Featured Research

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.
Research
Housing, Transportation, Urban Planning
Featured Research

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2021 Results

For the past four decades, Rice University’s Kinder Houston Area Survey (KHAS) has been tracking the changing attitudes and beliefs of Harris County residents. The 2021 survey summarizes the most consequential changes and their implications for public policy initiatives going forward.
Research: Report
COVID-19 and Cities, Demographics, Economic Development, Education, Governance, Health, Housing, Hurricane Harvey, Immigration, Placemaking, Transportation
Featured Research

A Bottom-Up Infrastructure Strategy for American Renewal

This report identifies infrastructure priorities identified by local and regional leaders around the nation. Conclusions provide an important set of guideposts about priorities the new administration should take into account in crafting a national infrastructure strategy.
Research: Report
COVID-19 and Cities, Economic Development, Education, Governance, Health, Housing, Transportation, Urban Planning
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Youth working on computers

Kinder Interactive Research Gallery

The Kinder Interactive Research Gallery is a place to explore ways to use data to guide decision making.

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Urban Data Platform (UDP)

Access and download a variety of datasets

Visit UDP
Houston Community Data Connections (HCDC)

Search interactive, community-level data

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Latest Research

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The Equity Project

The Equity Project
Report: Feb 2, 2021
Education

Wraparound Needs in HISD: Findings from the District’s 2019 Needs Assessment Survey

Report: Jan 25, 2021
Education

House Bill 5 and High School Endorsements: How Do They Align to College Admissions?

young woman in computer science class
Report: Dec 15, 2020
Education

Long-term English Learners (LTELs): Predictors, Patterns, & Outcomes, Brief 1: Defining LTEL

HERC Research Report LTEL
Report: Nov 24, 2020
Education

Who’s Policing the Police?: A Comparison of the Civilian Agencies that Perform Oversight of Police in Texas’ Five Largest Cities

This report finds that civilian police oversight groups need more resources, fewer legislative hurdles, and proper experience and training.
Police Report cover
Report: Nov 19, 2020
Governance

Pre-K Preferences: How and Why HISD Parents Choose Pre-K Programs

Report: Nov 11, 2020
Education

Texas Flood Registry 2020 Report

This report includes updates on Harvey’s long-term impact and recent findings about the health and housing effects of the May 2019 storms and Tropical Storm Imelda.
Report: Aug 25, 2020
Health, Housing, Hurricane Harvey

Preparing Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Texas Workforce

This project examined the path to and through college and into the workforce for students in the Houston area and state of Texas.
Report: Aug 6, 2020
Education

Will tuition-free college increase college graduation rates?

This study determined the optimal tuition subsidy necessary to increase two- and four-year college graduation in Texas.
college graduate
Report: Aug 4, 2020
Education

School-to-Work Linkages in Texas

This report examines school-to-work linkages (the connection between a college major and specific occupations in the labor market) among bachelor’s degree holders in the state of Texas.
student with diploma
Report: Jul 29, 2020
Education

Cycle 1 of HISD’s College Success Initiative and Students’ Preparation for and Enrollment in College

This study examines the relationship between Cycle 1 of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) College Success Initiative and students’ preparation for, enrollment in, and persistence in college
Student receiving diploma
Report: Jul 17, 2020
Education

Transitioning to College and Work (Part 3: Labor Market Analyses in Houston and Texas)

Part 3 of the Houston Longitudinal Study on the Transition to College and Work (HLS) examined supply and demand for labor in the Houston area and Texas; in-demand occupations and skills in the Houston area; and early career wages and unemployment receipt among high school graduates from the Houston IndependentSchool District (HISD).
students tossing their graduation caps
Research: Jul 15, 2020
Education

Transitioning to College and Work (Part 2: A Study of Potential Enrollment Indicators)

Part 2 of the Houston Longitudinal Study on the Transition to College and Work (HLS) examined potential indicators of college enrollment school and district staff might use to identify and support students at risk of not attending college.
HERC Transitioning to work report cover
Report: Jul 8, 2020
Education

Summer Melt and Free Application for Federal Student Aid Verification

This brief looks at the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) verification and its role in summer melt.
Student walking in school hallway
Report: Jun 29, 2020
Education

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.
Report: Jun 23, 2020
COVID-19 and Cities, Housing, Transportation, Urban Planning

The incomparability of campus-specific Benchmark Running Records

The purpose of this methodological brief is to examine the comparability of literacy Benchmark Running Records utilized by campuses in HISD.
Report: Jun 19, 2020
Education

The Urban Sun Belt: An Overview

This report documents the unique set of urban challenges Sun Belt Cities face.
Report: Jun 11, 2020
Demographics, Economic Development, Governance, Sun Belt, Urban Planning

Troubled Fiscal Times: A Comparison of Revenue Sources and Service Levels for Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio

This report examines the revenue structure and service levels for Texas' three largest cities: Houston, San Antonio and Dallas.
Report: May 28, 2020
COVID-19 and Cities, Economic Development, Governance

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2020 Results

For close to four decades, the Kinder Houston Area Survey has been tracking the changing attitudes and experiences of Houstonians.
Report: May 18, 2020
Demographics, Economic Development, Education, Governance, Health, Housing, Hurricane Harvey, Immigration, Placemaking, Transportation, Urban Disparity, Urban Planning

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.
Houston MetroRail
Report: May 5, 2020
Housing, Transportation, Urban Disparity, Urban Planning