Greater Houston here is Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, the three at the core of the metro area. Wider definitions add Brazoria, Galveston and several more counties; they are not in this guide.
No carrier is the clear outdoor leader in any of the 3 counties once each county's water is allowed for. In a moving car, Verizon leads in 1 of the 3 counties. In the 4 Greater Houston cities among the 300 largest in the US, no carrier is the clear leader in any of them.
Every Greater Houston county, outdoors
| County | 4G, any carrier | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Bend County, TX | 100% | 99.7% | 99.9% | 100% | 2.7% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Harris County, TX | 100% | 99.8% | 99.8% | 100% | 3.9% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Montgomery County, TX | 99.9% | 96.1% | 91.9% | 99.9% | 3.2% | No clear leader on land (3.2% water) |
Reading the county figures
Montgomery County: Verizon 99.9% and T-Mobile 91.9%, but with 3.2% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Harris County and Fort Bend County: all three carriers within 5 points of each other outdoors.
The largest Greater Houston cities
The 4 Greater Houston cities among the 300 largest in the US, biggest first. Outdoors, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 4 cities; in a car, Verizon leads in 1 of the 4 cities, and 3 have no clear leader.
| City | Population | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 2,390,125 | 99.9% | 100% | 100% | 4.6% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Pasadena | 149,617 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 2.4% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Conroe | 114,581 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 1% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Sugar Land | 109,851 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 5.7% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
Population: 2024 estimates.
Town by town
45 towns, each the main town of a ZIP code, the large cities included. Outdoors, AT&T leads in 2 of the 45 towns, and 43 have no clear leader. In a car, AT&T leads in 10 and Verizon leads in 6 of the 45 towns, and 29 have no clear leader.
| Carrier | Towns led, outdoors | Towns led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 2 | 10 |
| T-Mobile | 0 | 0 |
| Verizon | 0 | 6 |
| No clear leader | 43 | 29 |
Where one carrier pulls clear in Greater Houston
Widest in-car margin first, 12 of 16.
| Town | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richards | 100% | 0% | 50% | AT&T | AT&T (Verizon close behind) |
| Stagecoach | 21.7% | 0% | 95.7% | Verizon | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Porter Heights | 79.1% | 46.3% | 97% | Verizon | AT&T (Verizon close behind) |
| Roman Forest | 100% | 64.4% | 97.8% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Kendleton | 100% | 100% | 76% | AT&T (T-Mobile close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Simonton | 100% | 98% | 78% | AT&T (T-Mobile close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Montgomery | 91.1% | 78.8% | 100% | Verizon | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Pinehurst | 87.9% | 71.3% | 92.5% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Conroe | 95.1% | 77.4% | 97.5% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Willis | 96.2% | 81.1% | 95.3% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Fulshear | 95.5% | 83.8% | 96.6% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Barrett | 100% | 89.2% | 93.9% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
In a moving car
| County | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Bend County, TX | 91.8% | 86.8% | 85.8% | No clear leader on land (2.7% water) |
| Harris County, TX | 97% | 92.9% | 95.5% | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Montgomery County, TX | 75.4% | 60.9% | 79.2% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) |
5G in Greater Houston
| County | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps | 4G LTE, any carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Bend County, TX | 99% | 95.3% | 100% |
| Harris County, TX | 100% | 98.7% | 100% |
| Montgomery County, TX | 93.2% | 85.7% | 99.9% |