Best PlacesLake Houston, Houston, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Lake Houston, Houston, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Lake Houston, Houston ranks 1,937th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Lake Houston, 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.
Lake Houston, Houston's strengths and weaknesses
Where Lake Houston, Houston ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Lake Houston, Houston ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Short commute37.8 minutes each way, better than only 4% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Lake Houston, Houston
A household needs to earn about $105,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Lake Houston, Houston home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $124,126, 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 Lake Houston, Houston's effective rate of 1.77%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Lake Houston, Houston
Lake Houston, 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 Lake Houston, Houston.
Who works in Lake Houston, Houston, and how
Work in Lake Houston, Houston centers on professional & technical and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Lake Houston, Houston
The coast is about 32 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Lake Houston, Houston, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Lake Houston, Houston, month by month
Lake Houston, Houston sees roughly 95 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 67, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67° | 54° | 43° |
| April | 82° | 70° | 59° |
| July | 96° | 85° | 76° |
| October | 86° | 72° | 61° |
Flying in and out of Lake Houston, Houston
George Bush Intcntl/Houston sits about 12 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 23.3 million passengers in 2025, with 214 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Lake Houston, Houston
Schools across Lake Houston, Houston average a B−, better than 64% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Willow Creek ElA · 68% proficient
- Greentree ElB · 50% proficient
- Shadow Forest ElB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Riverwood MiddleA+ · 73% proficient
- Creekwood MiddleA− · 55% proficient
- Woodcreek MiddleB · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Guy M Sconzo Early College H SA− · 65% proficient
- Atascocita H SB+ · 53% proficient
- Hargrave H SB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Lake Houston, Houston school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Lake Houston, 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 Lake Houston, Houston against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Lake Houston, Houston
Is Lake Houston, Houston a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Lake Houston, Houston ranks 1,937th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on a stable housing market, quiet, and what local pay buys, and lowest on walkability and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Lake Houston, Houston expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $354,692. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $124,126 median income, cost of living beats 94% of neighborhoods.
Is Lake Houston, Houston safe?
Yes, Lake Houston, Houston is safer than 79% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $378 per resident a year.
Compare Lake Houston, Houston with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Lake Houston, Houston. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Lake Houston, 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.
Lake Houston, Houston detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Lake Houston, Houston: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Lake Houston, Houston: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Lake Houston, Houston: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Lake Houston, Houston: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Lake Houston, 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.