Look, if you’re an energy executive in Dallas right now, you’ve probably noticed something. Your network keeps moving to Houston. One by one, your industry friends are taking calls from recruiters, weighing offers, and eventually… they’re gone.
And here’s the thing—they’re not coming back.
It’s not that Dallas isn’t great. It absolutely is. But when it comes to energy careers? Houston’s playing a completely different game.
Let’s talk numbers for a second
About 12 percent of Houston’s workforce is in energy. That might not sound massive until you realize what it actually means: you’re surrounded by people who speak your language. More than 4,600 energy companies call Houston home. Not satellite offices—actual headquarters, operations centers, the places where decisions get made.
Dallas has 24 Fortune 500 headquarters. Houston has 25. Okay, nearly tied, right? But here’s where it gets interesting: 17 of Houston’s Fortune 500 companies are directly in oil and gas. That’s not diversity—that’s depth. That’s an entire ecosystem.
“The energy talent pool in Houston is fundamentally different from what you find in Dallas,” Jim Hickey told me. He’s President Managing Partner at Perpetual Talent Solutions, a Houston executive search firm, and he’s spent years watching this pattern play out. “We’re not just talking about more energy companies. We’re talking about a complete ecosystem where every segment of the value chain operates with unprecedented scale and sophistication.”
When the giants choose Houston, they’re choosing for a reason
Remember when Chevron announced they were moving to Houston in August 2023? And then Exxon did the same thing in July? Those weren’t random decisions. These are two of the biggest energy companies on the planet, and they both looked at the map and said: Houston.
Think about what that means if you’re an executive. Your peers are there. Your competition is there. The innovations happening in boardrooms and labs—they’re happening there.
“When Chevron and Exxon chose Houston, they weren’t just moving offices,” Hickey said. “They were positioning themselves at the center of global energy innovation, where access to specialized talent, infrastructure, and industry knowledge converge in ways that create genuine competitive advantages.”
Honestly? If you’re trying to advance your energy career while the industry’s center of gravity is somewhere else, you’re swimming upstream.
Oh, and your money goes further
Here’s something that surprised me: Houston’s cost of living is about 8 percent lower than Dallas. But housing? That’s where you really feel it—we’re talking roughly 14 percent cheaper for comparable homes.
So you’re making executive-level money in an industry that pays well (more on that in a second), and your mortgage or rent is significantly less than your Dallas peers. Your grocery bill’s a bit lower. Your utilities cost less. It adds up fast.
“We’ve seen numerous situations where executives moving from Dallas to Houston experience an immediate improvement in their standard of living,” Hickey said. “A comparable home might cost $100,000 less, utilities run cheaper, and the overall financial equation strongly favors Houston.”
That $100,000 difference? That’s real money. That’s your kid’s college fund. That’s retiring earlier. That’s options.
The career math just works better
Let me paint you a picture. You’re in Houston, and you’ve got more than 600 exploration and production firms around you. Over 1,100 oilfield service companies. More than 180 pipeline transportation businesses. All right there.
What does that actually mean for your career? It means if things don’t work out at your current company, you don’t have to uproot your family and move across the country. You can transition between segments of the industry—upstream to midstream, traditional to renewables, operations to services—without changing your zip code.
Your kids stay in the same schools. Your spouse keeps their network. You keep your weekend routines. And your career keeps moving forward.
The money reflects this too. Average annual earnings in Houston’s energy and mining sector hit $120,700 back in 2017—that’s way above the $80,900 national average. And workers in Houston’s most concentrated industry clusters? They earn about 40 percent more than people in less concentrated sectors.
You know that moment when you’re at a conference and everyone just… gets it? That’s every week in Houston. Because the industry isn’t scattered—it’s concentrated. Your network compounds on itself.
But wait—isn’t oil and gas dying?
I hear you. And honestly, that’s the wrong question.
Houston isn’t just doubling down on traditional energy. The city’s become ground zero for the energy transition. There are over 270 clean-tech and climate-tech startups in the region right now. Carbon capture. Geothermal. Clean hydrogen. All the emerging technologies that’ll define the next 30 years.
“The narrative that Houston is only about traditional oil and gas is outdated,” Hickey told me, and he’s right. “We’re seeing tremendous executive opportunities in renewable energy, energy transition technologies, and sustainable energy solutions. Companies need leaders who understand both the traditional energy business and emerging technologies, and Houston has become the nexus for that convergence.”
Case in point: the Department of Energy picked Houston’s HyVelocity Hub as one of seven regional clean hydrogen hubs. That’s not nostalgia—that’s the future being built on top of decades of energy infrastructure and expertise.
If you want to be part of shaping where energy goes next, you need to be where the transition’s actually happening. Not where people are talking about it—where they’re building it.
To be fair about Dallas
Look, Dallas has its strengths. If you’re in tech, telecommunications, finance, or diversified corporate services, Dallas is fantastic. Texas Instruments, AT&T, American Airlines—these are massive companies offering incredible opportunities.
But if your career is in energy? You’re kind of in the wrong city. It’s like being a film executive in Chicago instead of Los Angeles. Sure, there’s some industry there, but you’re not where the action is.
The talent naturally sorts itself. Tech and finance execs gravitate toward Dallas. Energy leaders increasingly see Houston as the only place that makes sense if you’re serious about maximizing your impact and advancement in the industry.
What this means if you’re being recruited
When a Houston company comes calling, they’re offering more than a job and a salary. They’re offering you a seat at the center of the global energy conversation.
“Companies recruiting energy executives away from Dallas need to articulate the Houston advantage clearly,” Hickey said. “It’s not just about the specific role or compensation. It’s about positioning executives at the center of the global energy industry, where their expertise compounds through daily interactions with the world’s leading energy professionals and companies.”
Think about it this way: every conversation you have, every person you meet, every conference you attend—they’re all amplified because of where you are. Your expertise doesn’t just grow through your work. It grows through proximity to everyone else doing the same work at the highest level.
Add that to lower living costs, better networking, deeper industry concentration, and leadership in where energy’s headed next? The value proposition basically sells itself.
The bottom line
If you’re an energy executive in Dallas, you’re probably going to get recruited to Houston eventually. Maybe you already have been. And when that happens, the question isn’t really whether Houston offers good opportunities.
The question is: can you really afford to stay where you are?
Because while Dallas is building a diversified economy across multiple sectors, Houston is building the future of global energy. And if that’s your industry, if that’s your career, if that’s what you’ve spent years developing expertise in… well, you know where you need to be.
Your network’s already there. They figured it out. Maybe it’s your turn.
