International business

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International Business and Trade

International trade directly or indirectly supports more than one-third of all jobs in the Houston metropolitan area.

Combined with deep resources of leadership in energy, medicine and information technology, Houston is a gateway for commerce with countries around the world.

Houston’s international trade is facilitated by one of the largest consular corps in the nation – the city consistently ranks among the top three U.S. cities in number of consulates.

Ninety-two foreign governments have official representation here through consulates or trade offices.

Houston has 17 sister-city relationships promoting business and investment opportunities across six continents: Australia (1), Asia (6), Europe (7), Africa (1) and Americas (2).

Houston leads Texas in the number of multinational companies. According to Texas Economic Development, the Houston CMSA in 2000 was home to 49.9 percent of Texas companies with operations abroad (1,558 of 3,123) and had 46.6 percent of foreign firms with operations in Texas (704 of 1,512).

Houston-based companies account for over half of all Texas companies that export abroad.

Nearly 540 Houston companies report having offices abroad in 126 countries around the globe. More than 700 firms in Houston report having foreign ownership. Survey results show 100 countries have either business offices or government representation in Houston.

Houston is a key international financial center. Twelve foreign countries have representation through Houston's 22 foreign banks.

Forty-one foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices here, and the city has 23 active foreign chambers of commerce and trade associations.

In 2008, Houston ranked as the nation's third largest customs district with more than $240.9 billion in total trade.

Source: Greater Houston Partnership: International Houston