A temporary covered walkway can be seen wrapping around part of Chevron’s office headquarters at 1500 Louisiana in Houston on October 21, 2024. The oil and gas giant is one of 10 Houston companies recognized in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Companies to Work For ratings.
Marissa Luck/ Houston Chronicle
Sometimes, job searches are driven by urgency: you need a paycheck.
Lately, job seekers in the Houston area are navigating a landscape being reshaped in real time by artificial intelligence, even as the regional economy, this year has proven resilient.
“Everything around us is changing,” said Carly Chase, vice president of careers and business franchise at U.S. News & World Report. “You know we can’t depend on these prescribed linear career pathways that just simply aren’t going to be available in the same way they were in the past.”
Article continues below this ad
Even so, she said, U.S. News’ 2026-2027 Best Companies to Work For, released Tuesday, is designed to help job seekers think about what they would like, even just as a next step.
“Job seekers don’t feel like they have leverage because there’s so much noise in the ecosystem, and uncertainty about what AI is going to do, and so forth,” Chase said. “But all of us, including employers, really want job seekers to be intentional, and know that they want to work somewhere.”
ECONOMY: Why Houston’s economy is doing better than you think, despite rising inflation and Iran war
For this year’s ratings, Chase said, U.S. News evaluated about 4,000 public and private companies, headquartered in the United States or maintaining a significant operational presence here.
Article continues below this ad
They each received scores of one to five, with five being the best, in six categories, encompassing 34 data points: quality of pay and benefits; work-life balance and flexibility; job and company stability; physical and psychological comfort; belongingness and esteem; and career opportunities and professional development.
Companies do not receive a composite score, nor are the best overall companies ranked against each other. That’s on purpose, Chase said: “We really want [job seekers] to pay attention to what’s important to them.”
About 600 companies were named to this year’s Best Companies to Work For list. About 600 more fell short of the best overall list, but were recognized as best companies to work for in their region or industry, or named to sublists of the best workplaces for interns or caregivers.
Of the best overall companies in this year’s ratings, 44 are headquartered in Texas, and ten are in Houston. Here are the Houston companies on the list, in alphabetical order.
WEALTH: Here are Houston’s 100 highest-paid executives, ranked
Article continues below this ad
Cheniere
Cheniere Energy, the largest U.S. producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas, scored top marks, a five out of five, for quality of pay and stability. U.S. news also noted that the company offers a number of benefits for caregivers, from mental health support to childcare benefits.
Chevron
Oil and gas giant Chevron earned scores of five in the categories of quality of pay, work-life balance, stability and belongingness, and was also recognized as one of the best companies for internships. The oil and gas giant has about 43,000 employees around the world, and last week announced plans to build a massive power plant in west Texas to fuel a Microsoft data center.
Cornerstone Home Lending
Cornerstone Home Lending stands out as one of the best workplaces for supporting family caregiving and as one of the best overall, U.S. News noted, with a top rating in the categories of work-life balance, comfort and belongingness. Cornerstone, which has about 2,000 employees nationwide, has also repeatedly been recognized as one of the Houston Chronicle’s Top Workplaces.
Article continues below this ad
David Weekley Homes
David Weekley Homes scored fives in the categories of work-life balance, stability, comfort and belongingness. The homebuilder, founded in Houston in 1976, has grown to have about 1,800 employees nationwide.
EOG Resources
EOG, the independent oil and gas producer, scored fives in the categories of quality of pay, stability, belongingness, and professional development.
PROS
PROS, a Houston-based travel technology company, stands out for comfort, belongingness and work-life balance, with health and wellness benefits including fertility and adoption assistance as well as leave for primary and non-primary caregivers.
Article continues below this ad
Powell Industries
Powell Industries excels when it comes to stability, comfort and belongingness, U.S. News said, and is one of the best companies to work for in the manufacturing and agriculture sector.
S&B
S&B is one of the best engineering and construction companies to work for and one of the best overall, U.S. News said, with top scores for stability, comfort and belongingness. The privately held company, founded in Houston in 1967, has grown to about 4,500 employees in the United States and India.
Targa
Energy company Targa Resources offers benefits including tuition assistance, U.S. News notes, and scored fives in the categories of stability and belongingness.
TechnipFMC
TechnipFMC, which provides engineering and technology services to the energy industry, scored fives in the categories of work-life balance and comfort. Last year, TechnipFMC ranked first in the Houston Chronicle’s Chronicle 100, an annual ranking of the region’s top-performing public companies.