Best PlacesMidtown, Houston, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Midtown, 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.
Midtown, Houston ranks 1,540th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on transit by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Midtown, 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.
Midtown, Houston's strengths and weaknesses
Where Midtown, Houston ranks high
- TransitBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Midtown, Houston ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Midtown, Houston
A household needs to earn about $118,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Midtown, Houston home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $108,609; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Midtown, Houston's effective rate of 1.71%, 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 Midtown, Houston
Midtown, Houston runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Midtown, Houston.
Who works in Midtown, Houston, and how
Work in Midtown, Houston centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 69%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 12%
Life in Midtown, Houston
Midtown, Houston has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 84% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 25 minutes away. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Midtown, Houston and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Midtown, Houston, month by month
Midtown, Houston sees roughly 138 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 Midtown, Houston
William P Hobby sits about 9 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 Midtown, Houston
Schools across Midtown, Houston average a C, better than 38% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Wharton K-8 Dual Language AcademyC+ · 39% proficient
- Ella J Baker Montessori SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Gregory-lincoln Ed CtrC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lanier MiddleA+ · 80% proficient
- Baylor College Of Medicine Academy At RyanC+ · 36% proficient
- A+ Unlimited Potential - UniversityD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Houston Academy For International StudiesA · 68% proficient
- Lamar H SB+ · 54% proficient
- Heights H SB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Midtown, Houston school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Midtown, 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 Midtown, Houston against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Midtown, Houston
Is Midtown, Houston a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Midtown, Houston ranks 1,540th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on transit, population health, and an educated workforce, and lowest on air quality and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Midtown, Houston expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $402,948. The overall cost of living runs about 8% below the national average. Set against a $108,609 median income, cost of living beats 91% of neighborhoods.
Is Midtown, Houston safe?
Midtown, Houston is safer than 8% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,036 per resident a year.
Compare Midtown, Houston with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Midtown, Houston. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Midtown, 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.
Midtown, Houston detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Midtown, Houston: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Midtown, Houston: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Midtown, Houston: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Midtown, Houston: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Midtown, 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.