Best PlacesCentral Southwest, Houston, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Central Southwest, Houston, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Central Southwest, Houston ranks 5,002nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Central Southwest, Houston
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Central Southwest, Houston's strengths and weaknesses
Where Central Southwest, Houston ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$842 a month, better than 83% of neighborhoods
Where Central Southwest, Houston ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD, better than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Central Southwest, Houston
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Central Southwest, Houston home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,214, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Central Southwest, Houston's effective rate of 1.16%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Central Southwest, Houston
Central Southwest, Houston runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Central Southwest, Houston.
Who works in Central Southwest, Houston, and how
Work in Central Southwest, Houston centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Central Southwest, Houston
Central Southwest, Houston has more parkland per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 31 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Central Southwest, Houston and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Central Southwest, Houston, month by month
Central Southwest, Houston sees roughly 121 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 64, with lows near 49. The comfortable stretch runs October through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64° | 55° | 49° |
| April | 80° | 71° | 64° |
| July | 94° | 85° | 79° |
| October | 83° | 74° | 67° |
Flying in and out of Central Southwest, Houston
William P Hobby sits about 10 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 6.8 million passengers in 2025, with 101 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Central Southwest, Houston
Schools across Central Southwest, Houston average a D, better than 14% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Windsor Village ElC+ · 37% proficient
- Accelerated Interdisciplinary AcadC− · 27% proficient
- Hines-caldwellC− · 25% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pershing MiddleB · 44% proficient
- Lawson MiddleD · 23% proficient
- Attucks MiddleD · 21% proficient
Top high schools
- South Early College H SB+ · 52% proficient
- Westbury H SD+ · 25% proficient
- Worthing H SD+ · 24% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Central Southwest, Houston school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Central Southwest, Houston measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Central Southwest, Houston against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Central Southwest, Houston suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 7% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 63% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 75%.
Common questions about living in Central Southwest, Houston
Is Central Southwest, Houston a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Central Southwest, Houston ranks 5,002nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a stable housing market, state finances, and low taxes, and lowest on education levels and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Central Southwest, Houston expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $202,101. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $65,214 median income, cost of living beats 43% of neighborhoods.
Is Central Southwest, Houston safe?
Central Southwest, Houston is safer than 35% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $667 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Central Southwest, Houston?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 64 with lows near 49. That works out to about 121 pleasant days a year, more than 63% of neighborhoods.
Is Central Southwest, Houston good for families?
Schools beat 14% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 35%, and childcare runs $842 a month.
Compare Central Southwest, Houston with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Central Southwest, Houston. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Central Southwest, Houston represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Central Southwest, Houston detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Central Southwest, Houston: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Central Southwest, Houston: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Central Southwest, Houston: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Central Southwest, Houston: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Central Southwest, Houston detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.