City · Montgomery County, Texas

Willis, Texas

Willis is a city in Montgomery County, Texas, part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area. It has 6,878 residents. Willis, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 26 out of 100 (low), ranking #11,633 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #398 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), home price to income ratio (low) and child care cost burden (low). It ranks worst on public libraries (low), uninsured residents (under 65) (high) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (high).

26Low

Quality-of-life score: #11,633 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #398 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 6,878 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,453.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 4879408

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety59#6,337/15,637
Economy55#7,071/15,631
Housing45#8,193/14,977
Health56#6,809/15,609
Healthcare32#10,589/15,650
Environment5#14,648/15,453
Education28#11,253/15,649
Infrastructure36#10,050/15,650
Community21#12,285/15,651
Leisure & amenities17#12,962/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Willis, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Montgomery County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

New homes permitted · high24.6 /1k
97/100Texas 6.3 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Home price to income ratio · low1.8×
93/100Texas 3.6×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Child care cost burden · low20.9%
92/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMontgomery County value
Job growth · high2.5%
91/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMontgomery County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.333
90/100Texas 0.478United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Texas 5.5United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationMontgomery County value

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.1 /10k
1/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMontgomery County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high30.0%
2/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high10.0 µg/m³
3/100Texas 8.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyMontgomery County value
Unemployment rate · high12.4%
5/100Texas 4.2%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
7/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMontgomery County value
Hot days · high112 days
7/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationMontgomery County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
48.2% (2015-2019) → 63.5% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.4% (2015-2019) → 94.1% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$41,912 (2015-2019) → $68,632 (2020-2024)
+64%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
5.1% (2015-2019) → 15.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
68.1% (2015-2019) → 78.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
New homes permittedImproving
16.4 /1k (2021) → 24.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+50%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Willis, Texas improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+64%$41,912 → $68,632

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Willis, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.7 min2015-2019	24.2 min2020-2024	−3.5 min	Within the margin of error	82%
Broadband subscriptions	79.4%2015-2019	94.1%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Effective property tax rate	1.03%2015-2019	1.52%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	0%
High school diploma or higher	68.1%2015-2019	78.7%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	1.8×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	79%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3392015-2019	0.3332020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	56%
Median household income	$41,9122015-2019	$68,6322020-2024	+64%	Improved	92%
Poverty rate	15.3%2015-2019	11.1%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.9%2015-2019	34.3%2020-2024	+5.4 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Rent-burdened households	48.2%2015-2019	63.5%2020-2024	+15 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	26.8%2015-2019	30.0%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	18%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Willis, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Willis, Texas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Willis, Texas itself moved −1.3 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,878 residents (±30)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

2,359 households (±354)

Willis, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k18%†428
$25k–50k20%†462
$50k–75k25%

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

2,359 households (±354)

Willis, Texas
Texas share

Own61%1,433
Rent39%926

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+19.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,002 workers (±316)

Willis, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone82%2,447
Carpool7.8%†234
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Montgomery County, the county holding most of Willis's residents.

Montgomery County has 15,014 employer establishments, 210 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Texas's), with 206,056 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,692. The Census Bureau also counts 81,334 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 15,014; 81,334 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 210; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 206,056
Average annual pay: $66,692; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Montgomery County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,448	20.2	0.97×About typical	14,304	$64,474	3,222
Restaurants and other eating places	1,090	15.2	0.83×About typical	26,940	$22,888	448
Specialty trade contractors	905	12.6	0.82×About typical	7,815	$59,130	6,552
Lessors of real estate	733	10.2	0.83×About typical	2,445	$62,437	7,204
Management, scientific and technical consulting	675	9.4	1.41×More than typical	5,561	$96,012	3,641
Offices of physicians	572	8	1.23×About typical	5,373	$89,129	614
Construction of buildings	496	6.9	0.92×About typical	3,423	$107,076	3,266
Limited-service restaurants	484	6.8	0.84×About typical	11,701	$19,438	129
Full-service restaurants	441	6.2	0.80×About typical	13,211	$26,420	199
Building equipment contractors	436	6.1	1.01×About typical	3,284	$63,417	1,541
Services to buildings and dwellings	351	4.9	0.73×Fewer than typical	2,517	$41,626	4,553
Offices of other health practitioners	340	4.7	0.78×Fewer than typical	2,837	$40,589	1,337

Rank places for an industry Open Montgomery County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 715,961 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $494 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Willis, Texas: $0.07 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $494; −27% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.07; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Offices, Boards and Divisions$494100%

Top recipients

TIM KALAFUT PHD LLC$494100%

Spending by fiscal year

252FY2017
1.9KFY2018
429.3FY2019
958.3FY2020
5.8KFY2022
-172.5FY2024
674.3FY2025
493.8FY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Legal services · 5411$494100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Willis, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Willis, Texas's figures are part of those of Montgomery County, TX ($22.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Willis is mostly in Montgomery County.

See federal money in Montgomery County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Willis, Texas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Montgomery County62100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX34

Other cities and towns in Montgomery County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4879408

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends