New businesses in Harris County, Texas
From Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, the Texas Comptroller issued 25,419 new sales-tax permits to business locations in Harris County. That ranks #1 of 254 Texas counties and is 15.2% of all new permits statewide. It is part of the Houston metro.
- New permits rose 53% compared with the 12 months before (16,597 then).
- The busiest month was Sep 2026 (2,848); the slowest was Nov 2025 (1,234).
- Wholesale is over-represented: 1.3x its share statewide.
- Admin & support services is under-represented at 0.8x the state share, which can mean less local competition.
- 61% of new permits went to LLCs.
- The single most common new business type in Harris County was Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (3,364 permits).
New permits by industry
| Industry | Permits | Share in Harris County | Share in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 10,413 | 41% | 42% |
| Food & lodging | 3,859 | 15% | 14% |
| Other services (repair, personal care) | 2,173 | 9% | 8% |
| Wholesale | 1,685 | 7% | 5% |
| Manufacturing | 1,552 | 6% | 6% |
| Professional services | 1,315 | 5% | 5% |
| Construction | 963 | 4% | 4% |
| Admin & support services | 810 | 3% | 4% |
Most common new business types
| Business type (NAICS) | Code | New permits |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses | 454110 | 3,364 |
| Mobile Food Services | 722330 | 1,181 |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 722511 | 903 |
| All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) | 453998 | 778 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 722513 | 744 |
| Other Direct Selling Establishments | 454390 | 658 |
| All Other General Merchandise Stores | 452319 | 465 |
| Used Car Dealers | 441120 | 445 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars | 722515 | 421 |
| General Automotive Repair | 811111 | 402 |
Cities and towns with the most new permits
| City (mailing address) | New permits |
|---|---|
| Houston | 16,606 |
| Katy | 1,598 |
| Spring | 1,299 |
| Cypress | 1,278 |
| Humble | 809 |
| Tomball | 772 |
| Pasadena | 517 |
| Baytown | 397 |
Entity types
| Entity | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| LLC | 15,405 | 61% |
| Sole proprietor | 6,248 | 25% |
| Corporation | 3,019 | 12% |
| Partnership | 467 | 2% |
| Nonprofit | 191 | 1% |
| Other | 89 | 0% |
Monthly new permits
| Month | New permits | |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 1,714 | |
| Nov 2025 | 1,234 | |
| Dec 2025 | 1,641 | |
| Jan 2026 | 1,814 | |
| Feb 2026 | 1,803 | |
| Mar 2026 | 2,188 | |
| Apr 2026 | 2,708 | |
| May 2026 | 2,176 | |
| Jun 2026 | 2,465 | |
| Jul 2026 | 2,348 | |
| Aug 2026 | 2,480 | |
| Sep 2026 | 2,848 |
Household income in Harris County ZIP codes
Average adjusted gross income per tax return from IRS Statistics of Income (tax year 2022), for the ZIP codes where this county's new permits were mailed.
| ZIP | Town | Tax returns | Avg. income per return | New permits (12 mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77449 | Katy | 63,010 | $51,595 | 729 |
| 77494 | Katy | 56,440 | $148,498 | 1,012 |
| 77433 | Houston | 51,480 | $125,198 | 1 |
| 77084 | Houston | 50,740 | $58,228 | 617 |
| 77573 | League City | 42,700 | $113,140 | 456 |
| 77429 | Houston | 41,780 | $118,602 | 1 |
| 77584 | Pearland | 40,910 | $107,181 | 417 |
| 77459 | Missouri City | 39,600 | $125,785 | 459 |
Get the names and addresses
The weekly paid list has every new business with its address, industry and entity type, including a Houston tier. Texas New Business Weekly · free sample.
Other Houston counties
- Fort Bend County (5,122)
- Montgomery County (4,380)
- Brazoria County (1,772)
- Galveston County (1,726)
- Liberty County (560)
- Waller County (507)
- Chambers County (326)
- Austin County (191)
Counties with similar volume
- Dallas County: 14,118 new permits (#2)
- Tarrant County: 11,200 new permits (#3)
- Bexar County: 10,362 new permits (#4)
All Texas counties · Start a business in a Texas city · Texas ZIP code data
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Notes on the data
Counts are new outlet sales-tax permits issued by the Texas Comptroller from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, from the public Active Sales Tax Permit Holders dataset. A permit can be a brand-new business, a new location of an existing one, or a re-permit. Because the source lists only permits that are still active, the prior-year count leaves out businesses that have since closed, so year-over-year growth reads somewhat high. Businesses that don't sell taxable goods or services (many professional firms) don't need a permit and aren't counted. Updated 2026-10-15.
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Data from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (public domain). Independent compilation, not affiliated with the State of Texas. Check the original source before relying on it. Not legal advice. Numbers are illustrative; your lender's statements control.