How Does Houston Rank Part 1

Rating and Rankings

Courtest of The Houston Chamber of Commerce

Houston #1

Best Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Program - University of Houston 
The Princeton Review (as reported by Entrepreneur.com) – September 2010

America's Best Airports
Travel + Leisure – July 2010

Largest 5 Year Employment Gain (June 2005 - June 2010)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (as Reported by the Houston Business Journal) – July 28, 2010

Top Cities for Recent College Grads
Bloomberg Businessweek – July 16, 2010

Top Local Government Green Power Purchaser
Environmental Protection Agency - July 6, 2010

The Office Building of the Year (TOBY) Award - Legacy Center Business Park and Greenway Plaza
BOMA International – June 17, 2010

Best Cities for Young Professionals
Forbes.com – June 17, 2010

Highest Level of Entrepreneurial Activity Among Largest Metro Areas
Kauffman Foundation of Entrepreneurship – May 2010

Top U.S. Manufacturing Cities
Manufacturers' News – May 21, 2010

Top Destination City
U-Haul International – April 2, 2010

Largest Population Gain - Harris County
U.S. Census Bureau – March 23, 2010

Top Selling Master-Planned Community - Cinco Ranch   
RCLCO– March 22, 2010

Highest Growth Rate in Texas - Atascocita
Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Gadberry Group– January 2010

Texas' Largest Hospital District - Harris County Hospital District
Greater Houston Partnership Research - December 2009

America's Best Airports - George Bush Intercontinental
The Daily Beast - November 2009

Mega Market of the Year
Southern Business Development - August 2009

Highest Quality of Life Among Students - Rice University
Princeton Review (as reported by Rice University) - July 28, 2009

America's Best Hospitals - Cancer, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
U.S News & World Report - July 15, 2009

Lowest Cost of Living Among Major Metro Areas
ACCRA Cost of Living Index - Second Quarter 2009

Best City to Get Ahead
Forbes.com - June 19, 2009

Top Texas Tourist Destination
Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism- May 12, 2009

Most Business Friendly
FDI Magazine - April 2009

Top Metro in the Nation
Site Selection Magazine - March 2009

Best Affordable Suburb in Texas - Friendswood
BusinessWeek- February 2009

Nation's Healthiest Housing Market
Builder and Hanley Wood Market Intelligence - February 2009

Best U.S. City to Earn a Living
Forbes.com - August 18, 2008

Best City to Buy a Home
Forbes.com - July 14, 2008

Best City to Live, Work and Play
Kiplinger's Personal Finance - July 2008

Best City for Your Job
BusinessWeek - June 12, 2008

Best City for Recent College Grads
Forbes.com - June 26, 2008

Largest IT Service Economy
Onforce, Inc. (VoIP Monitor) – December 5, 2008

Most Accessible City for the Disabled
The National Organization on Disability - February 14, 2008

Highest Population Growth in the Nation
U.S. Census Bureau (as reported in the Houston Business Journal) - July 10, 2008

Houston #2

Most Charity Conscious Cities
Charity Navigator - June 1, 2010

Largest Population Gain Among Metro Areas
U.S. Census Bureau - March 23, 2010

Counties with Highest Job Growth - Montgomery
Bureau of Labor Statistics - October 16, 2009 

Nation's Top Export Markets
U.S. Department of Commerce - July 14, 2008

Houston #3

Number of Fortune 500 Headquarters
Fortune Magazine - April 2010

Best Cities for Jobs
Forbes.com - April 20, 2010

Best Housing Markets
Forbes.com - February 2010

Counties with Highest Job Growth - Fort Bend
Bureau of Labor Statistics - October 16, 2009 

Fastest Growing Cities
US Census Bureau  – July 2009

North American Cities of the Future
FDI Magazine – April 2009

Green Jobs
Global Insight – October 2008

Nation's Most Charitable Cities
Charity Navigator's 2008 Metro Market Charitable Analysis Study

Houston #4

Annual Exports
The Brookings Institution – July 2010

Economic Strength
Policom Corporation – May 13, 2010

Where the Recession is Easing
Forbes.com – March 2010

America's Most Generous Cities
Entertainment Publications (as reported by PRNewswire) – December 2009

Best Value in Private Universities - Rice University
Kiplinger – November 2009

Hottest Labor Markets
Bizjournals.com – October 16, 2009

Best Metro Areas to Launch a Small Business
CNN Money - October 2009

Green Space
Smarter Cities - August 2009 

Cities Where Your Nest Egg Goes Farthest
Forbes.com - October 2008

Best Big City for Business
Inc.com - July 2008

Top Ten Up-and-Coming Tech Cities
Forbes.com - March 10, 2008

Top Cities for African Americans
BlackEnterprise.com - September 17, 2007

Best Value in Private Institutions - Rice University
Kiplinger's - February 2009

Houston #5

Top Counties for Job Growth - Fort Bend County
CNN Money - July 12, 2010

Best Places for Young Adults
Portfolio.com - March 2010

Best Performing Cities
Milken Institute- November 2009

Top Markets for Income Growth
BizJournals.com- September 2009

Highest Total Personal Income
Bureau of Economic Analysis - August 6, 2009

America's Best Hospitals - Heart, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital
U.S News & World Report - July 15, 2009

Largest Share of National GETUP
Federal Highway Administration; Department of Commerce (as reported in the New York Times) – July 2, 2009