The Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands metro has 7.4M residents (per 2024 ACS 5-year Estimates ), a 2024 median household income of $82K, median home value of $298K, median age of 35, and a 36% bachelor's-degree share among adults 25 and older. The analysis below clusters neighborhoods within the metro's urbanized areas, covering 5.9M of those 7.4M residents. A western and southwestern wedge — from the inner-loop neighborhoods south of downtown out through Sugar Land and the Fort Bend suburbs — leads on home values, incomes, and education together, while the eastern side toward the Houston Ship Channel sits at the bottom.
Median home value
The top neighborhood sits just south of downtown Houston at $888K, roughly 3.0× the metro median, with a second inner-loop cluster nearby at $789K. The western suburbs follow: a cluster west of Houston at $762K, and two more southern clusters at $681K and $639K. At the bottom, the lowest values cluster on the east side near the Houston Ship Channel — an East Houston cluster at $127K, another at $129K, two clusters east of Houston at $136K, and the area north of Aldine at $137K. Most of the metro's neighborhoods fall in the $200K–$400K range; the ≥$500K tier is confined to the inner-loop southwest, the western Fort Bend suburbs, and The Woodlands to the north.
Median household income
Sugar Land , the affluent master-planned suburb in Fort Bend County southwest of downtown, leads at $180K, roughly 2.2× the metro median, followed by a cluster west of Houston at $179K and the area west of Missouri City at $174K. Two more clusters — west of The Woodlands at $163K and another west of Houston at $159K — round out the top. The lowest incomes concentrate on the east side near the industrial, mostly Hispanic neighborhoods along the port : an East Houston cluster at $40K, another at $42K, a third at $44K, a South Houston cluster at $44K, and the area east of Houston at $45K. The ≥$140K tier covers the same western and southwestern suburbs that hold the highest home values; the under-$60K tier wraps the east and southeast sides of the urban core.
Median age
The oldest neighborhoods sit along the coast and in the mature southwestern suburbs. The area west of Seabrook — part of the built-out bayfront communities anchored by NASA's Johnson Space Center since the 1960s — tops the metro at 45, with north Galveston on the barrier island at 44, an East Houston cluster at 43, the area west of The Woodlands at 43, and Sugar Land at 42. The youngest neighborhoods cluster on the north and east sides: the area west of Sheldon at 29, then four clusters at 30 — east of Houston, South Houston, south of Channelview, and north of Aldine, the last matching Aldine's documented median age near 30. Most of the metro sits in the 34–38 band; the ≥40 tier is confined to a handful of coastal and established suburban pockets.
Adults with a bachelor's degree
Education tracks home value closely. The same inner-loop cluster south of downtown leads at 80%, with a neighboring cluster at 79%, a South Houston cluster at 78%, the area west of Houston at 76%, and the area west of Missouri City at 75%. The lowest shares are on the east side near the Ship Channel: a cluster east of Houston at 5%, another at 6%, an East Houston cluster at 7%, the area north of Aldine at 7%, and another east-of-Houston cluster at 7%. The ≥60% tier follows the inner-loop southwest and the western Fort Bend suburbs; the under-20% tier traces the eastern industrial side of the metro.
Where the metrics overlap
The inner-loop cluster just south of downtown sits at the top of home values and education at once, and the wider western and southwestern wedge through Sugar Land, Missouri City, and the Fort Bend suburbs repeats the pattern on income and education together. The same east-side band near the Houston Ship Channel sits at the bottom of home value, income, and education simultaneously, with one East Houston cluster at the bottom of all three at $127K, $40K, and 7%. Age cuts across the wealth gradient differently: the metro's oldest neighborhoods mix coastal communities around Seabrook and Galveston with established southwestern suburbs, while its youngest are working-class clusters on the north and east sides — several of which, like the area north of Aldine, also sit near the bottom on value and education.
Key Takeaways
- The inner-loop cluster just south of downtown Houston leads the metro on home value ($888K) and bachelor's share (80%) at once.
- Sugar Land tops household income at $180K, roughly 2.2× the metro median of $82K.
- An East Houston cluster near the Houston Ship Channel sits at the bottom on home value ($127K), income ($40K), and bachelor's share (7%) simultaneously.
- The metro's oldest neighborhoods are the bayfront communities west of Seabrook at 45, near NASA's Johnson Space Center.
- Clusters on the north and east sides, including west of Sheldon at 29, are the metro's youngest, below the metro median of 35.