Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety24#705/924
Economy68#293/925
Housing21#733/925
Health83#160/925
Healthcare30#651/923
Environment0#913/917
Education59#381/925
Infrastructure66#319/925
Community27#676/925
Leisure & amenities24#705/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Average weekly wage · high$1,643
98/100Texas $1,499United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Depression · low19.8%
92/100Texas 21.2%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
New business applications · high19.0 /1k
92/100Texas 17.2 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · high92.7%
90/100Texas 91.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Frequent mental distress · low16.4%
90/100Texas 18.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · high1.5%
90/100Texas 0.9%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301

Weaknesses

Days with unhealthy air · high12.6%
1/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.8 µg/m³
1/100Texas 8.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high63
2/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
2/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Average commute time · high29.9 min
4/100Texas 26.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
High ozone days · high8 days
4/100Texas 7 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
7,169,284 (2020) → 7,904,627 (2025)
+10%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
9% (2021) → 56% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+47 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateImproving
10.5 /100k (2021) → 6.2 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−41%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Mental health providersImproving
119 /100k (2021) → 164 /100k (2025)
+38%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.2% (2015-2019) → 92.7% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$58,008 (2019) → $77,986 (2024)
+34%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204

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, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area improved on 14 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 4 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Unemployment−4 points8.5% → 4.5%
Real income+34%$58,008 → $77,986
Firearm deaths−13%15.9 /100k → 13.9 /100k
Homicides−40%10.4 /100k → 6.2 /100k
Violent crime−25%641 /100k → 480 /100k

Declined8

Price / income+0.8×2.9× → 3.6×
Libraries−6%0.2 /10k → 0.2 /10k
Rent / income+2.1 points29.6% → 31.7%
Uninsured+0.8 points19.9% → 20.7%
Rent burden+4.1 points49.0% → 53.1%

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.5 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	+5.7%	Improved	42%
Average commute time	30.2 min2015-2019	29.9 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	32.8%2015-2019	36.0%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Improved	59%
Broadband subscriptions	85.2%2015-2019	92.7%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Improved	31%
Child poverty rate	19.8%2015-2019	19.4%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Distance to an airport	17 mi2020	17 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	6%
Drug overdose deaths	16.4 /100k2020	13.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−21%	Improved	45%
Effective property tax rate	1.78%2015-2019	1.53%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	84%
Firearm deaths	15.9 /100k2020	13.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−13%	Improved	71%
Grocery stores	1.2 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−2.8%	Little change	39%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	+8.1%	Improved	56%
High school diploma or higher	83.7%2015-2019	85.1%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Improved	42%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	23%
Homicide rate	10.4 /100k2020	6.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−40%	Improved	68%
Income adjusted for local prices	$58,0082019	$77,9862024	+34%	Improved	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4862015-2019	0.4862020-2024	+0.001	Within the margin of error	53%
Median household income	$67,5162015-2019	$82,1682020-2024	+22%	Improved	21%
New business applications	16.6 /1k2020	19.0 /1k2025	+14%	Improved	12%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	27%
Poverty rate	13.7%2015-2019	13.9%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Property crime rate	2,629 /100k2020	2,246 /100k2025	−15%	Improved	16%
Public libraries	0.2 /10k2019	0.2 /10k2024	−6%	Declined	21%
Public transit commuters	2.0%2015-2019	1.5%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Declined	35%
Rent as share of income	29.6%2015-2019	31.7%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Declined	20%
Rent-burdened households	49.0%2015-2019	53.1%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Declined	24%
Restaurants and bars	7.4 /10k2020	7.3 /10k2025	−1.7%	Little change	38%
Suicide rate	12.4 /100k2020	13.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+4.2%	Little change	51%
Traffic deaths	9.6 /100k2015-2019	10.8 /100k2020-2024	+13%	Declined	40%
Unemployment rate	8.5%2020	4.5%2025	−4 points	Improved	79%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.9%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Declined	22%
Violent crime rate	641 /100k2020	480 /100k2025	−25%	Improved	66%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area 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, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area itself moved −2.2 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

7,442,788 residents

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

2,661,739 households (±4,745)

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%367,942
$25k–50k17%441,786
$50k–75k16%412,908

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,661,739 households (±4,745)

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area
United States share

Own61%1,630,188
Rent39%1,031,551

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+0.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,503,566 workers (±11,546)

