AreaProfile

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Metro Area Profile

7,442,788 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metropolitan area.

66
Area Score
Top 50% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 46% of 99 published metros59
GrowthTop 10% of 99 published metros74
Housing affordabilityTop 48% of 99 published metros86
ClimateTop 29% of 99 published metros75
Physical resilience79th of 99 published metros30
AccessTop 39% of 99 published metros95
Economic stability58th of 99 published metros68
The quick read

Physical-risk exposure is above the national median, driven mainly by inland flooding, hurricane and drought.

A major airport is 13 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

Its Area Score of 66 places Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands in the top 50% of published metro profiles.

At a glance

Population
7,442,788
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$82,168
Top 15% nationally
Density
842/sq mi
8838.7 sq mi of land
Median age
35.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Nearest major airport
IAH
13 mi · George Bush Intcntl/Houston
Median home value
$298,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.2% is lower than 12% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 0.5% over the past year, to 3,716,242 employed residents.

36% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 82% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 85% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$590$82,168Top 15%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$283$42,619Top 19%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate13.9%Top 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute32.4 minTop 4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher36.0%Top 18%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment3,716,242Top 4%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)4.0%Top 12%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.5%Top 37%June 2026
Labor force3,920,607Top 4%June 2026
Labor force participation66.4%Top 13%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$67,610Top 35%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,410Bottom 49%2025 OEWS
Metro employment3,289,720Top 4%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.7%Top 16%June 2026
Unemployment rate5.2%Top 12%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/067.03.9
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 5.2% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers105,810$27,570
General and Operations Managers97,320$119,600
Retail Salespersons78,960$31,340
Stockers and Order Fillers72,970$36,890
Registered Nurses65,910$99,830
Customer Service Representatives65,510$40,380

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,430 takes 21% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.6 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
20.9%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.6×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,430
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$298,000
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income3.63Top 35%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate61.2%Bottom 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±5752,906,364Top 1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$6$1,430Top 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$1,513$298,000Top 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income20.9%Top 21%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate8.4%Bottom 28%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
74/ 100
Top 10% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is broadly steady, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 9% since 2020, reaching 7,796,182 in 2024.

At 8.3 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
60K
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
8.3
Top 11% nationally
Year over year
−12%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
21.6%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320247796k7170k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 93°F and January a low of 46°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 55.6 inches.

40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station HOUSTON HOBBY AP, 11.8 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND6.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation55.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low46°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high93°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing30°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

30 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and drought.

HurricaneElevated
Inland floodingElevated
DroughtModerate
LandslideModerate

Low or minimal exposure: tornado, lightning, heat wave, cold wave, ice storm, strong wind, hail, wildfire, earthquake, winter weather, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 13 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
George Bush Intcntl/HoustonIAH13 mi12,001 ft
EllingtonEFD17 mi9,001 ft
Sugar Land RgnlSGR23 mi8,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
66
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

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