top 12 jobs and growing industries in houston, texas.

Dynamic and rapidly expanding, Houston is the country’s fourth-largest city by population, and the largest in Texas. It’s best known for its energy and aerospace sectors, with engineering and architecture contributing 2.6 percent of total jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s far higher than the national average of 1.7 percent, but still only a tiny fraction of the total 3.1 million roles here — and BLS data suggests that employment in the area is growing fast.

Houston ranks third in the country for most Fortune 500 company headquarters, with 26 of these large corporations representing not only oil and gas, but information technology, manufacturing, production and food distribution. These diverse industries offer some of the best jobs in Houston, including office and administrative roles (384,350 workers), logistics (292,720) and management (239,450). As home to a wealth of hospitals, research labs and medical start-ups, the city also draws plenty of healthcare and life sciences professionals.

Here are our picks of the city’s top roles, including the best jobs in Houston if you have little or no experience. Randstad research suggests that Houston salaries are slightly lower than national averages, so the estimates given here are from the mid range of the scale.

The Texas Medical Center, in south-central Houston, is the world’s largest life sciences complex. It’s a hub for medical research and innovation, conducting over 2,000 clinical trials annually and hosting around 225 active life science start-ups on its campus. Nationwide, the demand for cellular biologists is projected to grow 15 percent in the decade up to 2031 — much faster than the average of 5 percent for all jobs. In this cutting-edge role, expect to earn between $70k and $95k per year.

In addition to the world-famous NASA Johnson Space Center, there are over 500 aerospace and aviation businesses and institutions in Houston. The city’s also home to three airports which together handled over 57 million passengers in the 12 months to May 2023, up 11 percent from the previous year and projected to keep growing. Aerospace engineers, who work with aircraft, spacecraft, missiles and satellites, can expect to earn a mean annual salary of $131k.

Advanced manufacturing is a fast-growing area globally, and one in which Houston is emerging as a leader thanks to its established status as an industrial hub, central location and good transport infrastructure. In this field, robotics engineers use technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented reality to make production processes more efficient. Depending on the job focus, robotics engineers typically earn between $119k and $146k.

Transportation and material moving account for nearly one in 10 jobs in Houston — hardly surprising, given the city’s connectivity by land, sea and air. It’s equidistant from both coasts and close to three primary interstate highways, and Houston Port is the largest container port on the Gulf Coast. At the heart of this logistics superpower are warehouse workers. These roles are often entry-level positions requiring little or no previous experience, with wages ranging from $15 to $17 per hour.

Over 4,700 energy-related companies in Houston operate in every sub-sector of the industry, from exploration and production to distribution and technology. There’s also a growing focus on renewables such as wind and solar, creating an increasing need for project engineers to work on existing energy projects and implement new ones. In this role, expect to earn between $88k and $113k.

Houston’s construction industry accounts for 5.3 percent of employment, higher than the national average of 4.2 percent. Every building needs heating and air conditioning, creating a demand for HVAC technicians to install and maintain these systems. In this role, expect to earn a mean annual wage of $54k.