Texas
Capital: Austin · South · Lone Star State
State Statistics
| Population | 30.50M |
| GDP | $2.35T |
| Area | 695,662 km² |
| Capital | Austin |
| Largest City | Houston |
| Political Lean | Lean Republican |
About Texas
Texas is the largest of the contiguous United States and the second most populous state in the nation, a land of extraordinary geographic, economic, and cultural diversity stretching from the piney woods of East Texas to the Chihuahuan Desert, from the Gulf Coast to the high plains of the Panhandle. The state has the second-largest GDP in the country and would rank as the ninth-largest economy in the world if it were an independent nation, powered by its historic oil and gas industry, a rapidly expanding technology sector centered in Austin and Dallas, the world's largest petrochemical complex along the Gulf Coast, and a massive agricultural output. Texas has been defined by its independent spirit since its decade as a sovereign republic (1836–1845), and that identity — expressed in outsized ambition, fierce local pride, and a culture that blends Southern, Mexican, and frontier traditions — continues to shape one of America's fastest-growing and most consequential states.
Major Cities
Houston
Houston is the energy capital of the world and America's fourth-largest city, a sprawling, car-centric metropolis without zoning laws that has become one of the most diverse cities in the nation, w...
San Antonio
San Antonio is the spiritual heart of Texas, a city of deep Mexican and Spanish heritage anchored by the Alamo and the River Walk, where Tejano culture, military bases, and tourism blend into one o...
Dallas
Dallas is the financial and commercial capital of Texas, an aggressively modern city of glass towers, luxury shopping, and corporate headquarters that rose from the prairie with no natural geograph...
Key Industries
Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals 14.5% GDP
Texas is the nation's largest oil and natural gas producer, accounting for roughly 43% of total U.S. crude oil production. The Permian Basin in West Texas is the most productive...
Technology & Semiconductors 12.0% GDP
Texas has emerged as a premier technology hub, with Austin's 'Silicon Hills' corridor attracting relocations from Apple, Tesla, Oracle, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and dozens of...
Healthcare & Life Sciences 10.5% GDP
The Texas Medical Center in Houston — the world's largest medical complex — anchors a life sciences ecosystem generating over $25 billion in economic output annually. Texas is h...
Aerospace & Defense 8.5% GDP
Texas is second only to California in aerospace and defense activity. Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth plant produces the F-35 Lightning II; NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston d...
Agriculture & Food Processing 5.5% GDP
Texas leads the nation in cattle production, with over 13 million head — more than twice the number of any other state. Texas is also the top producer of cotton, sorghum, and ha...
Notable Universities
| University | City | Type | Founded | Students |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin | Public Research University | 1883 | 51K |
| Texas A&M University | College Station | Public Research University | 1876 | 74K |
| Rice University | Houston | Private Research University | 1912 | 4K |
| Southern Methodist University | Dallas | Private Research University | 1911 | 12K |