Houston, Pennsylvania, 2012
Houston’s story
125 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2012.
- 1901Houston is settled
HoustonPA
A town of 1,126, settled in 1901.
6 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
1,126
2025 Census estimate · −2.3% since 2020
Typical home
$257K
+2.4% in a year
Household income
$65K
median
Median age
41.9
years
Jobs based here
273
A commuter town
Is Houston a good place to live?
Houston’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and walkability and an A− for schools; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Only 90 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns score lower on civic life. Houston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Houston stand out
Where Houston beats most towns.
Typical home value
Houston$257K
Pennsylvania$287K
Cost of livingA
3.4 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 92% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 89% of U.S. towns
5.3% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Small town
1,126 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Chartiers TownshipMcGovernNorth Strabane TownshipStrabaneMidlandCanonsburgHouston
How Houston grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Houston is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11 of 20; 14.9% of households have no carAOpen →SchoolsBeat 82% of Pennsylvania districts on tests and graduationA−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →HealthCanonsburg General Hospital 1.1 miles awayC−Open →Jobs & income$65K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksCOpen →HistoryC+Open →Civic life1.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.9; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 77 attractions →Acrisure Stadium and 63 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Houston. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaAcrisure Stadium
17 mi LandmarkFort Duquesne
17 mi Stadium & arenaPNC Park
21 mi Theme parkKennywood
18 mi Stadium & arenaPPG Paints Arena
15 mi MuseumMeadowcroft RockshelterSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Acrisure Stadium: Fo2grfr, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Fort Duquesne: Sébastien Paquin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PNC Park: alpineinc, CC BY 2.0 · Kennywood: Ski2007 of English Wikipedia, Public domain · PPG Paints Arena: Jleedev, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Meadowcroft Rockshelter: Lee Paxton, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Houston: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Houston, and how to reach them.
PowerWest Penn PowerEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterPennsylvania American WaterNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Houston’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Pennsylvania you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person until 15 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWashington County Board of ElectionsWashington County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2023
ZIP code1534215342 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Houston.
HealthC−
Houston is less healthy than four in five U.S. towns
Two fifths of Houston adults have high blood pressure, where Pennsylvania’s towns sit at 34% and U.S. towns at 35%. In Houston, just over a fifth of adults smoke cigarettes.
20%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Houston | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
26 measures vs. Pennsylvania
0 better15 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Houston | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 20.9% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 7.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 37.8% | 30.4% |
Canonsburg General Hospital
1.1 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Houston has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles. A fifth of Houston residents live below the poverty line. For most workers, Houston is a place to come home to: only 2% work in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in the town rose by 59, to 273.
2%work in town
| Houston | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 6.3% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Houston2%
Pittsburgh9%
North Strabane Township8%
Cecil Township6%
Chartiers Township6%
11 mi
median commute distance
273
jobs based in Houston
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
Houston faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Houston after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2004. On expected storm and flood damage, Houston sits above 73% of U.S. communities. Flood insurance has paid out on 64 claims here since 1979. 94% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding.
73risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
64
paid flood claims since 1979
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Houston
July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 21° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter23–40°
Spring39–62°
Summer60–82°
Fall43–64°
Oct 23
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Houston stands out in Pennsylvania and nationally, with property crime lower than most
No violent crimes were reported in 2023. Houston's reported crime rate is well below Pennsylvania's.
| Houston | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.8 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Houston0
Pennsylvania2.8
U.S.3.9
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Houston0
Pennsylvania16.1
U.S.19.5
0
violent crimes reported in 2023
0
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
HousingCost of living grade A
The typical home in Houston is valued at about $257K
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 2.4%. 62% of Houston households own their home, against 78% in Pennsylvania’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Its rent at the middle of the market is $775 a month.
$257KZillow home value
| Houston | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $775 a month | $1,115 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Houston$257K
Pennsylvania$287K
+2.4%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in March
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Houston
18pages on Houston
The big questions
SchoolsA−Beat 82% of PA districtsSafety0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2023)HealthC−Better than PA on 0 of 26 CDC measuresCost of livingA$257K typical home · up 2.4% in a yearWork & commuteC+$65K median household income · 273 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 73% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Houston
About 2 of every 100 Houston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Houston for work
Where Houston’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
273jobs based in Houston
2%of working residents work in town
11 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Houston
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Houston is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,165 at the 2020 census. Students in Houston and neighboring Chartiers Township attend school in the Chartiers-Houston School District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1901
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 994 ft
- ZIP code
- 15342
Questions about Houston
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Houston, PA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.