Houston's D− covers 2.4 million people, and the city's neighborhoods vary far more than any single grade can show. Within Texas, that puts it 606th of 640. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. What weighs on its grade: it reports more crime per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, including 21,386 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 65% of working residents work locally in Houston, above both Texas’ towns (8.3%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include San Jacinto Battlefield and U.s.s. Texas. Houston's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns.

StrongestAWalkability A⁻Outdoors A⁻HistoryWeakestD⁻Safety DHazard risk C⁻Cost of living C⁻Schools

What makes Houston stand out

Where Houston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

San Jacinto Battlefield

HistoryA⁻

Settled in 1836

294 places on the National Register

A history going back 190 years.

Biggest of 20

College	Students
University of Houston	41,346
Houston Community College	34,037
University of Houston-Downtown	8,941

Colleges in town

20 colleges

125,946 students on campus

Students are 7% of residents.

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Houston8.9

Texas3.5

U.S.3.3

Worth knowing · SafetyD⁻

2.5 times the violent crime than TX

FBI data, 2025. Crimes reported to police.

San Jacinto Battlefield · National Register of Historic Places

Houston’s story

190 years in pictures

San Jacinto Battlefield is one of 4 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1836, comes before those of 95% of the Texas towns we grade with a known year.

Census counts: 2,396 in 1850, 2,304,580 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1845 and 7 maps from 1916 on.

294 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

1836Houston is settled

Explore the history →

How Houston grades

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

How grading works

Its grades run from A for walkability (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 2%), so the D− overall blends very different results.

SafetyD⁻Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 12.9 of 20; 10.1% of households have no car; 5.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →Cost of livingC⁻Open →SchoolsC⁻Open →Jobs & income$65K median household incomeC⁺Open →HealthSt. Joseph Medical Center 2.9 miles awayC⁺Open →

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.

Outdoors10% conserved landA⁻Open →History31 notable people born hereA⁻Open →Civic life0.9 library visits per resident; 3.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →

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

ClimateMild winters, 94° summer afternoons–Open →Housing market41 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 34.4–Open →

How TownRatings grades towns →

Nearby attractions

Reliant Stadium and 46 more within 40 miles

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

All 64 attractions →

Big drawin town Stadium & arenaReliant Stadium

Big drawin town Stadium & arenaDaikin Park

in town Stadium & arenaToyota Center

in town MuseumRothko Chapel

in town Stadium & arenaShell Energy Stadium

in town Stadium & arenaTDECU Stadium

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

Photo credits

Reliant Stadium: User eschipul on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Daikin Park: Delaywaves, CC BY 3.0 · 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 · TDECU Stadium: Brian Reading, CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting set up

Moving to Houston: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Houston, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

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

WaterCity of Houston water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet7 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & dumpTown pickupTown crews pick up at the curbTown site

SchoolsHouston 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 codes77036, 77077, 77072, 7708177036 3% · 77077 3% · 77072 2% · 77081 2%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.

Houston draws workers from Pearland and beyond, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Texas rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly inland flooding).

SafetyD⁻

Violent crime in Houston is higher than in most of Texas or the rest of the country

Violent crime runs at 8.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Texas rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 38.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Texas rate, most of it theft.

The violent crime rate in Houston is 8.9 per 1,000 residents. Houston reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. The property crime rate in Houston is 38.1 per 1,000 residents.

2%of U.S. towns report more crimeD⁻Safety Grade

	Houston	Texas towns	U.S. towns
Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025)	8.9 per 1,000 residents	1.9	1.6
Property crimes per 1,000 (2025)	38.1 per 1,000 residents	10.7	9.9

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Houston8.9

Texas3.5

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Houston38.1

Texas18.1

U.S.15.5

2nd

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

1st

percentile among TX towns

21,386

violent crimes reported in 2025

91,888

property crimes reported in 2025

Full pageHouston’s safety reportOpen the page

Violent crime by type8.9 violent crimes per 1,000 Crime over the yearsDown since 2023 Vs. the neighborsAhead of 1 of its 3 graded neighbors Questions“Is Houston, TX safe?”

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police

SchoolsC⁻

Public schools in Houston fall behind 77% of Texas districts

Three of its 773 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.

23%of TX districts it outscoresC⁻School Grade

School	Level	Students	Letter
Lanier MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8	Grades 6–8	1,485	A⁺
Elsik H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	4,057	C⁻
Debakey H S for Health ProfTop results in townGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	929	A⁺

Full pageHouston’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsHOUSTON ISD Vs. the neighborsAhead of 1 of its 10 graded neighbors Every school773 schools · Harmony Science Academy-Katy Questions“Are Houston’s schools good?”

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

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C⁺

About two in three of Houston’s working residents work in town

1,789,039 jobs are based in Houston, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.

20% of Houston residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Houston has added 215,851 jobs, to 1,789,039 in 2023. Houston’s average trip to work is 27 minutes.

