Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Health is its strong suit (A+). West University Place’s overall grade, B, puts it better than 56% of U.S. towns. That places it 148th of 640 in Texas. The drawback is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.5 million, 17.9 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income. It lags on schools as well: its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. Hazard risk is weaker too: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. This Texas town is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns. The median household earns $250K.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index.
Where West University Place beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | West University Place | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.8% | 19.3% |
Where West University Place’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far West University Place is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,322 in 1930, 14,955 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 4 maps from 1915 on.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West University Place. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi Stadium & arenaReliant Stadium
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaDaikin Park
3 mi MuseumRothko Chapel
5 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Center
5 mi Stadium & arenaShell Energy Stadium
5 mi Stadium & arenaTDECU StadiumReliant Stadium: User eschipul on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Daikin Park: Delaywaves, CC BY 3.0 · Rothko Chapel: Unknown, Public domain · Toyota Center: Ed Uthman from Houston, TX, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Shell Energy Stadium: HDFC PR, CC BY-SA 4.0 · TDECU Stadium: Brian Reading, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in West University Place, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in West University Place.
West University Place is the healthiest town in Texas and fares better on crime within Texas than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Texas (mostly inland flooding).
Its public schools are run by Houston ISD. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. West University Place’s only public school teaches 1,183 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West University ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,183 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
It is the healthiest of the 641 Texas towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Texas is food insecurity: 4.8% of its 10,557 adults worry about having enough food, against 19.3% statewide.
Nearly a tenth of West University Place adults say their health is fair or poor, below both Texas’ towns (24%) and U.S. towns (19%). No town among the 641 in Texas we compare has a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than West University Place. The share of adults in West University Place who smoke cigarettes: 5.3%. Only 3 of the 641 Texas towns we compare have a lower share of adults who worry about having enough food than West University Place.
| West University Place | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.3% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 7.9% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | West University Place | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.8% | 19.3% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 19.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 6.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $999 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
71% of West University Place’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by hurricanes at 15%. Since 1979, West University Place has seen 403 flood insurance claims paid out. Federal disaster aid has reached households in West University Place after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 5,983 working residents takes 19.6 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas. Jobs based here grew from 2,072 in 2013 to 2,717.
Commuting out is the norm in West University Place: 3% of working residents work locally. This Texas town had 2,717 jobs in 2023, up 645 from 2013. For West University Place, the average trip to work is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Houston (70%), Austin (2%) and Sugar Land (2%).
| West University Place | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 9.6% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 1.7% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 12.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 79% of Texas’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
For West University Place, the rate of reported violence is 0.3 per 1,000 residents. The town’s level of property crime stands at 10.6 per 1,000 residents.
| West University Place | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.6 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 44.1°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 93.5°.
The town’s January low comes in at 44°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| West University Place | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 44°F | 37°F | 22°F |
| July high | 94°F | 95°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails total 0.5 miles in 5 parks and preserves. In West University Place, the concentration of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| West University Place | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. West University Little League Fields | 0.1 mi | 5 |
| 2. Colonial Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Judson Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 17.9 years of the Houston metro’s $82K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in 99% of Texas towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
West University Place’s midpoint rent is $3,501 a month. In West University Place, 93% of households live in a home they own. Homes sold in West University Place spent a median 14 days on the market.
| West University Place | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
18 within 15 miles of the center of West University Place
About 5 of every 100 West University Place residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Enclave city in Texas, United States
West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the city was 14,955. It is nicknamed "The Neighborhood City" and is mainly a bedroom community for upper-class families. West University Place is surrounded by the cities of Bellaire, Houston, and Southside Place. As of 2025, West University Place is the wealthiest suburb in Texas with an average household income of $409,677 and a typical home value of $1,758,363.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with West University Place.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West University Place | #148 | B | D | B+ | C− | A+ |
| Southside Place | — | — | D | B | C− | A+ |
Southside Place has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare West University Place with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West University Place grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #148 of 640 in Texas. It grades A+ for health, B+ for safety and C− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $1,472,000, 397% above the Texas typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
