Houston has the lowest inflation problem in the U.S., new study finds

Money Talk

Inflation isn't affecting Houston as badly as the rest of the country. Photo by fr0ggy5 on Unsplash

Despite the national inflation rate sitting at 3 percent as of September 2025, the impact of inflation on Houston and the surrounding area isn't as severe as the rest of the U.S., a new study has revealed.

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land ranked as the metro with the smallest inflation problem in the U.S. in WalletHub's October 2025 "Changes in Inflation by City" report.

The study tracked inflation changes for 23 major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) using Consumer Price Index data from the latest month available and compared to data from two months prior. The analysis also factored in inflation data from last year to analyze both short- and long-term inflation changes.

Compared to two months ago, the inflation rate in Houston fell by 0.1 percent, and local inflation is only 1.10 percent higher than it was a year ago, WalletHub said.

Houston residents may be feeling the sting a lot less than they did in January 2024, when WalletHub said the city had the 7th highest inflation rate in the country. And yet, Houstonians are increasingly concerned with the economy and its effects on inflation, a recent University of Houston survey found.

A separate WalletHub study named Texas the No. 1 most "financially distressed" state in the U.S. for 2025, adding to the severity of Texans' economical woes.

U.S. cities with the worst inflation problems

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado topped the list as the city with the No. 1 worst inflation problem as of September. The Denver metro saw a 1 percent uptick in inflation when compared to two months prior, and it's 3.10 percent higher than it was a year ago.

Elsewhere in Texas, WalletHub ranked Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington as the metro with the 8th lowest inflation problem nationwide. That's a fair shift from a previous report from June 2025 that ranked DFW the No. 1 U.S. metro with the lowest inflation issues.

The top 10 metros where inflation has risen the most as of September 2025 are:

  • No. 1 – Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado
  • No. 2 – Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California
  • No. 3 – Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin
  • No. 4 – Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire
  • No. 5 –Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin
  • No. 6 – (tied) Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Virginia-Maryland-West Virginia
  • No. 8 – Anchorage, Alaska
  • No. 9 – New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania
  • No. 10 – San Diego-Carlsbad, California
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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

73,930 Texans were classified as millionaire tax filers in 2022. Photo via Getty Images

Texas is home to second largest population of millionaires in the U.S.

The Millionaires Club

Tilman Fertitta, Elon Musk, Alice Walton, and Jerry Jones are members of the billionaires club in Texas. But just how many millionaires does the Lone Star State boast?

Altogether, 73,930 Texans were classified as millionaire tax filers in 2022, according to an analysis of IRS data by digital marketing firm Hennessey Digital. (For context, that millionaire count is just a few thousand shy of the entire population of Missouri City.) This figure puts Texas in the No. 2 spot for the country’s biggest population of millionaire taxpayers, behind first-place California.

However, if you crunch the figures a different way, Texas’ millionaire status isn’t quite as impressive, demonstrating that not everything is bigger in Texas. Texas ranks 10th among the states with the highest proportions of millionaire taxpayers, the study indicates. According to Hennessey Digital’s calculations, 27.1 of every 10,000 Texas tax filers reported adjusted gross income of at least $1 million for the 2022 tax year.

“The state’s booming economy, driven by energy, technology, and business-friendly policies, contributes to its wealthy population,” says Hennessey Digital.

Forbes ranked 43 Texans among the 400 wealthiest Americans last year, with Elon Musk topping the list. Houston hospitality king, Rockets owner, and newly appointed ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta was the 12th richest Texan and the 99th richest person in the United States, according to Forbes.

Which state comes out on top for the largest share of millionaire taxpayers? Connecticut, with 44.76 millionaire tax filers for every 10,000 filers, the Hennessey study shows. A number of well-to-do Connecticut suburbs are situated just a commuter train ride away from New York City, where bankers, brokers, and others pull in the big bucks. (Connecticut sits two spots above New York state in the millionaire ranking.)

The numbers in the study “highlight the diverse economic landscapes across our nation. States with favorable tax policies and thriving industries tend to attract more high-income earners,” says Jason Hennessey, CEO of Hennessey Digital. “Understanding these patterns can provide valuable insights for businesses and individuals making decisions about where to live, work, or invest.”

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This story originally appeared on our sister site, CultureMap.com.

Living in Texas is not all rainbows and sunshine, according to WalletHub. Photo via Getty Images

Texas tumbles to No. 36 in new 2024 ranking of best states to live

this just in

Texas is being ruled out as one of the top states to live in the country, according to a new livability study by WalletHub. The Lone Star State ranked No. 36 out of all 50 states.

