Houston vs Philadelphia
Houston leads Philadelphia by 1 points on the CIRA Index, 67 to 66. Houston grades better on 6 measures, Philadelphia on 7; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.
Scores by each organisation's criteria
- CIRA Index: Houston 67, Philadelphia 66
- OECD: Houston 65, Philadelphia 66
- UN Tourism: Houston 66, Philadelphia 72
- UNDRR: Houston 67, Philadelphia 57
Theme by theme
- Demand and seasonality: Houston 75, Philadelphia 60
- Economy and jobs: Houston 92, Philadelphia 94
- Climate and hazards: Houston 40, Philadelphia 50
- Water and environment: Houston 50, Philadelphia 69
- Community and housing: Houston 67, Philadelphia 58
- Access and continuity: Houston 79, Philadelphia 75
Where Houston is stronger
- Average length of stay: 11 nights per visitor (metro figure) (Houston First / Visit Houston, The Impact of Overseas Visitation in Houston, 2024). At or above 3.5: grade 4/4.
- Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
- Wastewater safely treated: 98.1 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Statistics Division / WHO / UN-Habitat, SDG Indicator 6.3.1, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
- Rent growth: -2.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Apartment List, Houston Rent Report: September 2026, August 2025–August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
- Early warning and emergency plan: An updated, tested plan that names visitors and tourism operators, with warnings in several languages (City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, 2024–2025). Grade 4/4.
- Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Houston First Corporation / City of Houston, 2024–2025). Grade 3/4.
Where Philadelphia is stronger
- Hotel bed or room occupancy: 67 % average annual occupancy (Visit Philadelphia and Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), reported by WHYY, 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
- Unemployment rate: 4.9 % of the labour force (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), July 2026). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
- Extreme heat days: 7 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 5 and 15: grade 3/4.
- Tropical nights: 51.6 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 30 and 60: grade 2/4.
- Municipal waste per resident: 401.7 kg per resident per year (City of Philadelphia Department of Sanitation / U.S. Census Bureau, 2024). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4.
- Green space: 20 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (City of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation / University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab (Philadelphia Tree Canopy Assessment), 2018). Between 20 and 30: grade 2/4.
- Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (PhilaPort and City of Philadelphia, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
Country context (World Economic Forum)
- United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
- United States: #2 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
Houston in full · Philadelphia in full
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