as big as texas

Here's how much money the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo lassos up

The rodeo broke records for concerts and brought in hundreds of millions to Houston.

Photo courtesy of RodeoHouston

Simply brave the lines at a RodeoHouston concert or any event at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and one thing becomes inescapably clear: business is bigger than a prize-winning steer.

To wit: This year, according to the latest data, the rodeo drew more than 2.5 million total visitors between February 21 and March 17. The rodeo also boasted more than a million unique attendees (as opposed to those who visited more than once), with 27 percent from outside Greater Houston. Visitors hailed from a total 75 countries.

Music fans will remember that the rodeo broke two records for concert attendance in 2019: Cardi B (75,580 attendees) and George Strait (80,108 attendees).

Obviously, the rodeo is a cash cow for organizers. But other than congested traffic on 610 and packed hotels, just what does Houston get out of the whole deal?

As it turns out, quite a bit, according to a new study. The 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo generated a total economic impact of $227 million, per the rodeo’s 2019 Economic Impact Study. The rodeo also provided a total economic activity of $391 million in Greater Houston.

The report, conducted by Economics Analytics Consulting, studied the rodeo’s economic impact and economic activity, according to a release. What’s the difference between impact and activity? Economic impact measures the economic effects of new spending in Greater Houston generated by visitors attending the 2019 rodeo, per the report.

Meanwhile, economic activity provides a measure of the full economic power of the rodeo by quantifying the total spending in Greater Houston generated by everyone who attends.

Here are some highlights from the report, by the numbers:

Economic impact

• Total economic impact: $227 million
• Direct spending: $133 million
(This includes hotels, food and beverages, entertainment, shopping and merchandise, horses and livestock, farm and ranch equipment, ground transportation, and event spending.)
• Total fiscal impact: $13 million
• Direct jobs: 3,694
• Total jobs supported in Greater Houston: 5,133

Economic activity

• Total economic activity: $391 million
• Direct spending: $243 million
• Total fiscal activity: $20 million
• Direct jobs: 3,694
• Total jobs supported in Greater Houston: 5,918

houston-rodeo reports

family values

Houston ranks as 7th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child

©iStock.com/PeopleImages

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Raising a child is not an easy or inexpensive feat, but a new study has determined Houston parents have the 7th lowest childrearing costs in the country.

SmartAsset's latest report, "Cost of Raising a Child in Major U.S. Metros – 2026 Study," calculated year-over-year changes in the annual cost of raising a child (factoring in childcare, additional housing costs, food, transportation, medical costs and other necessities) in the 48 largest U.S. metro areas. MIT's Living Wage Calculator was used to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults.

Childrearing costs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands have grown 3.37 percent since last year, totaling $22,605 for a family of three in 2026. That's only $737 more than what it took to raise a child in 2025, and it's $1,209 higher than what it took in 2024.

This is how SmartAsset broke down the annual cost for raising a child in the Houston area:

Cost of childcare: $10,265
Cost of food: $1,721
Other expenses: $10,619

Houston ranked 42nd in SmartAsset's national list of cities with the highest childrearing costs in 2026, making it the No. 7 most affordable U.S. metro.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in California topped the list with the highest childrearing costs in the U.S., at $43,171. The cost for raising a child in this California metro soared nearly 11 percent higher since last year.

Memphis, Tennessee ranked dead last as the most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child in 2026. Families will spend less than $20,000 to raise a child in Memphis, only 3.24 percent more than what was needed in 2025.

Raising a child in other Texas metros
It may come as no surprise that Austin is the most expensive place to raise a child in Texas, and it appeared as the 31st most expensive U.S. metro for families. Parents will spend nearly $25,000 to raise a child in the state's capital city, which is $703 higher than it was a year ago.

Two other Texas metros join Houston among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a family: San Antonio-New Braunfels (No. 3) and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (No. 10). Childrearing costs in San Antonio add up to $21,393 annually, and Dallas-Fort Worth parents will spend $23,340 to raise their children in 2026.

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Memphis, Tennessee ($19,922)
No. 2 – Nashville, Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee ($21,216)
No. 3 – San Antonio-New Braunfels ($21,393)
No. 4 – Birmingham, Alabama ($21,684)
No. 5 – Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, Virginia ($22,314)
No. 6 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia ($22,470)
No. 7 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($22,605)
No. 8 – Richmond, Virginia ($22,658)
No. 9 – Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky ($23,270)
No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($23,340)

family smartasset reports livability houston pasadena the woodlands

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Houston ranks as 7th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child