Elevation of Houston
36ft
above sea level · 11 m
Houston is a city in Texas with 2,397,315 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 18th lowest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 29.76° N · 95.36° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 29° 45′ 48″ N · 95° 21′ 48″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 15R · 271,496 E · 3,294,896 N
- Zone 15 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 2,397,315 people
- 641 sq mi of land · 3,741 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from December 2024: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Houston had 2,397,315 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 4.2% more than in April 2020, when it had 2,299,649. Its 641 sq mi of land work out to 3,741 people/sq mi; the state average is 121 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 1,862 places the Census counts in Texas (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 7.6% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 4 counties. By population: Harris County (2,347,346), Fort Bend County (43,668), and Montgomery County (6,301); no one lives in its part of Waller County. Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Harris County.
Compared with other big cities
Houston sits at 36 ft (11 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Houston is 822 ft below it.
The state capital, Austin, is 147 mi away in a straight line and 451 ft higher than Houston.
Of the 12 cities in Texas with a page, Houston is the 2nd lowest: the highest is El Paso (3,713 ft) and the lowest is Corpus Christi (7 ft).
The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak, at 8,749 ft according to the USGS: 8,713 ft above Houston, 582 mi away in a straight line.
- 74 Houston 36 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest cities with a page
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Houston.
What is the elevation of Houston?
Houston is 36 feet (11 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Houston?
Latitude 29.76328 and longitude -95.36327, in decimal degrees (29° 45′ 48″ N · 95° 21′ 48″ W). In UTM, zone 15: 271,496 E and 3,294,896 N, on NAD83.
How does Houston rank among the highest big cities?
It’s the 18th lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).
What county is Houston in?
Several: Harris County, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County, and Waller County. Most of its people live in Harris County.
Which is higher, Houston or Austin?
Austin. Houston sits at 36 ft and Austin at 487 ft: a difference of 451 ft, 147 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know