Houston · Texas
One of the ten largest metro areas in the country, with 7.8 million residents. Here is what franchise brands should know about the market, how to draw territories and how to market each unit.
7.8 million
Metro residents (Census Bureau, 2024 estimate)
5th
Largest metro area in the United States
10 counties
In the Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands metro area
$25, one time
Texas is an exemption notice state
Quick answer
The metro has 7.8 million residents across 10 counties, the 5th-largest metro area in the United States. Plan territories on households and travel time, give every unit its own page and Google Business Profile, and complete the Texas filing ($25, one time) before you sell.
Reviewed by the Fransion franchise research team · October 2026 · Sources listed below
The market
Energy, the Texas Medical Center, the port and aerospace in a sprawling, highly diverse metro.
For a franchise brand, that means planning Houston as several local markets, each with its own customers, search results and real estate costs.
Metro
Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, 10 counties
Population
7,796,182 (July 2024 estimate)
National rank
5th-largest metro area
State law
Nearby markets
The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, Cypress
Territories
Houston’s sprawl means drive-time territories usually work better than radius-based ones.
Radius territory
Simple to write into the franchise agreement, and a good fit where customers come from a short distance, such as dense, walkable neighborhoods. In spread-out areas the same distance can hold very different numbers of customers.
Drive-time territory · Fits Houston
Follows the roads and traffic patterns customers actually use, and can be sized on household counts so every owner starts with comparable demand. A good fit where most customers drive.
For franchise brands
A customer in The Woodlands and a customer in Sugar Land see different search results. Each Houston unit needs its own page on your franchise website, its own Google Business Profile and its own reviews.
Franchise website design →
A location page for each Houston unit, with its own hours, services, reviews and map, on one brand site.
Franchise SEO →
Google Business Profiles and service areas drawn around real Houston territories, so units do not compete with each other.
Paid media and PPC →
Search and local campaigns budgeted per territory and measured per location.
Franchise lead generation →
Recruiting owners for open Houston territories, once your Texas filing is in place.
FAQs
Still have a question? Ask a specialist, free and confidential.
Houston sits in the Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands metro area, with 7,796,182 residents across 10 counties in the Census Bureau’s July 2024 estimate, the 5th-largest metro area in the United States. For most concepts that is room for several territories, not one.
Houston’s sprawl means drive-time territories usually work better than radius-based ones. Territory mapping sizes each territory on households and travel time for your customer.
No. Texas excludes franchises from its Business Opportunity Act when the franchisor follows the FTC Franchise Rule. You file a one-time exemption notice with the Texas Secretary of State before you offer or sell, pay $25, and never renew it.
Communities such as The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland and Cypress each behave like their own market, with their own search results and customer base. Plan them as separate territories rather than one Houston market.
Fransion works remotely with franchise brands nationwide, serving Houston and the rest of Texas. Strategy, design and marketing are done by our own team, and we travel for workshops and launches when it helps.
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