Rising City Index · November 2026 all 1029 cities ×

Houston

USA · 4.0 million people · =723 of 1029

Falling behind, from a high base.

Where it stands (2020–24 data)High base

Light trendRising

Rising City Index grade B

36.5 out of 100Based on 6 of 6 forces

What this grade says

Houston scores 36.5 out of 100 against fixed benchmarks. Strongest: energy and people. Weakest: transport and economy. It starts from a high base (2020–24 levels). Night-time light has grown faster since 2022 than before.

Economy25

806th of 1031 cities

Connections35

768th of 1022 cities

Energy70

188th of 1032 cities

People50

276th of 1032 cities

Transport4

875th of 948 cities

Environment35

584th of 1032 cities

The grade is the average of the six force scores, and can sit at most two bands above the city's third-weakest force. AAA and AA need all six forces scored.

How to read the table: every measure is scored from 0 to 100 against a fixed benchmark (the line under each measure), not against other cities. Adding cities never changes this score. Black bars = a score below 15.

MeasureHoustonScore against the benchmarkScore

Economy · 25 out of 100

Night-time light, 2015–250 = no growth · 100 = +10% a year (light ×2.6 in a decade) +40% 34

Research output, 2015–240 = no growth · 100 = output ×8 in a decade (+23.1% a year; set high because new journals entering the index inflate growth) · scored only with at least 100 works in 2015 +39% 16

Income per person, 2015–20Context, not in the grade: its period ends in the COVID year (2020) −10% –

Connections · 35 out of 100

Fixed internet speed growth, 2020–230 = no gain · 100 = +50% a year · growth counted from at least 15 Mbps +61% 35

Air passengers, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide airport source; filled as official files arrive +12% –

Internet speed reached, 2023Context, not in the grade: a level, not a change (it counts in “where it stands”) 285 Mbps –

Energy · 70 out of 100

Sun and wind added within 100 km, 2015–250 = none · 100 = 350 W per person per decade (the world average pace 2015–25, IRENA) 560.1 W per person 100

Clean share of new power within 100 km, 2015–250 = all new power nearby is fossil · 100 = all of it is clean (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal); scored where at least 100 MW was built 41% 41

People · 50 out of 100

Population growth, 2015–250 = shrinking or flat · 100 = +3% a year +41% 100

Human development (region), 2015–200 = no gain · 100 = +0.008 a year · Regional figure: every city in the province shares this value. −0.002 0

Transport · 4 out of 100

Residents near public transport0 = 0% · 100 = 100% (UN target: everyone by 2030) 4% 4

Metro and rapid bus opened per million people, 2015–25Extra fact, not in the grade: no single worldwide metro source; filled as official records arrive not reported –

Environment · 35 out of 100

Land built vs people added, 2010–200 = land grows 2× faster than people · 100 = land grows at most 0.35 times as fast 0.31 (1 = land and people grow together) 100

Fine-particle air pollution, 2013–15 to 2021–230 = no fall · 100 = −8% a year (China's 2013–20 pace), or already at or below 5 µg/m³ (the WHO guideline) +5% 0

Greenness of built-up land, 2015–250 = −0.03 a decade (losing green) · 100 = +0.10 a decade −0.024 5

Weakest forces

transport · economy

Its two lowest force scores. Strongest: energy · people.

Sources: NASA Black Marble · EU JRC GHSL Urban Centre Database R2024A (air, greenness, sprawl, human development, internet) and GHS-POP (people within 100 km) · UN-Habitat SDG 11.2.1 · OpenAlex · Global Energy Monitor · airport operators and aviation authorities · metro and transit operators. Mostly Estimates. Every score is measured against a fixed benchmark, not against other cities. Nobody can pay for or submit data to a grade. How the grade works