A guide to office space in Houston
Houston is the largest city in the Southern United States and the most populous in Texas, with a metropolis of over six million people. Houston’s economy is largely based around oil and energy, manufacturing and aeronautics. The city is also the national leader in healthcare.
The location
Houston City Council is divided into 11 districts.
These areas are generally classified as lying either inside or outside the Interstate 610 Loop.
The inside of the loop includes the central business hub, as well as a number of residential areas.
The area of Houston is recognized worldwide for its energy industry.
Rather than a single business district, Houston has multiple districts that are home to a host of industries around the area.
Neighbouring areas - price comparisons, per person per month
| The prices given below are the minimum to maximum average cost for executive suites, per person per month, derived from our Sales Team's knowledge. |
| Area | Indicative price range |
|---|---|
| Houston | $600 – 2000 |
| Katy | $700 – 2000 |
| Sugarland | $650 – 2000 |
| Woodlands | $1000 – 2000 |
| League City | $750 – 2000 |
Looking for an office in Houston
While a few main operators dominate the Houston market, there are a variety of occupiers, small businesses and large corporations in the city.
The real estate is relatively expensive compared to areas like Dallas, but the prestigious office address is worth it for companies working in relevant sectors, with each area catering for different industries.
The operators in Houston have a number of sites in high-end areas so you have the opportunity to rub shoulders with large, well-known companies in your industry.
You don’t need to take longer lease terms — with a lot of underutilized space — to have a desirable address.
The Galleria is ideal for companies looking for a high-end city feel — it's busy, with easy access to public transport and major highways.
Costs
The prices in Houston vary depending on size and function.
The average price per workstation would be $1100 for an office averaging 120 square feet.
This includes amenities ranging from internet and IT support to meeting rooms and security.
Office sizes
The majority of companies in Houston still request large, private office spaces. However, coworking has started to catch on in the area.
We offer a great variety of flexible office solutions across a range of sizes, with a choice of providers to cater for all requirements.
Office providers can be flexible with the layout of the workspace, and are happy to discuss partitioning to fit a particular requirement.
Five things you probably didn't know about Houston:
- Houston is such a large city that you could fit San Francisco, Boston and New York combined into its city limits
- Data collected by Gallup show Houston to be one of the top 5 cities for job creation in 2015 in the U.S.
- The Theater District is second only to New York in the US
- The largest single employer is the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world
- International trade supports more than one-third of all jobs in the Houston metropolitan area in one form or another
Why choose Houston?
Houston is an internationally recognized city, popular for its oil and gas.
It's known for its prestigious, high-end property.
In 2013, Houston was also identified as the number one USA city for job creation by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics.
Sitting in the center of America, Houston has easy access to every other major hub and waterway in the US.
Numerous prominent districts, leading business players, and a central location make Houston the ideal city for large and small companies looking to set up in North America.
A closer look at Houston
These are the most popular areas in which to rent office space:
Downtown Houston
- Downtown is home to Houston’s central business district
- It contains the headquarters of many prominent companies, including accounting, energy, and law firms
- Well-known names include Chevron, JPMorgan Chase, and United Airlines
- Downtown has more than 150,000 workers employed by 3,500 businesses and is known as the skyline district for its many skyscrapers
- Its extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting buildings makes Downtown a truly integrated area
- The district also has fantastic transport links and is served by a free bus route
Uptown Houston
- Uptown is a satellite central business district and a hub for leading shopping centers and hotels with business centered around the Galleria
- The Galleria is an upscale multi-use urban development
- It consists of a retail complex, as well as the Galleria Office Towers complex
- The area has easy access to residential properties, shopping and entertainment, and caters for a number of industries
- In particular, it's popular in the oil and gas industry because of its access to residential regions with Shell, Kinder Morgan, CB&I, and Halliburton all having large centers in the district
- The Galleria Financial Center is occupied by many financial organizations such as Merrill Lynch, UBS AG, and Citigroup, law offices, and energy trading companies
- Other major office buildings include Post Oak Tower, the Galleria Tower, and William Tower
Energy Corridor
- The Energy Corridor district is Houston’s main oil, energy and gas hub
- The area is home to major players in the industry, including the headquarters of BP America and ExxonMobil
- Located along the Interstate 10, the Energy Corridor contains over 20 million square feet of office space
- A recent economic growth study predicted that this number would grow by 36%, and retail operations in the area would grow by 40%, by 2025
- The district consists of more than 300 local, national and international companies employing over 78,000 employees, many of these being corporate or regional headquarters
Woodlands
- Woodlands is a master-planned, highly residential community
- While it was planned as a suburban development, it has attracted a number of corporations over the years, including Chevron Phillips, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Huntsman, Woodforest National Bank, and Baker Hughes
- It's about 30 minutes outside of the Downtown district and so manages to maintain its suburban feel while servicing leading corporations in a host of industries
Katy
- Katy district is north-west of Houston city and is an ideal area for smaller businesses
- Katy has seen rapid residential growth in recent years and is attracting a number of retail professionals to new retails centers popping up throughout the district
- The area also houses campuses of some leading industry players, such as BP, offering engineering and business support for much of their onshore operations
- Katy is near enough to Houston to benefit from its resources and assets but far enough away to maintain a family community feel
- A number of business start-ups have also been attracted to Katy because of the area’s strategic placement close to the city
Want to find out more?
If you’re looking to move into the area, or simply require more information, contact Instant Offices’ specialist local consultants.
Email our team or call us and we'll be delighted to help you.