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Houston Housing Gets More Expensive and Less Safe from Weather
A new report from Rice University shows Houston's housing crisis is getting worse. The typical home costs $325,000, but most families can only afford $195,000 - a gap of $130,000. Rent jumped 9% in one year, forcing families to choose between housing and basic needs like food and healthcare. Insurance costs rose 18% in just one year due to more storms. Over 500,000 people live in areas threatened by floods, extreme heat, and bad air quality. More than 106,000 homes don't have air conditioning, and 40,000 lack modern heating. These problems hit low-income families and communities of color the hardest. They're more likely to live in flood-prone areas, have homes without AC, and face poor air quality that causes health problems like asthma. About half of Houston neighborhoods lost population as people moved to cheaper areas that often have worse climate risks. The report warns that Houston is becoming both less affordable and less safe to live in, with vulnerable people living in the most dangerous places.
March 5, 2026·Kinder Institute for Urban Research·The Change Lab
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A new report from Rice University shows Houston's housing crisis is getting worse. The typical home costs $325,000, but most families can only afford $195,000 - a gap of $130,000. Rent jumped 9% in one year, forcing families to choose between housing and basic needs like food and healthcare. Insurance costs rose 18% in just one year due to more storms. Over 500,000 people live in areas threatened by floods, extreme heat, and bad air quality. More than 106,000 homes don't have air conditioning, and 40,000 lack modern heating. These problems hit low-income families and communities of color the hardest. They're more likely to live in flood-prone areas, have homes without AC, and face poor air quality that causes health problems like asthma. About half of Houston neighborhoods lost population as people moved to cheaper areas that often have worse climate risks. The report warns that Houston is becoming both less affordable and less safe to live in, with vulnerable people living in the most dangerous places.
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