Best PlacesWillowbrook, Houston, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Willowbrook, 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.
Willowbrook, Houston ranks 4,383rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Civic engagement pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on state finances.
The best neighborhoods in Willowbrook, 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.
Willowbrook, Houston's strengths and weaknesses
Where Willowbrook, 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
- Big-city accessBetter than 65% of neighborhoods
- School gradeB−, better than 65% of neighborhoods
Where Willowbrook, Houston ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Willowbrook, Houston
A household needs to earn about $97,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Willowbrook, Houston home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $72,729, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Willowbrook, Houston's effective rate of 1.51%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Willowbrook, Houston
Willowbrook, 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 Willowbrook, Houston.
Who works in Willowbrook, Houston, and how
Work in Willowbrook, Houston centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Willowbrook, Houston
Willowbrook, Houston has more restaurants and bars per resident than 88% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 44 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Willowbrook, Houston and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Willowbrook, Houston, month by month
Willowbrook, Houston sees roughly 112 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 95 degrees. January highs sit near 65, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65° | 53° | 44° |
| April | 81° | 70° | 61° |
| July | 95° | 84° | 76° |
| October | 84° | 72° | 61° |
Flying in and out of Willowbrook, 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 Willowbrook, Houston
Schools across Willowbrook, Houston average a B−, better than 65% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Willbern ElB− · 41% proficient
- Yeager ElB− · 41% proficient
- Mcdougle ElC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cook MiddleA− · 53% proficient
- Bleyl MiddleB− · 39% proficient
- Campbell MiddleC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Cypress Creek H SA− · 60% proficient
- Jersey Village H SB+ · 57% proficient
- Klein Forest H SC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Willowbrook, Houston school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Willowbrook, 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 Willowbrook, Houston against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Willowbrook, Houston
Is Willowbrook, Houston a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Willowbrook, Houston ranks 4,383rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, low taxes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on civic engagement and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Willowbrook, Houston expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $339,898. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $72,729 median income, cost of living beats 57% of neighborhoods.
Is Willowbrook, Houston safe?
Willowbrook, Houston is safer than 23% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $843 per resident a year.
Compare Willowbrook, Houston with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Willowbrook, Houston. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Willowbrook, 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.
Willowbrook, Houston detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Willowbrook, Houston: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Willowbrook, Houston: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Willowbrook, Houston: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Willowbrook, Houston: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Willowbrook, 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.