WalletHub ranked every state based on 51 metrics in five major categories: Affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Factors that were considered include a state's housing affordability, the share of the population living in poverty, wealth gaps, the quality of the public school system, road quality, among others.

Texas' not-so-stellar ranking has now branded the state as the 15th worst state to live in the nation. For comparison, Massachusetts ranked as the No. 1 best state to live in, followed by Florida (No. 2), New Jersey (No. 3), Utah (No. 4), and New Hampshire (No. 5).

In a confusing ranking of states with the best economies, Texas placed No. 36, despite WalletHub's earlier 2024 report that declared Texas had the fourth best economy in the nation.

Here's how the study broke down Texas' ranking across the remaining four key dimensions:

  • No. 8 – Quality of life rank
  • No. 34 – Safety rank
  • No. 34 – Affordability rank
  • No. 38 – Education and health rank

The study's findings show Texas has the fifth lowest rate of homeownership nationwide, ranking No. 46 out of all 50 states. In the ranking of each state's population aged 25 and older who have earned a high school diploma or more, Texas ranked No. 49. The state similarly ranked at the bottom of the list for its proportion of the population that has insurance (No. 50). Texas workers also have the second-longest average work week, placing the state at No. 48 (tied with Wyoming) in the national comparison of average weekly work hours.

The only ranking that Texas excelled in (surprisingly) was the restaurants metric. Texas landed in a four-way tie with California, New York, and Florida for the No. 1 most restaurants per capita.

Other WalletHub studies have supported the idea that Texas may not be the best state for putting down roots. Most recently, the state landed a middling rank as the No. 29 best public school system in the U.S., and it ranked No. 28 in WalletHub's annual report of the "Best and Worst States for Military Retirees."

Moreover, Texas ranked 28th in a new report on best states for the arts by SmileHub, a nonprofit tech company founded by the same CEO as WalletHub.

"When deciding on a place to move, you should first consider financial factors like the cost of living, housing prices and job availability," said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. "Many states have strong economies, though, so you should also consider a wide variety of other factors, such as how where you live will impact your health and safety, and whether you will have adequate access to activities that you enjoy. If you have children, a robust education system is also key."

At the opposite end of the study, Louisiana landed at the bottom of the national ranking as the worst state to live in for 2024. New Mexico (No. 49), Arkansas (No. 48), Alaska (No. 47), and Nevada (No. 46) round out the five worst states.

The full report can be found on wallethub.com.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

Everything is better in Texas, including the state economy. Photo by via Getty Images

Texas profits from 4th best state economy in the U.S., report finds

report

Despite growing sentiments that the U.S. is on a path towards a recession, Texas is pulling a lot of weight as one of the best state economies in the nation, according to a new annual report from WalletHub.

Texas' strong state economy ranked No. 4, with Washington (No. 1), Utah (No. 2), and Massachusetts (No. 3) claiming the top three spots.

The study analyzed all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 28 metrics to determine the "Best & Worst State Economies" in 2024. Each state was ranked across three major categories: Economic activity, economic health, and innovation potential.

The Lone Star State earned a score of 60.08 out of 100 possible points, nipping at the heels of Massachusetts, which earned 61.52 points. For comparison, Washington claimed its No. 1 title with a score of 71.10.

Here's how Texas performed within the three major categories in the study:

  • No. 2 – Economic activity
  • No. 7 – Economic health
  • No. 24 – Innovation potential

Most notably, Texas tied with Louisiana for the No. 1 most exports per capita nationwide, according to the report's findings. Texas also had the second-highest change in GDP (gross domestic product) from 2022 to 2023.

Texas has the 10th highest amount of "startup activity," which WalletHub calculated as the rate of newly established firms. Texas also scored No. 10 in the country for its annual median household income of $75,647.

Nonfarm payrolls – defined as the number of workers employed in the U.S. (excluding those the farming, nonprofit, active military, and private household sectors) – is another indicator for measuring each state's economy. Texas had the third-highest change in nonfarm payrolls from 2022 to 2023, according to WalletHub, behind Nevada and Florida.

Although the overall state of Texas' economy may be strong, that doesn't guarantee all Texans will reap the benefits from that success. WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe explained there's more to improving state residents' financial success than just relying on the economy.

"Factors like a low unemployment rate and high average income help residents purchase property, pay down debt and save for the future," Happe said. "The best state economies also encourage growth by being friendly to new businesses and investing in new technology that will help the state deal with future challenges and become more efficient."

On the other end of the economic scale, Hawaii and Mississippi flopped with the worst state economies in the U.S. in 2024, ranking No. 50 and No. 51, respectively.

