Center for Housing and Neighborhoods

The 2023 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

The 2023 State of Housing report builds on prior reports by focusing on renters and renting.

Renting in Harris County is increasingly unaffordable and fraught with other challenges

This year’s State of Housing in Harris County and Houston focuses on renters and renting. A majority of Houston households rent, as does a soon-to-be majority of the county’s households. This means renting and rental policy play an increasingly important role in determining the region’s quality of life.

A generation ago, a documentary revealed an unseen housing crisis in Houston

In 1979, a documentary filmmaker and an architect trained both of their lenses on Houston’s housing crisis. The result was a film that could have easily been made today, as housing costs, inflation and demographic change continue to reshape the region. It is also a film that demands a second viewing.

The 2022 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

The third annual State of Housing report looks at the pandemic's impact on the local housing market. The report also sets new housing baselines on mortgage loan data, homelessness and other housing indicators.

The 2021 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

The 2021 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report uses a range of indicators to track the challenges, opportunities and trends in the region’s housing system.

As affordability wanes, Houston and Harris County renters face crowding, cost burdens

The Kinder Institute’s second annual “State of Housing” report comes as Houston—and much of the country—remains in the midst of a residential real estate bonanza. A yearlong buying spree, fueled by a combination of factors, is driving the country to historically low inventory levels and propelling prices ever higher.

Re-Taking Stock: Understanding How Trends in the Housing Stock and Gentrification are connected in Houston and Harris County

This report connects housing stock changes with gentrification patterns in Harris County.

State of Housing

The Kinder Institute’s State of Housing in Harris County and Houston reports provide annual updates across a variety of housing-related indicators tracking shifts in the region's housing system. 

The 2020 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

This first State of Housing report compares how dozens of key housing indicators in Harris County and Houston have shifted between 2010 and 2018.

Where Affordable Housing and Transportation Meet in Houston

While local decision-makers and individuals tend to view housing and transportation separately, effectively addressing affordability for Houstonians means considering housing and transportation expenses together.

Near Northside: Safe Streets, Safe Communities

This report is the second in a series aimed to aid efforts to improve street safety in Houston. The first report (Safe Streets, Safe Communities) is linked below.

Community Resilience Initiatives: Building Stronger Neighborhoods in Houston

Effective efforts at the neighborhood level can be sustained and amplified by plugging into broader citywide efforts in ways that better align long-term goals and influence implementation plans at both levels.

Transit Adjacent Development and Neighborhood Change in Houston

This study explores how land use has changed between 2010 and 2016 in transit adjacent development (TAD) areas of Harris County, defined as census block groups within one mile of light rail stations, transit centers, and Park & Ride locations.

Housing Choice Voucher Mobility in Houston

This report identifies patterns in the household movements of residents who hold Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) in Harris County. It identifies who among the voucher holders are moving, where they are moving to and from, and whether or not these moves are related to attempts to access opportunity or to avoid pressures such as gentrification, flood risk, and high rents.

Safe Streets, Safe Communities: Walking and Biking Infrastructure in Gulfton

During the summer and fall of 2018, an audit was done on the Gulfton area's streets and sidewalks and these are the results.