Small Business
There are 76,452 small businesses (with 100 or fewer employees) in the Houston region. These small businesses employ one in four area workers (574,800) and provide $20.2 billion in annual payroll.
Small businesses in Houston benefit from the same factors that fuel the success of all businesses in Houston—low cost of living, reasonable tax burden, well-developed transportation infrastructure, well-developed technology infrastructure, business-friendly climate and an ample pool of qualified workers, easy access to domestic and international markets and a high standard of living.
There are seven companies on Inc. Magazine's 2008 list of the 500 fastest growing private U.S. companies.
Company | Rank |
| HostGator | 21 |
| Stallion Oilfield Services | 28 |
| Thrustmaster of Texas | 155 |
| Rigdon Marine | 198 |
| Net Matrix Solutions | 272 |
| RigNet | 317 |
| Pop Labs | 440 |
Source: Greater Houston Partnership
Updated 11/20/08
Green Houston 