65%work in town

	Houston	Texas towns	U.S. towns
Below the poverty line	20%	12%	9.6%
Average trip to work	27 minutes	25 minutes	25 minutes
Work from home	13%	9.6%	11%
Median household income	$65,000	$69,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Houston65%

Sugar Land2%

Pasadena2%

Austin2%

Dallas1%

10 mi

median commute distance

1,789,039

jobs based in Houston

A job hub

jobs vs. working residents

Walkability grade: more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns

Full pageHouston’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here1,789,039 jobs based here · A job hub Where people work65% work in Houston Commute times27 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 10 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

OutdoorsA⁻

Houston has set aside 10.5% of its land for conservation

444 miles of trail in 306 parks and preserves. George Bush Park, at 8,030 acres with 18.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.

#123for trails in TX

10.5%

conserved · 44,899 of 427,897 acres

444 mi

of trails · 0.7 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Bear Creek Pioneers Park	23.1 mi	2,174
2. George Bush Park	18.7 mi	8,030
3. Hermann Park	12.1 mi	430

Full pageHouston’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map444 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk23.1 miles of trail · Bear Creek Pioneers Park Conserved land10.5% conserved · 44,899 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Houston?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D

Inland flooding leads a very high hazard risk in Houston

FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $486 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 71,124 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 11,098 properties have flooded more than once.

Since 1978, 71,124 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Houston.

80risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingHurricanesTornadoes

71,124

paid flood claims since 1978

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageHouston’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims71,124 paid flood claims · Since 1978 Past disasters14 federal disasters · Paid out in Houston Get ready5.1 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Mild winters and hot summers in Houston

January nights average 44.2°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 93.5°.

Houston has warm winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Snow is almost unheard of.

94°summer high

	Houston	Texas towns	U.S. towns
January low	44°F	37°F	22°F
July high	94°F	95°F	85°F

Typical low → high °F

Winter46–66°

Spring60–80°

Summer74–93°

Fall61–81°

Dec 25

typical first frost

Feb 2

typical last frost

+1.3°

vs. the 20th-century average

94°

typical summer high

Full pageHouston’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 94°, January lows 44°Rain & snow54″ 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

HealthC⁺

On CDC estimates, Houston is less healthy than 62% of U.S. towns

Against the 9,906 U.S. towns with household incomes like Houston’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.

Houston beats the Texas average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 24% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Houston.

38%healthier than U.S. townsC⁺Health Grade

	Houston	Texas towns	U.S. towns
No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES)	24%	18%	8.1%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)	27%	20%	14%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	73%	74%	79%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)	41%	39%	36%

31 measures vs. Texas

2 better19 too close to call10 worse

What stands out	Houston	TX
Fewer adults who have had cancer	5%	6.1%
Fewer adults with arthritis	19.3%	21.6%
More adults facing food insecurity	27.1%	19.3%

St. Joseph Medical Center

2.9 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

52nd

percentile among TX towns

Full pageHouston’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby2.9 miles to an ER · St. Joseph Medical Center How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than TX on 2 of 31

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

HousingCost of living grade C⁻

Homes in Houston are worth about $260K, by Zillow’s estimate

The typical Houston home is worth about $260,000, down 2% in a year, 12% below the Texas typical home.

$260KZillow home value

	Houston	Texas towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	42%	69%	73%
Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent	54%	50%	48%
Median rent	$1,361 a month	$1,206 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Houston$260K

Texas$296K

Market temperature

days on market

97.2%

sale-to-list price

−2%

value change, 1 year

1,830

homes sold in May

Full pageHouston’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsDown 2% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 4.0 years of income Rents$1,361 a month · Median rent Vs. the neighborsAhead of 4 of its 10 graded neighbors

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Who lives here

An age mix much like Texas’s

Only 42.1% of households own their home, against 62.6% across Texas.

No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Texas average. Houston has grown 4.2% since 2020, to 2,397,315 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 37% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.

34.4median age · TX 35.6

	Houston	Texas towns	U.S. towns
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+	37%	23%	29%
Aged 65 or older	12%	14%	18%
Median age	34.4 years	35.9 years	40.5 years
Under 18	23%	26%	22%

HoustonTexasUnited States

TXU.S.

Ages · share of residents

18%

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma20%

High school21%

Some college16%

Associate’s6%

Bachelor’s22%

Graduate15%

Women and men · all residents

50.6% women, 49.4% men

About 98 men for every 100 women. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 34.6, men 34.1.

Ages and education in Houston
	Houston	TX	U.S.
Under 10	13.2%	13.3%	11.6%
10 to 17	10.2%	11.7%	10.3%
18 to 24	10%	9.7%	9.1%
25 to 34	17.7%	14.5%	13.7%
35 to 44	14.5%	14.1%	13.2%
45 to 54	11.8%	12.3%	12.2%
55 to 64	10.3%	11.1%	12.7%
65 to 74	7.4%	8.2%	10.2%
75 and older	4.9%	5.2%	7%
No diploma	19.6%	14%	10.4%
High school	21.4%	24.3%	26%
Some college	16.3%	20.1%	19.1%
Associate’s	6.1%	7.7%	8.8%
Bachelor’s	21.5%	21.5%	21.6%
Graduate	15.1%	12.3%	14.1%

