hot houston 'hood

Booming Houston suburb boasts No. 3 rank in hottest ZIP code in U.S. for buyers list

Katy's ZIP code is the third hottest in America, per a new ranking.

Photo courtesy of City of Katy

Arguably Houston's hottest suburb is once again making national news as the hottest 'hood in Texas and tops in the U.S.

Katy ranked No. 1 in Texas and an impressive No. 3 in overall in America in OpenDoor’s 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes in America report. Specifically, Katy’s 77494 is the highest-scoring ZIP in the Lone Star State.

For those keeping score, Katy has now scored back-to-back No. 3 ranks in the OpenDoor report, following last year's ranking. For those familiar with the suburb, Katy is a huge draw for buyers due to its strong school system and family-first developments.

“Half of first-time home buyers say ‘family’ is the top reason they decided to purchase a home in 2022. Katy, TX and Yukon, OK continued their reign on our hottest ZIPs list,” OpenDoor says. “They draw homeowners for their proximity to major employers while still being a good fit for families.”

Proving that the Houston area is arguably the hottest market in America, another local suburb, Cypress’ 77433, comes in at No. 7. Also a hub for families, Cypress has seen impressive growth — so much so that Houston pitmaster Ronnie Killen chose the area for a new location for his wildly popular Killen’s Barbecue, as CultureMap reported.

OpenDoor analyzed data from the local Multiple Listing Services (MLS) where Opendoor Brokerage operates, they say. The neighborhoods were ranked by total homes that went into contract within 90 days of listing in 2022.

Elsewhere in Texas

Hill Country hot spots in the Austin-San Antonio fared well on the list: No. 4 is 78130 in New Braunfels, and No. 9 is 78641 in Leander. The San Antonio ZIP of 78253 is No. 11.

A small town east of Dallas is a big magnet for homebuyers. Forney's 75126 was the fifth most popular ZIP code for buyers around the U.S. last year. It moved up from No. 8 in the 2021 report.

Another North Texas town — Aubrey — was deemed a top “emerging” ZIP for 2022. Its 76227 lands at No. 13 on the list. It had been No. 15 in the 2021 report.

With a population of just 6,500, Aubrey is home to sprawling ranches and considered the “horse capital of Texas.”

“We are seeing homeowners vie for that sense of belonging in cities and towns accessible to major metros via short commutes – like Aubrey,” OpenDoor says.

The hottest ZIP code in the country is 37042 in Clarksville, Tennessee, which has “a thriving, close-knit local community while still being close to the action in Nashville,” OpenDoor says.

Here are the top 20 ZIP codes in the U.S. for 2022 , per OpenDoor:

Clarksville, Tennessee (37042)
Yukon, Oklahoma (73099)
Katy, Texas (77494)
New Braunfels, Texas (78130)
Forney, Texas (75126)
Summerville, South Carolina (29486)
Cypress, Texas (77433)
Kissimmee, Florida (34747)
Leander, Texas (78641)
Murfreesboro, Tennessee (37128)
San Antonio, Texas (78253)
Loganville, Georgia (30052)
Aubrey, Texas (76227)
Winter Garden, Florida (34787)
Cumming, Georgia (30040)
Suwanee, Georgia (30024)
Gallatin, Tennessee (37066)
San Diego, California (92101)
Port Saint Lucie, Florida (34953)
Parker, Colorado (80134)

best in texas

2 Houston suburbs named top-10 best Texas cities to move to

The City of Sugar Land, Texas – City Government/Facebook

The asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Sugar Land was $1,450 in June, and two-bedroom units were $1,870.

Several Houston neighbors have been deemed the best Texas cities to move to, with two local suburbs – Sugar Land and League City – coming in among the top 10.

Advisors at ConsumerAffairs, a customer review and news platform, ranked the 50 most populated Texas cities across five main categories – affordability, safety, economy, health care and education, and quality of life – to determine which were the best places to move to. Each city was given a score out of 100 possible points.

Four out of the top five best places to move to in Texas are located in Dallas-Fort Worth: Allen (No .1), Frisco (No. 2), Plano (No. 3), and McKinney (No. 4). Leander, a suburb outside Austin, rounded out the top five.

Of all five categories considered, Sugar Land ranked highest – No. 4 – in the category of "health care and education." The city came in No. 5 for safety, No. 17 for economy, and No. 21 for quality of life. Its lowest ranking was No. 29, for affordability.

Sugar Land has been booming in recent years, and earlier in 2025 it was ranked the No. 3 best place to live in the U.S.. According to Livability.com's report, Sugar Land is well known as "one of the more affluent and rapidly growing master-planned communities in Texas" whose 90s-era population boom has only continued to grow.

Most recently, the City of Sugar Land acquired the 40-acre Imperial Sugar refinery complex for $50 million. The city is planning on redeveloping and renovating the land and its buildings, which include the iconic Char House.

In ConsumerAffairs separate ranking of the best places to live in the South, Sugar Land ranked 6th on the list.

Elsewhere in Houston
League City ranked right behind Sugar Land, and it topped the list with the best healthcare and education in Texas, and it is the 7th safest city in the state.

This suburb, located about 30 miles southeast of Houston, has earned its own reputation as the 7th fastest-growing, affordable city in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Pearland landed just outside the top 10 as the 11th best Texas city to move to with the second-best healthcare and education statewide.

Elsewhere across the Houston metro, three more suburbs made the list: Missouri City (No. 19), Conroe (No. 27), and Pasadena (No. 44). Surprisingly, The Woodlands was nowhere to be found in the rankings.

Despite many of its suburbs ranking highly on the list, Houston proper ranked at the bottom as the 50th best place in Texas to move to.

The top 10 best Texas cities to move to are:

No. 1 – Allen
No. 2 – Frisco
No. 3 – Plano
No. 4 – McKinney
No. 5 – Leander
No. 6 – Mansfield
No. 7 – Sugar Land
No. 8 – League City
No. 9 – Round Rock
No. 10 – Richardson

real estate suburbs consumeraffairs lists rankings houston sugar land league city