Insights

A key federal report on food insecurity is ending. How local data can fill the gap.

In Houston’s Settegast neighborhood, residents take charge on solving health, housing issues

When Texas A&M doctoral candidate Jacquita Johnson visited 80 women from northeast Houston’s Settegast neighborhood, she repeatedly heard horror stories about water.

‘Just stuck out here’: Bus riders simmer under sun in Houston’s hottest neighborhoods

On a recent Friday, James Snyder baked under the morning sun in Gulfton while waiting for a Metro bus to his dogwalking job.

In Harris County’s most food-insecure area, a nonprofit leader offers a recipe for tackling hunger

When northern Harris County residents ask Northwest Assistance Ministries for help with their basic needs, one request emerges the most: food.

Federal disaster aid is coming to Houston. Why most property owners will get left out.

Help could soon arrive for Houstonians with property damaged in last year’s two major storms — though not enough to cover even half of the still-needed repairs.

‘Clear need to ramp up’: How Houston can better prepare for the AI boom

To become an AI machine, Houston still has some learning to do.

Houston draws talent, but how can it grow more of its own?

Greater Houston’s ever-expanding economic opportunities continue to draw thousands of out-of-towners into the area — with big investments by Apple, Nvidia and Tesla still in the pipeline.

Bureaucracy, stigma keep public assistance out of reach for thousands of Houstonians

Harris County residents miss out on nearly $1 billion in unclaimed government assistance every year, according to an estimate by Connective, a Houston-based nonprofit that is trying to address the problem even as federal efforts could erode these resources.

Nearly 600,000 Harris County residents lack a bank account — here’s where the issue is most concentrated

A Kinder Institute survey found 1 in 6 Harris County residents are unbanked — lacking a checking or savings account.

Houston region projected to attract millions more residents by 2050. Will it maintain its appeal?

Last year, Harris County experienced the largest raw population increase in the nation, contributing more than half of the metro area’s nearly 200,000 new residents. Projections released in February indicate the region will gain millions more people over the next 25 years.

Rising cost of utilities adds to housing affordability woes in Harris County

Nearly 70% of Harris County residents faced some level of difficulty affording their housing costs in 2024, according to a Kinder Institute survey. Among those who did, high utility bills were the most common contributing factor.

Houstonians' tolerance for higher taxes and fees could soon be tested by city's budget woes

Yes, Houston is facing an exorbitant budget deficit. But residents still want a better city.

Religious identities shift in Houston and the U.S. with rise of the ‘nones’

In the last 15 years, more Houstonians have become religiously unaffiliated, according to the Kinder Houston Area Survey. In the 2009 survey, 54% of respondents identified as Protestant and 31% as Catholic. In 2024, Protestants decreased to 38% and Catholics to 26%.

Harris County contends with shortage of mental health workers despite landmark state investment

One of the barriers to accessing mental health care in Harris County and across Texas is a workforce shortage in the field.

Houston’s new homes: Smaller, more expensive and farther away

In 2023, Harris County saw a record number of new homes sold — nearly 10,000 — highlighting the region’s growing housing supply amid a broader affordability crisis.