Prosperous places

3 wealthy Houston neighbors rake in spots among America's richest

Pearland residents live well.

Photo courtesy of Visit Pearland

Folks live well in Houston and its surrounding suburbs and cities, and a new study illustrates just how well.

A recent ranking from data provider HomeSnacks names three Greater Houston-area neighbors Pearland, League City, and Sugar Land among the richest big cities in the U.S.

HomeSnacks looked at three data points to rank the country’s richest big cities: median household income, unemployment rate, and poverty rate. The study features the 306 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 residents.

Pearland and League City land in the top 10, with Pearland coming in at No. 7 and League City at No. 10. Sugar Land follows further down the list at No. 24.

Residents in Pearland make an average of $102,764 a year, compared to a median home price of $260,300. It also scores a perfect 10 for diversity and high marks (9) for education; 31 percent of Pearland residents boast a bachelor’s degree.

League City, meanwhile, enjoys a good income-to-mortgage ratio, with the average salary there $108,979 compared to an average home price of $258,800. League City also scores well for diversity (9) and education: here, 32 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree.

Pearland’s unemployment rate was 3.8 percent (ranked 29th) and its poverty rate was 3.5 percent (ranked seventh). In League City, the unemployment rate was 3.9 percent (ranked 32nd), and the poverty rate was 5.4 percent (ranked 13th).

Sitting in the second-richest county in Texas, Sugar Land (No.24) enjoys a perfect 10 score for diversity. Residents here make an average of $123,261; the average home price is $337,600. Known for its smarts, Sugar Land boasts twice the masters degrees average in America: the U.S. average is 9 percent, Sugar Land is 18 percent. Here, 34 percent of residents possess a bachelor’s degree.

In Sugar Land, the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent (No. 93), and the poverty rate was 4.4 percent (No. 24).

Elsewhere in Texas, the Dallas suburb Frisco comes in at No. 3. More North Texas cities include No. 12 McKinney, No. 15 Allen, No. 19 Plano, and No. 23 Carrollton.

The growing Austin neighbor Round Rock ranked No. 37.

rankings

merry xmas h-town!

Ho-Ho-Houston lands on list of best cities to celebrate Christmas

Photo courtesy of Houston Zoo

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Houston has slipped five spots on Santa's nice list of the best cities for celebrating Christmas in 2024.

The very merry Bayou City has fallen into the No. 41 spot on WalletHub's list, which annually ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Houston previously ranked as the No. 36 best U.S. city for celebrating Christmas in WalletHub's 2023 report.

Here's how the city performed across the study's five main categories:

No. 22 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 22 – Shopping rank
No. 24 – Costs rank
No. 77 – Generosity rank
No. 90 – Observance rank

Houston at least gets to cheer on as the fourth highest-ranked Texas city in 2024 thanks to its hoard of holiday happenings, including numerous light displays throughout town. From local restaurants and bars putting their all into creating festive feasts and delightful cocktail experiences, there is plenty to get Houstonians in the holiday spirit this year.

Smaller Central Texas towns like Smithville have also transformed into fun, festive escapes for city dwellers this time of year.

Houston households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Houston household is expected to spend about $1,334 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $1,296 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

In a separate report by home services provider Thumbtack, Houston was named the No. 4 most festive U.S. city in 2024.

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include Austin (No. 23), San Antonio (No. 30), and Dallas (No. 31).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

holidays christmas wallethub lists