Houston, TX business phone guide

About the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area

The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area covers 10 counties in Texas and had 7.8 million residents in July 2024, up 9.0% since April 2020. The U.S. population grew 2.6% over the same period. Harris County, TX is the most populous, with 5.0 million people. By population it ranks 5th of the 925 metro and micropolitan areas and 7th by business establishments.

Businesses in Houston, TX

County Business Patterns counted 162,055 establishments in the area in 2023, employing 2,863,143 people in mid-March with $215.3 billion in annual payroll. That is an average of 17.7 employees per establishment. 55.0% of establishments with employees had fewer than five people. By establishment count, the largest sectors are professional, scientific, and technical services (22,233), retail trade (20,204), and health care and social assistance (20,054).

Business density and team size in Houston, TX

Houston, TX has 20.8 business establishments per 1,000 residents, 15.4% below the U.S. figure of 24.6. Establishments average 17.7 employees against 16.7 nationally, and payroll per employee is $75,206 (10.0% above the U.S. $68,342). 55.0% of establishments with employees have fewer than five people (U.S.: 55.5%), while 6.3% have 50 or more. Most establishments are far smaller than the average suggests, so it pays to price a phone plan at the headcount you actually have rather than the average.

Small-business industries in Houston, TX

Of the 141 industries these guides cover, 141 have a published Census count in Houston, TX. The largest are limited-service restaurants (5,768), physician practices (5,628), and full-service restaurants (5,201). Relative to population, construction, mining and forestry machinery and equipment rental and leasing companies are the most over-represented: 3.4 per 100,000 residents against 1.6 nationally.

Area codes in Houston, TX

The area's named cities and towns have 2,385 NANPA-assigned exchanges across 8 area codes; 713 has the most (31%). Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a business serving several parts of the area can hold a number in each.

Local numbers by city

Pages for 43 cities and towns in the area list their area codes, prefixes and carriers.

Phone costs for a typical Houston, TX business

An 18-person team is the benchmark here, the rounded average establishment size in Houston, TX. Billed per seat at month-to-month list prices (checked September 28, 2026), RingCentral RingEX Core costs $540.00 a month and Ooma Office Pro $449.10. Callata comes to $359.00 a month for 18 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Callata in Houston, TX

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Houston, TX is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.