The top 10 states with the best economies are:

  • No. 1 – Washington
  • No. 2 – Utah
  • No. 3 – Massachusetts
  • No. 4 – Texas
  • No. 5 – California
  • No. 6 – Colorado
  • No. 7 – Florida
  • No. 8 – North Carolina
  • No. 9 – District of Columbia
  • No. 10 – Arizona
The full report can be found on wallethub.com

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

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Houston company wins AHA competition for pediatric heart valve design

winner, winner

Houston-based PolyVascular, which develops minimally invasive solutions for children with congenital heart disease, was named the overall winner of the American Heart Association’s annual Health Tech Competition earlier this month.

The company was founded in 2014 by Dr. Henri Justino and Daniel Harrington and was part of TMCi's 2017 medical device cohort. It is developing the first polymer-based transcatheter pulmonary valve designed specifically for young children, allowing for precise sizing and redilation as the child grows while also avoiding degradation. PolyVascular has completed preclinical studies and is working toward regulatory submissions, an early feasibility study and its first-in-human clinical trial thanks to a recent SBIR grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

With the new AHA honor, PolyVascular will be invited to join the association’s Center for Health Technology & Innovation Innovators’ Network, which connects entrepreneurs, providers and researchers to share and advance innovation in cardiovascular and brain health.

“This is a tremendous honor for PolyVascular—we’re especially proud to bring hope to families and children living with congenital heart defects,” Justino said in a news release. “Our technology—a minimally invasive valve that can be expanded over time to grow with the child—has the potential to dramatically reduce the need for repeated open-heart surgeries.”

The Health Tech Competition is a live forum for health care innovators to present their digital solutions for treating or preventing cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Finalists from around the world addressed heart failure, hypertension, congenital heart defects and other issues that exist in cardiovascular, brain and metabolic health. Solutions were evaluated on the criteria of validity, scientific rigor and impact.

The judges included Texas-based Dr. Eric D. Peterson, professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and Dr. Asif Ali, clinical associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and director at Cena Research Institute.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of U.S. adults live with some form of cardiovascular disease or stroke.

“The American Heart Association plays a pivotal role in advancing innovative care pathways, and we’re excited that our solution aligns with its guidelines and mission,” Justino said in a news release. “It’s time these life-changing technologies reach the youngest patients, just as they already do for adults.”

EO Houston is where ambitious founders go to scale smarter

Don't Go It Alone

Scaling a business from early traction into true growth is one of the most exciting — and punishing — chapters of entrepreneurship. Houston founders know this better than most. Our city is built on ambition: fast-moving industries, talent from around the world, and opportunities that expand as large as the Texas sky.

But as many entrepreneurs eventually learn, scaling isn’t simply “more of what worked.” It requires new systems, new thinking, and often, a new version of the founder. Even the most capable founders eventually face decisions, pressures, and turning points that only other entrepreneurs can truly understand.

Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a global peer-to-peer network of more than 18,000 business owners across 220 chapters in 75+ countries, exists for exactly this stage. One of the largest chapters in the organization, EO Houston brings that global community to life locally, offering founders the connection, learning, and accountability needed to grow sustainably and to grow up as leaders.

A community where founders learn at the highest level
The real value of EO emerges in the lived experiences of other entrepreneurs. When Houston-area founders talk about the moments growth nearly broke their companies, a universal theme appears: you can’t do it alone.

EO Houston member Robert De Los Santos of Sky High Party Rentals learned this the hard way when rapid post-COVID growth made expansion feel limitless — until it wasn’t.

“After COVID, we doubled every year and assumed inventory was the limit. In 2023 we overbought, only to realize demand had peaked. That taught us a hard truth: growth in one city has ceilings. Expanding into Austin and Dallas — the Texas Triangle — gave us new markets to put our inventory to work while we figured out how to penetrate Houston better. The challenge shifted from a strategy of ‘buy more units for demand’ to learning how to tackle the challenges of ‘leading across cities.’”

Founders often enter EO exhausted from trying to maintain control as things grow more complex. Many discover, like Jarred King of Summit Firms, that scaling requires the difficult shift from doing everything to building the team that can.

“We grew quickly because of my network, relationships, and hustle… but I was doing all the work,” King says. “I realized at that point you have to delegate — not just busy work, but important decisions to your key team, as well as set up really effective SOPs.”

“The uncomfortable truth is that you are no longer the best person for most jobs in your company," agrees Darren Randle of Houston Tents & Events. "Your inability to delegate or hire people smarter than you in key leadership and management level roles will become the single biggest drag on the entire business. You have to accept that your original 'hustle' is now a scalability risk."

