Best PlacesNear Northwest, Houston, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Near Northwest, 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.
Near Northwest, Houston ranks 5,297th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Disaster risk pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on state finances.
The best neighborhoods in Near Northwest, 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.
Near Northwest, Houston's strengths and weaknesses
Where Near Northwest, Houston ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$842 a month, better than 83% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where Near Northwest, Houston ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Near Northwest, Houston
A household needs to earn about $59,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Near Northwest, Houston home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,832, 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 Near Northwest, Houston's effective rate of 1.29%, 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 Near Northwest, Houston
Near Northwest, 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 Near Northwest, Houston.
Who works in Near Northwest, Houston, and how
Work in Near Northwest, Houston centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Near Northwest, Houston
Near Northwest, Houston has more parkland per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 39 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Near Northwest, Houston and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Near Northwest, Houston, month by month
Near Northwest, Houston sees roughly 103 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 Near Northwest, Houston
George Bush Intcntl/Houston sits about 11 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 Near Northwest, Houston
Schools across Near Northwest, Houston average a C−, better than 28% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Mcdougle ElC+ · 38% proficient
- Frazier ElC+ · 36% proficient
- Reed ElC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cook MiddleA− · 53% proficient
- Black MiddleB · 46% proficient
- Dean MiddleC+ · 37% proficient
Top high schools
- Jersey Village H SB+ · 57% proficient
- Cypress Ridge H SB+ · 53% proficient
- Victory Early College H SB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Near Northwest, Houston school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Near Northwest, 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 Near Northwest, Houston against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Near Northwest, Houston suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Common questions about living in Near Northwest, Houston
Is Near Northwest, Houston a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Near Northwest, Houston ranks 5,297th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, low taxes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on disaster risk and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Near Northwest, Houston expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $210,854. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $61,832 median income, cost of living beats 39% of neighborhoods.
Is Near Northwest, Houston safe?
Near Northwest, Houston is safer than 29% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $742 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Near Northwest, Houston?
July highs average about 96 degrees, and January highs near 67 with lows near 43. That works out to about 103 pleasant days a year, more than 54% of neighborhoods.
Is Near Northwest, Houston good for families?
Schools beat 28% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 29%, and childcare runs $842 a month.
Compare Near Northwest, Houston with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Near Northwest, Houston. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Near Northwest, 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.
Near Northwest, Houston detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Near Northwest, Houston: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Near Northwest, Houston: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Near Northwest, Houston: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Near Northwest, Houston: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Near Northwest, 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.