Highlands is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, 291st of 640 graded towns in Texas, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $220K, 2.7 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 67% of the country. Highlands’ January low is 44°F, against 37°F in Texas’ towns and 22°F across U.S. towns.

A growing town

Highlands has grown 15% from 2010 to 2020

7,522 counted in 2010 and 8,612 in 2020.

7,5222010

8,6122020

U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts

How Highlands grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Highlands is from typical.

How grading works

HealthBaytown Medical Center LP 5.5 miles awayCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.8 of 20; 3.3% of households have no car; 4.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB⁺Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →Jobs & incomeC⁺Open →Cost of livingBOpen →SchoolsC⁺Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors1 mile of trail; 1% conserved landCOpen →HistoryDOpen →

Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

ClimateMild winters, 93° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 40.6; 11% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Daikin Park and 56 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Highlands. Close and well known come first.

All 63 attractions →

Big draw18 mi Stadium & arenaDaikin Park

Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaReliant Stadium

5 mi LandmarkSan Jacinto Monument

19 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Center

21 mi MuseumRothko Chapel

18 mi Stadium & arenaShell Energy Stadium

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Daikin Park: Delaywaves, CC BY 3.0 · Reliant Stadium: User eschipul on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · San Jacinto Monument: Tijuana Brass at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Toyota Center: Ed Uthman from Houston, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Rothko Chapel: Unknown, Public domain · Shell Energy Stadium: HDFC PR, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting set up

Moving to Highlands: who provides what

Highlands is unincorporated, so Harris County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerEntergy Texas13.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterHarris County Wcid 1 water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesHarris CountyHarris County provides services here

SchoolsGoose Creek Consolidated Independent School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteIn personTexas has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereHarris County Early Voting ClerkHarris County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jan 2026

ZIP code7756277562 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 Highlands.

Highlands is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁺

With only 0.6 jobs per working resident, most people in Highlands work out of town

Jobs based here grew from 1,332 in 2013 to 1,904.

Highlands’ middle household income comes in at $52,000. Just 4% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Since 2013, Highlands has added 572 jobs, to 1,904 in 2023. The top destinations are Houston (32%), Baytown (11%) and Pasadena (4%).

4%work in town

	Highlands	Texas towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	31 minutes	25 minutes	25 minutes
Median household income	$52,000	$69,000	$80,000
Working residents who work in town	4.1%	8.3%	8%
Below the poverty line	9.8%	12%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In Highlands4%

Houston32%

Baytown11%

Pasadena4%

Deer Park4%

18 mi

median commute distance

1,904

jobs based in Highlands

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

B+

Walkability grade: more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns

Full pageHighlands’ work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here1,904 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work4% work in Highlands Commute times31 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 18 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

SchoolsC⁺

Public schools in Highlands fall behind 56% of Texas districts

Of its 4 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. Public schools: Goose Creek CISD.

44%of TX districts it outscoresC⁺School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Highlands J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8	Grades 6–8	885	B
Point Alternative CenterLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12	Grades 6–12	96	–

Full pageHighlands’ schools pageOpen the page

The districtsGOOSE CREEK CISD Vs. the neighborsAhead of 1 of its 2 graded neighbors Every school4 schools · Highlands J H Questions“Are Highlands’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation

HousingCost of living grade B

Zillow puts the typical Highlands home at about $221K

At 2.7 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home (about $221K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.

Among households in Highlands, 80% own their home. Highlands’ midpoint rent stands at $1,223 a month.

$221KZillow home value

	Highlands	Texas towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	80%	69%	73%
Median rent	$1,223 a month	$1,206 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Highlands$221K

Texas$296K

+0.2%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageHighlands’ housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsAbout the same as a year ago Years of income to buyA typical home costs 4.2 years of income Rents$1,223 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsAhead of all 2 graded neighbors

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

HealthC

Highlands earns a C for health

Against the 6,520 U.S. towns with household incomes like Highlands’s, it is healthier than 66%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.

15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Highlands. Among adults in the town, 22% worry about having enough food and 18% binge drink.

33%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade

	Highlands	Texas towns	U.S. towns
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)	21%	18%	8.1%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	73%	74%	79%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)	22%	20%	14%
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	18%	17%	16%

31 measures vs. Texas

0 better22 too close to call9 worse

What stands out	Highlands	TX
More adults with COPD	7.6%	5.7%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	16.1%	12.5%
More smokers	15.2%	12.5%

Baytown Medical Center LP

5.5 mi away · emergency room

1 of 3

care shortages: mental health

48th

percentile among TX towns

Full pageHighlands’ health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby5.5 miles to an ER · Baytown Medical Center LP How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than TX on 0 of 31

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers: that is Highlands’ year

January nights average 44.1°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 92.3°.

In Highlands, the peak summer temperature is 92°F. Snow is almost unheard of.

93°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter46–65°

Spring60–79°

Summer74–92°

Fall61–81°

Dec 4

typical first frost

Feb 20

typical last frost

+1.3°

vs. the 20th-century average

93°

typical summer high

Full pageHighlands’ climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 92°, January lows 44°Rain & snow56″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard of Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+1.3° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

OutdoorsC

Highlands has set aside 0.9% of its land for conservation

There are 1.2 miles of trail across 3 parks and preserves. Highlands’ trail network density is 0.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves locally: 3, covering 31 acres.

#331for trails in TX

	Highlands	Texas towns	U.S. towns
Conserved land	0.9%	1.9%	4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile	0.2 miles per square mile	0.3	0.4

0.9%

conserved · 39 of 4,160 acres

1.2 mi

of trails · 0.2 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Highlands Sports Complex	0.6 mi	16
2. Highlands Community Center	—	11
3. Stratford Park	—	4

Full pageHighlands’ outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map1.2 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk0.6 miles of trail · Highlands Sports Complex Conserved land0.9% conserved · 39 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Highlands?”

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C

Highlands faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Federal aid has come to Highlands households in 10 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. On expected storm and flood damage, Highlands sits above 60% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, Highlands has seen 13 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts just over a third of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 26% to tornadoes.

60risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingTornadoesHurricanes

paid flood claims since 2008

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageHighlands’ hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims13 paid flood claims · Since 2008 Past disasters10 federal disasters · Paid out in Highlands Get ready5.1 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Keep exploring