Texas has once again solidified its position as the leading state with the most Fortune 500 headquarters, while Houston continues to spearhead the largest concentration of these corporate powerhouses in the state.  With an impressive tally of 55 prominent companies choosing Texas as their home base, it is evident that the state's business–friendly environment and thriving workforce have been instrumental in attracting and nurturing influential entities.   In addition, the greater Houston metro area stands as the second–largest hub of Fortune 500 headquarters in the nation, boasting a remarkable total of 25 corporate giants. Following closely behind Houston, the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metro area secures the third position with 24 Fortune 500 headquarters.  "Texas is the headquarters of headquarters," said Governor Greg Abbott. “With our strong and growing workforce and welcoming business climate, Texas is where businesses find the freedom to flourish and people find opportunities to prosper." The annual Fortune 500 list serves as a crucial benchmark for corporate success and economic influence, ranking the largest U.S. corporations based on their fiscal year revenue. Achieving the top spot on this prestigious list reaffirms Texas' and Houston's pivotal roles as key players in both the national and global economies.   Here is a list of Fortune 500 firms based in the Houston area, along with their respective rankings:  3 – ExxonMobil – Not on Fortune 500's 2023 list, but HQ relocation to Spring, TX is expected to be completed in 2023.*  17 – Phillips 66  49 – ConocoPhillips   56 – Sysco  72 – Enterprise Products Partners   74 – Plains GP Holdings  110 – Occidental Petroleum   122 – Cheniere Energy   130 – NRG Energy   143 – Hewlett Packard Enterprise  156 – EOG Resources   185 – Baker Hughes   188 – Targa Resources   197 – Halliburton  204 – Waste Management   214 – Kinder Morgan  244 – Quanta Services   252 – Group 1 Automotive  263 – Westlake   275 – Southwestern Energy  341 – APA  413 – CenterPoint Energy  431 – Coterra Energy  433 – Huntsman 464 – Marathon Oil 492 – Par Pacific Holdings See the full 2023 Fortune 500 list.

The Houston Ship Channel, an economic driver and a critical link to transporting goods and commerce with more than 200 countries around the world, generated $906 billion of economic value to the U.S. in 2022, reflecting a 13 percent increase since 2018, according to Port Houston’s latest economic impact study. The Houston Ship Channel complex encompasses more than 200 public and private facilities while Port Houston owns and operates the eight public facilities along the 52-mile Houston Ship Channel. According to the study conducted by Martin Associates, the Houston Ship Channel generated $439.2 billion in total economic value for the state, representing 18.6 percent of the state’s GDP and a $100 billion increase in economic value since 2018. An additional $10.6 billion in state and local tax revenue was generated by activity at its marine terminals.  In terms of employment, the Houston Ship Channel supported 3.4 million jobs in the U.S., including 1.5 million jobs in Texas – a 14 percent increase since 2018. Port Houston’s two public terminals resulted in nearly 190,000 new Texas jobs.  The positive results of the study, which is conducted every four years, will help support continued investment in Port Houston’s future, including plans for facilities and infrastructure. This comes in the wake of the completion of the first section of the Houston Ship Channel expansion project, known as Project 11. This first section, referred to as Segment 1A, encompasses eleven and a half miles extending from Bolivar Roads to Redfish and will help increase safety, reduce congestion, and improve vessel transit times by an hour. Project 11 is expected to be completed in 2025 and will move Port Houston closer to its goal of handling unrestricted two-way traffic of larger vessels.  Port Houston ranks No. 5 in the nation in terms of TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) handled in 2022. With this jump from No. 7, Houston now owns a 7 percent market share of the total U.S. container business.  According to the Partnership’s Global Houston report, Houston’s role as a major U.S. container port has continued to grow over the years as cargo activity shifts from the ports on the West Coast due to congestion.  Learn more about Houston’s transportation and logistics infrastructure.