Full pageHouston by the numbersOpen the page

Ages34.4 median age · 12% are 65 or older Schooling37% have a four-year degree Homes42% own their home · Homeowners Income$65K a year · Median household income

Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Houston

20pages on Houston

The big questions

SchoolsC⁻Behind 77% of TX districts · 773 schools SafetyD⁻8.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthC⁺Better than TX on 2 of 31 CDC measures Cost of livingC⁻$260K typical home · down 2% in a year Work & commuteC⁺$65K median household income · 1,789,039 jobs here Natural hazardsDFEMA risk higher than 80% of U.S. communities · inland flooding

Out and about

OutdoorsA⁻444 mi of trails · 10% conserved land PlacesAttractions64 nearby · Reliant Stadium under 1 mi LibraryD0.9 library visits per resident CollegesHouston Christian University, in town

The story

HistoryA⁻Settled 1836 · 294 on the National Register Famous people31 born in Houston Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 107 residents Climate94° summer highs

Day to day

News12 recent stories about Houston WeatherHandbookZIP code 77001, 77002, 77003 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

19 within 15 miles of the center of Houston

The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonUniversity or college · Public · HoustonIn town Houston Christian UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · HoustonIn town$39,430 tuition The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterUniversity or college · Public · HoustonIn town

About 7 of every 100 Houston residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

College town

University of Houston calls Houston home

20 colleges in town.

University of Houston41,346 students on campus

Admission: 74%
Net price: $14,276
Graduate: 65%

Houston Community College34,037 students on campus

Admission: Open
Net price: $5,737
Graduate: 17%

University of Houston-Downtown8,941 students on campus

Admission: 90%
Net price: $10,542
Graduate: 33%

College Scorecard · IPEDS

Landmarks

294 places in Houston on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

San Jacinto BattlefieldNational Historic Landmark

U.s.s. TexasNational Historic Landmark

Apollo Mission Control CenterNational Historic Landmark

Space Environment Simulation LaboratoryNational Historic Landmark

Famous people from Houston

31 notable people were born in Houston.

See all 31 →

Hilary DuffAmerican actress and singer · born 1987

Jennifer GarnerAmerican actress · born 1972

Robert WilsonAmerican astronomer · born 1936

Patrick SwayzeAmerican actor, producer, singer and dancer · 1952–2009

Howard HughesAmerican aviator, engineer, industrialist, and film producer · 1905–1976

Kenny RogersAmerican country singer · 1938–2020

About Houston

Largest city in Texas, United States

Official town website ↗

Houston ( HEW-stən) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.3 million at the 2020 census. The Greater Houston metropolitan area, at 7.8 million residents, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan area in the nation and second-most populous in Texas. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is the county seat of Harris County. Covering a total area of 640.4 square miles (1,659 km2), it is the ninth largest city in the country and the largest whose municipal government is not consolidated with a county, parish, or borough. Although p…

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established: 1836
Area: 666 sq mi
Elevation: 43 ft
ZIP code: 77001, 77002, 77003
Area code: 281, 832, 713

Houston’s neighbors

10 towns share a border with Houston.

Explore the map →

All 7 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Channelview (D−) is closest.

How the neighbors grade

Town	TX rank	Overall	Cost	Safety	Schools	Health
Houston	#606	D⁻	C⁻	D⁻	C⁻	C⁺
Channelview	#595	D⁻	C⁺	—	C	C⁻
Spring	#408	C⁻	C⁻	—	D	B
Atascocita	#221	C⁺	D	—	B⁻	A⁻
Mission Bend	#419	C⁻	C⁻	—	B⁻	C⁺
Fresno	#289	C	C⁻	—	B⁺	C⁺
Cinco Ranch	#47	A⁻	D	—	A	A
Pearland	#116	B	D	B⁻	A⁻	A⁻

Channelview, Spring, Atascocita, Mission Bend, Fresno and Cinco Ranch report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Houston with a neighbor →

Questions about Houston

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Houston, TX a good place to live?

Houston grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #606 of 640 in Texas. It grades C+ for health, D− for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.

Is Houston, TX expensive?

Yes. That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($82,168 across the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.

What is Houston, TX known for?

31 notable people were born here, including Hilary Duff and Jennifer Garner.

Post to Houston

Check your email

HoustonTX

What is it like to live in Houston?

What makes Houston stand out

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

190 years in pictures

How Houston grades

Reliant Stadium and 46 more within 40 miles

Moving to Houston: who provides what

The data

Violent crime in Houston is higher than in most of Texas or the rest of the country

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Public schools in Houston fall behind 77% of Texas districts

About two in three of Houston’s working residents work in town

Where working residents work

Houston has set aside 10.5% of its land for conservation

Inland flooding leads a very high hazard risk in Houston

Mild winters and hot summers in Houston

Typical low → high °F

On CDC estimates, Houston is less healthy than 62% of U.S. towns

Homes in Houston are worth about $260K, by Zillow’s estimate

Typical home value

An age mix much like Texas’s

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

Women and men · all residents

Everything we know about Houston

Colleges nearby

University of Houston calls Houston home

Landmarks

Famous people from Houston

About Houston

Houston’s neighbors

Questions about Houston