Housing

What's keeping Harris County housing unaffordable? These 4 charts and maps offer clues.

Many Harris County homeowners and renters continue to struggle with high housing costs, even as home sale prices plateau.

Harris County records biggest shift toward renting, away from homeownership in a decade

About 19,000 fewer Harris County households lived in a home they owned in 2024, while nearly 30,000 more households opted to rent, according to the Kinder Institute's 2026 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report.

Left in the cold: These Houston residents report lack of safe, reliable heating in winter

Early results from a Kinder Institute survey show 12% of Harris County residents don’t have safe, reliable heat at home.

Are corporate buyers hogging single-family homes in Harris County? Here’s what the data shows.

A Kinder Institute analysis shows nine large companies own about 1% of single-family homes in Harris County.

School vouchers, slowing growth and food insecurity: What Kinder Institute researchers are watching in Houston in 2026

The new year will bring big changes to key education, health and housing policies that shape the city.

Urban Edge’s most-read stories in 2025: Public housing, population growth articles top the list

These seven Urban Edge articles garnered the most reader interest in a busy year for Houston.

FEMA buyouts vs. risky real estate: New maps reveal post-flood migration patterns across the US

New research and maps show most people with homes in flood-prone areas sell their properties instead of taking a federal buyout.

Hurricane Beryl remains a disruptive force for some Harris County residents, survey shows

What ‘Home’ Means to Residents in the Houston Area

This snapshot explores the ways in which area residents conceptualize "home."

Webinar: 2025 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

This webinar will share findings from the forthcoming 2025 State of Housing report. A panel discussion will follow.

Housing Affordability and Instability

Houston-area residents were asked how difficult it was in the past 12 months to afford housing costs, and if certain factors contributed to the difficulty they experienced

Neighborhood Opportunity Mapping

Researchers assisted the Houston Housing Authority in data collection and analysis to identify opportunity neighborhoods (areas with high-performing schools, low crime rates, access to jobs, and other characteristics).

Webinar: 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

This webinar will focus on findings from the 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report. A panel discussion with local experts will follow. 

Is buying a home easier or harder in Houston? Here’s how it compares to other Texas metros

By many accounts, the city of Houston has long been considered an affordable place to buy a home. But how well does it stack up against its peers in Texas? One way to look at this is to compare housing costs relative to income.

Webinar: 2023 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

This webinar includes a summary of the 2023 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report. A panel discussion with local experts will follow.