Making hard decisions, such as walking away from customers or contracts, can feel like less of a sting when you know others have also been faced with tough choices. Aaron Gillaspie of West U's My Salon Suite recalls, “You can’t be everything to everyone, it’s ok to say no, and just understand some customers aren’t the right fit. It’s a two way street and both must win.”

Perspective is perhaps the most important reality check that members find at EO.

“Bigger volume will not make problems go away — you just got to get used to walking the tightrope," says Roger Pombrol of Emerald Standard. "Develop a system for good balance and do not freak out. Scared is no way to live your life. It’s ok if you fall. Your family will still love you. Money is just money. Love is love. The world tries to make you conflate them, but don’t."

Actionable insights from entrepreneurs who’ve already scaled
Conversations like these are happening every month inside EO Forum Meeting. Each EO chapter is divided into several small Forums. These confidential, committed group of 7–10 entrepreneurs who meet to share the real five percent of what they’re experiencing. It’s not advice, but experience — shared candidly, respectfully, and with the kind of vulnerability that leads to breakthroughs.

What makes Forum so impactful is the honesty it draws out. Entrepreneurs are often surrounded by employees, partners, and even family members who rely on them for answers, but seldom do they have a group where vulnerability is not only welcomed, but expected.

Learning experiences that match your ambition
EO supports that growth far beyond peer groups. Through the organization’s global partnerships with institutions like Harvard, Oxford, and INSEAD, Houston members gain access to executive-level learning experiences designed specifically for entrepreneurs.

These programs help founders step out of the day-to-day and think strategically about competitive advantage, innovation, and organizational leadership. Paired with ongoing learning through EO Jumpstart, Nano Learning, and its global library of member-created content, founders stay informed, challenged, and ahead of emerging trends.

And through global communities — ranging from EO Women and EO Under 35 to industry-specific groups — Houston members tap into expertise that spans continents and sectors. Whether someone is navigating M&A, exploring international expansion, or integrating new technologies, the right perspectives are always within reach.

What truly distinguishes EO Houston, however, is its culture. Houston’s entrepreneurial landscape is uniquely diverse and resilient, filled with founders who are hungry to build, innovate, and elevate the city’s business community. EO Houston amplifies that spirit, creating relationships that are as supportive as they are strategic. Many members describe the chapter not simply as a network, but as a catalyst for becoming better leaders, better thinkers, and — just as importantly — better human beings.

Your next level starts here
For entrepreneurs who are ready to scale—beyond their first million, beyond their current comfort zone, and toward a future that requires sharper leadership and stronger community—EO Houston offers an unmatched platform. It is a place where ambitious founders grow faster, think bigger, and gain the confidence to take bold next steps.

If you’re ready to elevate your business and your leadership alongside people who understand the journey, EO Houston is ready to welcome you. Your next level starts with the peers who can help you reach it. Learn more and become a member here.

3 Houston companies land on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list

trending up

Three Houston companies have made this year’s Deloitte North America Technology Fast 500 list.

The report ranks the fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech, and energy tech companies in North America. The Houston companies to make the list, along with their revenue growth rates from 2021-2024, include:

  • No. 16 Action1 Corp., a provider of cybersecurity software. Growth rate: 7,265 percent
  • No. 92 Cart.com, a commerce and logistics platform. Growth rate: 1,053 percent
  • No. 312 Tellihealth, a remote health care platform. Growth rate: 244 percent

“Houston’s unique blend of entrepreneurial energy and innovation continues to strengthen the local business community, and I’m thrilled to see Houston companies honored on the 2025 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list. Congratulations to all the winners,” said Melinda Yee, managing partner in Deloitte’s Houston office.

Action1 is no stranger to lists like the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. For instance, the company ranked first among software companies and 29th overall on this year’s Inc. 5000, a list of the country’s fastest-growing private companies. Its growth rate from 2021 to 2024 reached 7,188 percent.

Mike Walters, president and co-founder of Action1, said in August that the Inc. 5000 achievement “reflects the dedication of Action1’s global team, who continue to execute against an ambitious vision: a world where cyberattacks exploiting vulnerabilities are entirely prevented across all types of devices, operating systems, and applications.”

Atlanta-based Impericus, operator of an AI-powered platform that connects health care providers with pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, topped the Deloitte list with a 2021-24 growth rate of 29,738 percent.

“Our mission is to set the standard for ethical AI-powered physician connections to pharma resources, accelerating and expanding patient access to needed treatments,” said Dr. Osama Hashmi, a dermatologist who’s co-founder and CEO of Impiricus. “As we continue to innovate quickly, we remain committed to building ethical bridges across this vital ecosystem.”

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