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Houston vs Katy

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (67.7× in Houston) and size (92.4× in Houston).

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Houston, TXA history townTexas · 2,328,253 people
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Katy, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 25,184 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Katy places higher on 13 of 23 TX lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $530 more a month in Katy

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Houston$1,700/mo
Typical home $262K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.51% · or rent about $1,361/mo · Housing →
Katy$2,240/mo
Typical home $332K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.79% · or rent about $1,602/mo · Housing →

The difference: $530 a month, about $6,400 a year, between Katy and Houston.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Houston and Katy share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

HoustonKatyHoustonKaty
Houston ↔ Katy27 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
4,948 Katy residents work in Houston (48.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Katy →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
HoustonKaty
Snow a year0″0″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th57th
Outdoors & history
HoustonKaty
Conserved land10.5%1%
Settled18361945
National Register places2942
Archive photos6—
Famous people born here26—
Community
HoustonKaty
Library hours a week44 hrs47 hrs
Colleges in town20—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

HoustonKaty
People
Population 2,328,253Highest 25,184Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.8%Lowest TX: +15.9% +55.3%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 34.4±0.2Lowest 3% below TX 37.6±2Highest 6% above TX
Kids under 18 23.4%±0.3Lowest TX: 25% 28.4%±3.5Highest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 12.3%±0.2Highest TX: 13.4% 11.1%±1.8Lowest TX: 13.4%
Houston and Katy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 36.6%Lowest TX: 33.8% 48.8%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±0.2Highest TX: 6.2% 5.9%±1.6Lowest TX: 6.2%
Houston and Katy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,813±$822Lowest 17% below TX $114,912±$16kHighest 46% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $277,800±$3kLowest about the TX average $401,700±$23kHighest 42% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,361±$8Lowest about the TX average $1,602±$210Highest 14% above TX
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,198Lowest about the TX average $7,207Highest 70% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.1%±0.9Lowest TX: 51.7% 63.6%±11.9Highest TX: 51.7%
Katy and Houston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 19.9%Highest TX: 13.8% 8.1%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 42.1%Lowest TX: 62.6% 80.7%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 10 yrs older than TX 2003Highest 11 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest about the TX average 31 minHighest 17% above TX
Work from home 13%±0.3Lowest TX: 14.4% 18%±3.7Highest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 64.7%Highest 13.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 18.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.00Lowest 2.77Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sugar Land (2%)Houston (49%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Katy49% work in Houston
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10.5%Highest 1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 440.3 miHighest 6.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 306Highest 7Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.8Highest 75.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #384 of 583 in TX#53 of 583 in TX
School district TEXANS CAN ACADEMIES · RAUL YZAGUIRRE SCHOOLS FOR SUCCESSARISTOI CLASSICAL ACADEMY · KATY ISD
High school in town Elsik H SKaty H S
Students per teacherat that high school 17.8Highest 15.4Lowest
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Houston neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Houston’s Town Square.

Katy neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Katy’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Houston

Towns like Houston

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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