In this episode of Bayou Business Download, Partnership Chief Economic Patrick Jankowski discusses recent reports on GDP growth, interest rates and the global economy and what they mean for Houston's economy.      Bayou Business Download is presented exclusively by:       

The Houston region remains an economic powerhouse as it continues to attract new companies, investment and talent, according to the Greater Houston Partnership’s upcoming 2023 Houston Facts publication.  Houston Facts has presented unvarnished information about the Houston region since 1959, and its predecessor publications—under different names, but with the same objective—dating back to 1906. Today, Houston Facts is a comprehensive almanac for the Houston region.  Here are four valuable facts you can expect from this year’s edition, developed by the Partnership’s Research team and sponsored by Fifth Third Bank. The Research team, led by Chief Economist Patrick Jankowski, will provide a first look and additional insight into the 2023 Houston Facts publication on August 2. Click here to register for the special presentation. Economy Houston saw the second-best year on record for employment growth in 2022, with the metro area adding 145,700 jobs. Several factors are driving Houston’s growth including, a strong U.S. economy, close ties to the global economy, a surge in corporate activity and sustained population growth. The Partnership identified 540 companies that have announced relocations, expansions, or start-up operations in the region in 2021 and 2022.  Demographics  The Houston region is home to 7.3 million people and had the second largest numeric increase in population of any U.S. metro between July 2021 and July 2022, according to the most recent Census figures. Houston is also home to many people who were born outside of the U.S. – nearly one in four Houstonians, or 1.7 million residents, are foreign-born.  Cost of Living The region remains the second most affordable major metro among the nation’s 20 most populous metro areas. Houston’s living costs are 34.1 percent below the average of those 20 metro areas, and our overall living costs are 7.9 percent below the U.S. average. Housing costs also remain low with the region 89 percent below the average for the nation’s most populous metro areas and 17.9 percent below the average for all U.S. metros.  Energy Transition Investment As the region positions itself as the leader in the global energy transition, Houston has seen constant growth in annual energy transition investments over the last five years. Houston-based energy transition startups, businesses, and companies secured $6.1 billion in financing from private market investments in 2022, showing a 61.9 percent increase compared to the previous year. Learn more about the Economy Series on August 2 to delve deeper into the insights of the 2023 Houston Facts publication, presented by Fifth Third Bank.