Insights

45% of Houston families couldn’t make ends meet — then COVID-19 made things worse

A new report shows most local economies aren’t delivering enough high-quality jobs to support the cost of raising a family. As cities across the nation work to recover from a recession that has worsened the preexisting challenge of struggling families, how can more jobs be created or upgraded to pay a family-sustaining wage?

These 3 Houston-area cities have the highest minority homeownership rates in the US

A new study shows large, small and midsize cities with the highest — and lowest — minority homeownership rates. The No. 1 city in the U.S. is a Houston suburb.

The pandemic helped Houston move up on the list of greenest cities

Shifts in travel habits because of the pandemic, including less driving and more active transportation, drove the metro’s improved ranking among the most climate-friendly areas in the U.S.

Imagine there’s no traffic. Amid the pandemic, it isn’t as hard to do.

A recently released traffic index shows the dramatic effect remote work and stay-at-home orders had on congestion levels in more than 400 cities around the world, including 80 in the U.S. Houston saw 33% less traffic in 2020 than in 2019, and the congestion level dropped from 24% to 16%. But as the COVID-19 vaccine is more widely distributed and driving habits move toward pre-pandemic levels, the declines are expected to disappear.

There are only 19 prosperous majority-Black ZIP codes in the US. The Houston area is home to two

A shocking 70% of the nation’s 1,036 majority-Black ZIP codes are considered “distressed,” while only 19 — 1.8% — rank as “prosperous,” according to one analysis. Two of those prosperous ZIP codes are in Fort Bend County.

Is Houston still one of the most generous cities in the US?

With a rich history as a philanthropic city, Houston has a reputation as one of the nation’s most charitable metros. However, a recent ranking doesn’t find the city to be quite so generous.

Unflashy but effective ways to slow traffic and save lives

Pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 38% of all roadway deaths in Houston in 2019 — a 3% increase from 2018. Overall, 647 people were killed in fatal crashes in the Houston area in 2019, according to NHTSA data released in December. Prioritizing speed on local roads is the dangerous status quo in the U.S., but many cities are taking action to try and make safety the priority.

Buoyed by a suburban shift, the pandemic housing market continues to soar

In the Houston area and affordable metros and small- and mid-size cities across the U.S., sales of single-family homes are on pace to hit record highs. How much of the boom can be attributed to the COVID-19 crisis?

Texas’ largest suburban counties are growing fast, but are they growing less reliably Republican?

In the past three decades, the populations of these counties near Houston, Austin and Dallas have tripled in size, become less white and shifted politically. Here’s a closer look.

Study: Pandemic relief for small businesses did its job, but more stimulus likely needed

New research indicates federal and local COVID-19 relief programs were effective in helping to buoy small businesses with injections of cash earlier in the pandemic. And as the pandemic drags on, additional action may be necessary.

Young workers account for almost 30% of pandemic-related job losses in the region

More than 325,000 16- to 29-year-olds have filed jobless claims since the COVID-19 outbreak began, many of them worked in accommodation, food services and retail — trade sectors hit hardest by the pandemic.

Map of Houston area’s distressed and prosperous ZIP codes shows ongoing and growing inequality

Where you live determines to a great extent how much access you have to quality education, health care, housing, public services and more. More access correlates to better outcomes in life. One-third of the Black population and almost one-third of the Hispanic population of Texas live in an economically distressed community. The populations of the Houston area’s distressed ZIP codes predominantly are people of color.

Does Atascocita really have the worst quality of life in America?

It depends on whom you ask, but according to one list, it does. Overall, suburban cities in the Houston area are affordable and economically healthy, but they don’t stack up well when it comes to education, health and quality of life.

Students: Don’t leave college money on the table by failing to file a FAFSA

The vast majority of college undergrads depend on some amount of financial aid to afford their education. But to get it, they have to fill out a FAFSA. Research shows that students in higher-poverty school districts are less likely to complete the FAFSA than students in wealthier districts. So far this year, which has been greatly disrupted by the pandemic, completion rates are down at all levels, especially in high-minority and Title 1 high schools.

Where are Texas' fastest-growing cities? Check the suburbs

Though Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin all continue to grow, their suburban neighbors — led by Frisco — appear to be outpacing the biggest cities in Texas.