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Compare towns

Houston vs Spring

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (17.9× in Houston) and size (33.9× in Houston).

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Houston, TXA history townTexas · 2,328,253 people
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Spring, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 68,580 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 · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $730 more a month in Spring

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 →
Spring$2,430/mo
Typical home $363K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.74% · or rent about $1,711/mo · Housing →

The difference: $730 a month, about $8,700 a year, between Spring 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.

Report cards

Spring places higher on 13 of 21 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.

Where they are

Houston and Spring share a border

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

HoustonSpringHoustonSpring
Houston ↔ Spring19 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
15,575 Spring residents work in Houston (49.2% of its workers)
Work & commute in Spring →
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
HoustonSpring
Snow a year0″0″
January low—44°F
July high—95°F
Growing season (days)—300d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)80th63rd
Outdoors & history
HoustonSpring
Conserved land10.5%17.5%
Settled1836—
National Register places2941
Archive photos66
Famous people born here26—
Community
HoustonSpring
Library hours a week44 hrs—
Colleges in town20—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

HoustonSpring
People
Population 2,328,253Highest 68,580Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.8%Lowest TX: +15.9% +15.2%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 34.4±0.2Highest 3% below TX 32.7±1.6Lowest 8% below TX
Houston and Spring are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.4%±0.3Lowest TX: 25% 27.8%±2.1Highest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 12.3%±0.2Highest TX: 13.4% 10.2%±0.9Lowest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 36.6%Highest TX: 33.8% 25.6%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.5%±0.2Highest TX: 6.2% 4.3%±0.7Lowest TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,813±$822Lowest 17% below TX $88,997±$3kHighest 13% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $277,800±$3kHighest about the TX average $231,500±$6kLowest 18% below TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,361±$8Lowest about the TX average $1,711±$68Highest 22% above TX
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,198Highest about the TX average $4,027Lowest 5% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 54.1%±0.9Highest TX: 51.7% 39.1%±5.3Lowest TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line 19.9%Highest TX: 13.8% 10.4%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 42.1%Lowest TX: 62.6% 74.4%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 10 yrs older than TX 1993Highest 1 yr newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 27 minLowest about the TX average 34 minHighest 27% above TX
Work from home 13%±0.3Highest TX: 14.4% 10.7%±1.7Lowest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 64.7%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 18.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.00Highest 0.14Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sugar Land (2%)Houston (49%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Spring49% work in Houston
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10.5%Lowest 17.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 440.3 miHighest 24.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 1.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 306Highest 12Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.8Highest 73.6Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #384 of 583 in TX#471 of 583 in TX
School district TEXANS CAN ACADEMIES · RAUL YZAGUIRRE SCHOOLS FOR SUCCESSLEGACY SCHOOL OF SPORT SCIENCES · BROOKESMITH ISD
High school in town Elsik H SSpring H S
Students per teacherat that high school 17.8Lowest 20.1Highest
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.

Spring neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 5d

New to Spring Texas

1 neighbor in Spring can answer.

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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