstream, trading and services
ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, Halliburton, SLB, Baker Hughes, Phillips 66
Houston is the operational and engineering centre of the global oil and gas industry, and Chevron's announced relocation of its corporate headquarters from California consolidated that further.
Petrochemicals & refining
LyondellBasell, Dow, Shell Chemicals, INEOS, Marathon
The Houston Ship Channel is the largest petrochemical complex in the Americas, and the plants along it are the reason the region's air quality and hurricane preparedness are political questions.
Healthcare & biomedical research
MD Anderson, Texas Children's, Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, Baylor College of Medicine, TMC Helix Park
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical complex in the world by employment, with around 120,000 people working across roughly two square miles.
Aerospace & space
NASA Johnson Space Center, Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, Collins Aerospace, Boeing
Johnson Space Center runs human spaceflight operations and mission control, and a commercial cluster has grown around Clear Lake — Axiom is building a commercial space station from here.
Ports, logistics & trade
Port Houston, BNSF, Union Pacific, Kirby Corporation, CMA CGM
Port Houston consistently ranks first in the United States for foreign waterborne tonnage, and the Ship Channel's economic footprint reaches far beyond the city.
Energy transition & industrial technology
NextEra, Fervo Energy, Baker Hughes hydrogen, Air Liquide, Emerson, HPE
The same engineering base is being redeployed into hydrogen, carbon capture and geothermal — Houston's claim to be the energy transition capital is contested but not empty.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.