This article is part of our Moving to Houston guide.
Last updated October 23, 2026
The Houston job market is large and still growing, but slower than a few years ago, and unemployment is a bit higher than the state and national rates. The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro had about 3.5 million nonfarm jobs in August 2026, up 44,700 (1.3%) from a year earlier, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The unemployment rate was 5.0%, compared with 4.6% for Texas and 4.3% for the U.S. Health care, construction and professional services are adding jobs, while oil and gas extraction is shrinking.
How strong is the Houston job market right now?
It is steady, not booming. The metro added 44,700 jobs over the 12 months to August 2026, up from 20,700 in the year before that, per the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) numbers published by Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast. Six of 11 major sectors grew. The biggest gains were professional and business services (+14,700), construction (+14,100) and government (+8,300).
The catch is unemployment. Houston’s rate has run above 5% for most of the summer: 5.2% in June, 5.1% in July and 5.0% in August 2026 (not seasonally adjusted, BLS). That is up from 4.9% in August 2025. About 194,000 people in the region were looking for work in August. In plain terms, there are jobs, but you may be competing with more applicants than you would in some other Texas metros.
Which industries employ the most people in Houston?
Trade, transportation and utilities is the biggest group, thanks to the port, warehouses and retail. Professional services, health care and government follow. Here is the BLS breakdown for the metro.
| Industry | Jobs (Aug 2026) | Change over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Trade, transportation and utilities | 695,600 | 0.0% |
| Professional and business services | 581,300 | +2.6% |
| Education and health services | 476,400 | +1.3% |
| Government | 447,200 | +1.9% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 376,900 | +1.3% |
| Construction | 269,000 | +5.5% |
| Manufacturing | 240,400 | -0.2% |
| Financial activities | 176,700 | -1.2% |
| Other services | 131,400 | +1.2% |
| Mining and logging (includes oil and gas) | 73,300 | -0.5% |
| Information | 27,100 | -5.9% |
| Total nonfarm | 3,495,300 | +1.3% |
Figures are not seasonally adjusted and August numbers are preliminary. Construction is the fastest-growing sector. Information (media, telecom, publishing) is the weakest.
What are Houston’s signature industries?
Houston is known for a few industries you won’t find at this scale anywhere else.
- Energy, still the city’s calling card. The Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) estimates about 222,000 people work in energy and related industries. But oil and gas extraction itself is shrinking: 35,500 jobs in June 2026, down 3.0% from a year earlier. Some of the growth has moved to lower-carbon work such as hydrogen, carbon capture and power, often called the energy transition, so energy skills can still pay off even as drilling jobs shrink.
- Petrochemicals and refining. The region has 11 refineries and about 41% of U.S. base petrochemical capacity (GHP, 2026). Plant jobs cluster on the east side along the Ship Channel, in Pasadena, Deer Park and Baytown.
- Health care. The Texas Medical Center calls itself the largest medical complex in the world, with about 120,000 employees and roughly 10 million patient visits a year. Health care and social assistance is the region’s largest sector, with about 443,000 jobs (GHP).
- The Port of Houston. Port Houston moved a record 4.3 million containers (TEUs) in 2025, up 4%. It supports jobs in trucking, warehousing, customs brokerage and logistics.
- Aerospace. NASA’s Johnson Space Center near Clear Lake has more than 12,000 employees and contractors (GHP, 2023 data). The broader aerospace and aviation field employs about 43,000 people in the region.
Houston is also home to 27 Fortune 500 headquarters, tied with Chicago for second place behind New York (GHP, June 2026). That means a lot of corporate jobs in accounting, law, IT and finance, especially downtown and in the Energy Corridor on the west side.
Who are the biggest employers in Houston?
Hospitals top the list. The most recent count from the Harris County Office of Economic Development (July 2025) covers Harris County locations only.
| Employer | Employees in Harris County |
|---|---|
| Memorial Hermann | 31,425 |
| UT MD Anderson Cancer Center | 26,270 |
| Amazon | 24,000 |
| City of Houston | 22,170 |
| Houston Methodist | 22,015 |
| Harris County | 19,920 |
| ExxonMobil | 16,740 |
| UT Health Houston | 16,150 |
| Chevron | 13,330 |
| United Airlines | 13,200 |
Grocery chains are also big hirers across the whole metro. The Greater Houston Partnership’s last ranked employer list (2019 data) put H-E-B in its top tier of more than 20,000 local workers, alongside Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, MD Anderson and Walmart. Kroger, Texas Children’s Hospital, HCA Houston Healthcare and Shell were in the 10,000 to 19,999 tier.
How much do jobs in Houston pay?
The average hourly wage across all jobs in the Houston metro was $32.51 in May 2025, about 3% below the national average of $33.54 (BLS, released August 2026). Full time, that works out to roughly $67,600 a year. Engineering and legal jobs pay more than the national average here. Food service, health care support and construction trades pay less.
| Job group | Houston average hourly | U.S. average hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Management | $69.09 | $69.84 |
| Legal | $69.70 | $67.07 |
| Architecture and engineering | $54.26 | $51.36 |
| Computer and math | $52.79 | $57.73 |
| Healthcare practitioners (nurses, doctors, techs) | $50.30 | $52.26 |
| Installation, maintenance and repair | $30.38 | $30.44 |
| Construction and extraction | $27.41 | $31.42 |
| Transportation and material moving | $24.26 | $23.96 |
| Office and administrative support | $23.66 | $24.79 |
| Healthcare support | $16.83 | $19.62 |
| Food preparation and serving | $14.70 | $17.86 |
For context, MIT’s living wage for one adult with no kids in Harris County is $21.63 an hour, or about $45,000 a year before taxes. Texas has no state income tax, so your paycheck goes further than the same salary in a state that taxes wages. The state minimum wage is the federal $7.25. See how much it costs to live in Houston for a full budget.
Do you need to speak Spanish to get a job in Houston?
No, but it helps. In Harris County, 45% of people age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, according to the Census Bureau (2020-2024 American Community Survey). Spanish is by far the most common of those languages. Bilingual skills are a real plus in health care, customer service, retail, construction management, social services, schools and government offices.
How do you look for a job in Houston?
- Make a free WorkInTexas.com account. It’s the Texas Workforce Commission’s job board. You can build a state job application, search and apply.
- Visit Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast. It serves the 13-county Houston-Galveston region and runs about two dozen career offices with free computer, phone and fax use for job searching. It also helps with training and apprenticeships. Call 1-888-469-5627 or find an office at wrksolutions.com.
- Go straight to the big employers. Hospitals, the City of Houston and Harris County post openings on their own career sites, and many roles never show up elsewhere.
- Think about the commute before you apply. Houston is spread out. The Energy Corridor, the Medical Center and the Ship Channel plants are in very different parts of town. Read do you need a car in Houston before you pick a place to live.
- Watch the monthly jobs report. Workforce Solutions publishes a Houston summary each month that shows which sectors are hiring.
Can you move to Houston without a job?
You can, and Houston is one of the more forgiving big cities to try it in, because rent is low. A one-bedroom averaged $1,100 a month in October 2026, down 9% from a year earlier (Zumper). Still, with unemployment around 5%, plan for a search of a few months. Some tips:
- Save at least three months of costs, plus move-in money. Landlords usually want proof of income, so be ready with savings statements or an offer letter.
- Start applying before you move. Ask whether first interviews can be done by video.
- Pick a central spot so you can reach jobs in several parts of town. Our guide to the best Houston neighborhoods for newcomers can help, and our sister site, HoustonApartmentBuildings.com, explains living inside vs. outside the Loop.
- Consider temp and staffing work. Employment services added 8,700 jobs over the year to June 2026 (GHP), and temp roles often turn permanent.
Ready to plan the move? Start with our moving to Houston guide.
Frequently asked questions about the job market in Houston
Is it hard to find a job in Houston?
It’s harder than it was a few years ago. Unemployment was 5.0% in August 2026, above the Texas and U.S. rates, though the metro still added about 44,700 jobs over the year.
What is the biggest industry in Houston?
By headcount, health care is the largest single sector, anchored by the Texas Medical Center. Energy is still the industry Houston is best known for and drives many of its corporate and plant jobs.
What is a good salary in Houston?
The average wage is $32.51 an hour, or about $67,600 a year full time (BLS, May 2025). MIT puts the living wage for a single adult at $21.63 an hour, so anything well above that covers basic costs.
Does Houston have a state or city income tax?
No. Texas has no state personal income tax and Houston has no city income tax. You will still pay federal income tax, an 8.25% sales tax and property tax that is passed on through rent.
Sources
- Unemployment and jobs by industry: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economy at a Glance: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (October 2026)
- Jobs report: Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast / Texas Workforce Commission, Houston Area Employment Situation Summary, August 2026 (September 2026)
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, May 2025 (August 2026)
- Largest employers: Harris County Office of Economic Development, 2025 Largest Harris County Employers (July 2025)
- Largest employers (metro tiers): Greater Houston Partnership, Largest Houston Area Employers (September 2020)
- Energy, petrochemicals, sectors: Greater Houston Partnership, Houston Economy at a Glance (August 2026)
- Fortune 500 headquarters: Greater Houston Partnership, Houston Economy at a Glance (June 2026)
- NASA Johnson Space Center: Greater Houston Partnership, Houston Facts 2025 (2025)
- Texas Medical Center: Texas Medical Center, About TMC (September 2026)
- Port: Port Houston, Port Houston Celebrates Best Year Yet (January 2026)
- Languages: U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts: Harris County, Texas (2020-2024 ACS)
- Job search help: Houston-Galveston Area Council, Workforce Solutions (2026); Texas Workforce Commission, Job Search (2026)
- Living wage: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Harris County, Texas (February 2026)
- Rent: Zumper, Houston rent research (October 2026)
Author: Go Big City Team
Next step: see the full Moving to Houston guide for rent, costs, transit, weather, jobs and neighborhoods in one place.