Quick answerHouston is a city in the United States, with 2,397,315 people inside the city limits in 2025. The wider metropolitan area had about 7.9 million people in 2025. It is best known for the Energy industry and oil and the NASA Johnson Space Center. Its official language is English, and its currency is the United States dollar.
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest city in the United States, with about 2.4 million people in 2025 and about 7.9 million in its metropolitan area. It lies in south-east Texas, near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The city is a world centre of the energy industry and of space flight.
Key facts
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 2,397,315 (2025) |
| Population (metro) | 7,904,627 (2025) · U.S. Census Bureau Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), July 1, 2025 estimate |
| Elevation | 32 m above sea level |
| Time zone | America/Chicago |
| Language | English |
| Currency | United States dollar (USD, $) |
| Coordinates | 29.7567° N, 95.3653° W |
Overview
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest city in the United States. It lies in south-east Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, at the meeting of Buffalo Bayou and White Oak Bayou. The city was founded in 1836 and named after Sam Houston, the general who won Texas its independence. It grew as a port and a railway hub, then boomed with the discovery of oil at Spindletop in 1901.
About 2.4 million people lived in Houston in 2025, and about 7.9 million in its metropolitan area. The city is one of the most diverse in the United States, and its economy runs on energy: Houston is the centre of the American oil and gas industry, and its port is one of the busiest in the country. It is also home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world, and to NASA's Johnson Space Center.
Houston is known as Space City, because Mission Control for human spaceflight is here. Its museum district, its food — from barbecue to Vietnamese and Mexican cooking — and its parks along Buffalo Bayou draw visitors from across Texas. The city has no formal zoning, which gives it an unusual, sprawling shape.
What Houston is known for
- Energy industry and oil
- NASA Johnson Space Center
- Texas Medical Center
- Diverse food scene
- Port of Houston
Landmarks
- Space Center Houston
- Houston Museum District
- Hermann Park
- Buffalo Bayou Park
- The Galleria
- Discovery Green
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Houston?
Houston had about 2.4 million residents in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, making it the fourth-largest city in the United States and the largest in Texas. Its metropolitan area had about 7.9 million people that year, making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the country. The city covers about 1,659 square kilometres.
Where is Houston and what is it known for?
Houston is in south-east Texas, near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, about 80 kilometres from the coast. It is about 265 kilometres east of Austin and about 385 kilometres south-east of Dallas. The city is known for the energy industry and for NASA's Johnson Space Center, and its coordinates are 29.76° N, 95.37° W.
Quick quiz
Three questions from the facts on this page. No sign-up, no score is saved.
Keep exploring
- United States — the country Houston is in
- New York City — another city in the United States
- Los Angeles — another city in the United States
- Chicago — another city in the United States
- Washington, D.C. — another city in the United States
- Abraham Lincoln — American politics figure
- Nikola Tesla — Serbian-American science figure
- All cities in the United States
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
- Wikipedia — Houston
- U.S. Census Bureau, City and Town Population Totals: 2020–2025
- Wikipedia — Metropolitan statistical area
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.