How Big Is Houston? Compare Its Size in Miles, Acres, Kilometers, and Population

Houston is the largest city in Texas, and it has the most people of any singular city in the state. It’s hardly a stagnant area, though, as the city continues to grow and thrive, adding more buildings, people, and businesses every year. Just how big is Houston, though? Consider the physical size of the area in Texas in terms of acres, square miles, and square kilometers, and find out how many people live in the city these days.

How Many Acres Is Houston?

Houston is about 430,080 acres in total size, giving its large population plenty of space to spread out.

How Many Square Miles Is Houston?

Houston is roughly 672 square miles in total size. Considering that Philadelphia is just 143 square miles, Houston is a massive, sprawling area by comparison.

How Many Square Kilometers Is Houston?

The Bayou City is about 1,740 square kilometers, making it the biggest city in the state.

The Total Size of Houston

Houston is 672 square miles, 1,740 square kilometers, and 430,080 acres. Houston is the largest city by size in the state of Texas, and it continues to grow. The city is known for its powerful connections to many industries, including sports, space exploration, oil, and retail.

Businesses in these industries need a lot of space to spread out, and that is precisely what they get in Houston.

Comparing Houston to Other Large Cities

Houston is not the largest in the country in the United States by size or population. However, it is larger than others in Texas, and it has a respectable size compared to some of the biggest cities in the United States. See how the Bayou City compares to other cities in the region in terms of overall size.

How Big Is the City Compared to Dallas?

The city of Dallas alone has a total size of 387 square miles, but Houston is 672 square miles. As a result, Houston is the larger of the two cities. However, Dallas is not often considered a lone city but part of a larger one called the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex includes the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington. Together, the region comprises over 9,000 square miles and includes a population of 7.6 million people!

As a single city, Dallas is smaller than Houston. If we consider the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area as a single entity, then it is much larger than the Bayou City. If we use that measure, though, then we would have to consider the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land Metropolitan Area. This area has about 7.3 million residents and 10,062 square miles of land.

How Big Is the Bayou City Compared to New York City?

New York City is about 303 square miles in total size. That makes it less than half the size of Houston. However, New York City is far more densely populated than Houston, so it has a much higher population.

How Big Is Houston Compared to Los Angeles?

Los Angeles is a city in California that measures about 502 square miles. Although that is the largest city on this list of comparisons, Los Angeles is still smaller than Houston by size.

All told, Houston is larger than many other cities in the United States, including some of the most significant ones like Los Angeles and New York City.

How Many People Live in Houston?

Houston is fourth on the list of the most populous cities in the U.S. The city has an estimated population of about 2,302,878 people according to the United States Census Bureau. The only cities with more people in them are New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The following chart outlines the populations of the top five largest cities in the country.  

Even these cities do not hold a candle to the most populous cities in the world. Places like Tokyo, Japan and Delhi, India have several times the population of Houston and other metropolitan areas in the United States.

The population of Houston generally trends higher year by year. In 2020, the city had a population of 2,304,580 people. The 2022 estimate was 2,302,878 citizens, reflecting a small loss of people. Many people moved away from large cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This city will probably bounce back as individuals seek to reenter the in-person workforce once again.

People are drawn to the city for many reasons, including a somewhat low cost of living compared to the national average. The ability to work with large companies is also a driving force for the increasing population in the city. Large businesses like Exxon Mobil, Hewlett Packard, Infosys, and Siemens employ thousands of people in the region.

The Bayou City also has many attractions like museums, sports arenas, and stores for people to enjoy.

Future Estimates of Houston’s Population

Although Houston’s growth rate stumbled in the early 2020s, the metro area is still poised to grow in the future. Some estimates claim that the metro area could become the second largest in the country by the year 2100.

Many cities in the so-called Sun Belt are quickly growing, and Houston is one of them. Some of the factors that are driving growth in these cities right now include:

• Lower cost of living
• Room to grow
• An influx of large companies
• Regulations that facilitate economic growth

Houston has a long way to overtake metro areas like New York and Los Angeles in population. Yet, Houston has more room to expand and accommodate people than places like New York.

The Bayou City is one of the largest cities in the entire country in terms of overall population and size. Although it is not the biggest city in the country by size or population, it’s still growing. The future could see this metropolitan area becoming one of the biggest in the country.