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area
United States share

Drive alone72%2,507,269
Carpool10%352,340
Public transit1.5%52,820

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX employ 709,100 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers105,810 jobs	105,810	$27,570US $31,200	−12%	1.3×
General and Operations Managers97,320 jobs	97,320	$119,600US $105,770	+13%	1.31×
Retail Salespersons78,960 jobs	78,960	$31,340US $35,410	−11%	0.96×
Stockers and Order Fillers72,970 jobs	72,970	$36,890US $37,330	−1%	1.22×
Registered Nurses65,910 jobs	65,910	$99,830US $97,550	+2%	0.92×
Customer Service Representatives65,510 jobs	65,510	$40,380US $44,770	−10%	1.19×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides63,820 jobs	63,820	$23,440US $35,800	−35%	0.7×
Cashiers54,950 jobs	54,950	$29,350US $32,880	−11%	0.84×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand52,520 jobs	52,520	$38,000US $40,240	−6%	0.84×
Waiters and Waitresses51,330 jobs	51,330	$22,080US $35,230	−37%	1.07×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX has 162,055 employer establishments, 214 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248), with 2,863,143 paid employees at an average annual pay of $75,206. The Census Bureau also counts 918,387 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 162,055; 918,387 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 214; US 248
Paid employees: 2,863,143
Average annual pay: $75,206; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	16,128	21.3	1.02×About typical	174,976	$62,612	40,103
Restaurants and other eating places	12,942	17.1	0.93×About typical	285,514	$22,671	6,298
Lessors of real estate	7,837	10.3	0.84×About typical	39,185	$77,645	67,025
Specialty trade contractors	7,326	9.7	0.62×Fewer than typical	127,305	$70,722	71,290
Offices of physicians	5,930	7.8	1.21×About typical	53,726	$106,237	6,683
Limited-service restaurants	5,768	7.6	0.95×About typical	129,426	$19,549	1,920
Management, scientific and technical consulting	5,568	7.3	1.09×About typical	40,151	$116,154	31,077
Full-service restaurants	5,201	6.9	0.89×About typical	133,839	$26,079	2,880
Legal services	4,116	5.4	1.01×About typical	29,146	$136,724	8,132
Construction of buildings	3,700	4.9	0.64×Fewer than typical	35,804	$94,233	33,387
Computer systems design and related services	3,469	4.6	1.06×About typical	30,361	$111,900	8,297
Offices of dentists	3,400	4.5	1.11×About typical	21,058	$54,729	2,362

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 7,587,646 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $8.5B on contracts performed in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area: $1,075 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $8.5B; +43% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,075; US $2,007
Sole-source: 52%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.2%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

U.S. Coast Guard$3.5B42%
National Aeronautics and Space Administration$1.5B18%
Defense Logistics Agency$1.3B15%
Department of Veterans Affairs$898.9M11%
Department of the Air Force$259.6M3.1%
Department of the Navy$211.5M2.5%
Department of the Army$172.9M2.0%
Agricultural Marketing Service$87.6M1.0%

Top recipients

DAVIE DEFENSE INC.$3.5B41%
VETERANS EVALUATION SERVICES, INC$698M8.2%
PHILLIPS 66 COMPANY$658.1M7.7%
THE BOEING COMPANY$368.2M4.3%
KBR WYLE SERVICES, LLC$255.6M3.0%

Spending by fiscal year

4.3BFY2017
5.4BFY2018
5BFY2019
4.7BFY2020
5.7BFY2021
6.6BFY2022
6.2BFY2023
6.2B

Top industries (NAICS)

Ship and boat building · 3366$3.5B41%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$1.1B13%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$778.3M9.2%
Offices of physicians · 6211$702.8M8.3%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$310.8M3.7%
Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831

Largest awards

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION$22.7B
THE BOEING COMPANY· Harris County, TX· Research & development· Oct 3, 2016 – Oct 2, 2026· NAS1510000
THE PURPOSE OF THIS LETTER CONTRACT IS FOR THE DELIVERY OF FIVE (5) EACH MULTI-PURPOSE POLAR SHIP (MPPS-100) VESSELS HEREAFTER REFERRED TO AS ARCTIC SECURITY CUTTERS (ASCS).$3.5B
DAVIE DEFENSE INC.· Galveston County, TX· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Feb 10, 2026 – Sep 3, 2026· 70Z02326C93210003
TASK ORDER AWARD FOR LOGCAP SUPPORT TO OPERATION ALLIES REFUGE FOR SUPPORT AT FT. BLISS, TX FT. MCCOY, WI FT. PICKETT, VA AND CAMP ATTERBURY, IN.$1.7B
KBR SERVICES, LLC· Harris County, TX· Professional services· Aug 30, 2021 – Apr 8, 2026· W52P1J21F0454

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $35.4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area: $4,474 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $35.4B; −3.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,474; US $12,975
Loan face value: $3.8B; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$20.2B57%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$3.9B11%

Counties in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Areas based in Texas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M26420

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Counties in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Top programs

What was bought

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

By type

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates