Austin vs Houston
Side-by-side comparison of Austin, TX and Houston, TX — population, economics, education, health, hospitals, climate, and cost of living from official U.S. government data.
Population
Population
Population
974K
Population
2.3M
Median Age
Median Age
35.6 yrs
Median Age
34.6 yrs
10-Year Pop Growth
10-Year Pop Growth
N/A
10-Year Pop Growth
N/A
Economics
Median Household Income
Median Household Income
$99,611
Median Household Income
$74,983
Median Home Value
Median Home Value
$523,000
Median Home Value
$276,600
Median Rent
Median Rent
$1,744
Median Rent
$1,401
Poverty Rate
Poverty Rate
10.9%
Poverty Rate
16.3%
Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Rate
4.6%
Unemployment Rate
6.7%
10-Year Income Growth
10-Year Income Growth
N/A
10-Year Income Growth
N/A
Education & Work
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
56.6%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
34.2%
Work From Home
Work From Home
30.2%
Work From Home
12.9%
Public Transit
Public Transit
1.6%
Public Transit
2%
Health (CDC PLACES)
Frequent Mental Distress
Frequent Mental Distress
15.9%
Frequent Mental Distress
16.5%
Obesity
Obesity
30.4%
Obesity
37.3%
Physical Inactivity
Physical Inactivity
19.9%
Physical Inactivity
26.8%
Smoking
Smoking
9.5%
Smoking
12.7%
Lack of Health Insurance
Lack of Health Insurance
13.9%
Lack of Health Insurance
21.3%
Healthcare
Hospitals
Hospitals
15
Hospitals
48
Avg Hospital Rating
Avg Hospital Rating
3.7/5
Avg Hospital Rating
3.4/5
Demographics
Austin Population
White 54.9%
African American 8.2%
Asian 8%
Houston Population
White 34.4%
African American 19%
Asian 7.3%
Want to compare different cities?
Use our interactive city comparison tool →Related Comparisons
Data Sources
Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-year estimates). Health data from the CDC PLACES (2023). Hospital data from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA Climate Normals (1991–2020). Cost of living from BEA Regional Price Parities via FRED.