housing boom

Houston booms as No. 2 market for new home construction in the U.S.

New residential construction home framing against a blue sky

Houston has the second-highest concentration of new home development in the nation.

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Houston's real estate market is getting hotter and hotter: A new housing report from ConsumerAffairs has revealed Houston is home to the second-highest concentration of new home development in the nation. Over 9,000 new residential building permits were issued citywide in the first two months of 2026 alone.

The research team at ConsumerAffairs analyzed data on new building permits and new construction home sales across 150 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas in January and February of 2026. Cities were scored using two equally weighted metrics: total new residential building permits (sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Building Permits Survey) and total new construction home sales (sourced from Zillow) during the two-month period.

Texas is home to four of the top 10 cities with the highest rates of new home construction, and Dallas booted Houston from the top spot down to No. 2, with Austin (No. 7) moving up the ladder and San Antonio slipping into 10th place.

The report found 9,239 new building permits were issued and 3,535 new construction homes were sold across January and February in Houston. Only New York City and Dallas have issued more permits than Houston, but the city still holds the top spot for the highest number of new-build homes sold during the two-month stretch.

The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro additionally ranks No. 2 for new home construction in a separate ranking across the biggest U.S. metros. Nearly 66,000 new residential units — single-family homes, apartments, and condos — were authorized in the greater Houston area in 2024.

Dallas overtakes Houston for the most new home construction
Dallas led the nation with the highest concentration of new home construction, the report found. Over 11,000 new building permits have been issued in Dallas during the first two months of 2026, and 3,009 newly built homes were sold during the same period.

ConsumerAffairs said Dallas City Council has spent the last year making changes to residential housing codes to fight the city's housing shortage, thus driving the boom in new housing development.

"Previously, buildings with more than two residential housing units had to comply with the International Building Code, adding obstacles and costs for developers," the report said. "The revised code allows buildings with up to eight units to be constructed with looser regulations."

The top 10 U.S. cities building the most new homes in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Dallas
No. 2 – Houston
No. 3 – New York City
No. 4 – Phoenix
No. 5 – Atlanta
No. 6 – Los Angeles
No. 7 – Austin
No. 8 – Washington, D.C.
No. 9 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 10 – San Antonio

real estate housing market housing construction reports

safety matters

Houston suburb secures No. 5 rank on list of safest midsized Texas cities

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

Sugar Land is not only one of the best places to live, it's also one of the safest, according to SmartAsset.

As the greater Houston area continues to grow with an influx of new residents, Sugar Land is in the lead for its safety and security for residents, according to a new report.

Sugar Land has been named the No. 5 safest midsize city to live in Texas, and it ranks as the 64th safest city in the U.S., according to a new SmartAsset report.

The report, "America’s Safest Midsize Cities – 2026 Study" reviewed the crime rates and natural disaster risk across 333 midsize cities with populations between 65,000 to 250,000 residents. Disaster risk and auto fatality rates were evaluated on the county level.

The report's author states that no city is entirely risk-free, but there are some midsized cities that "offer residents a stronger sense of everyday security than others." Sugar Land is also among the top-10 best places to live in the U.S.

Based on the study's crime rate analysis, Sugar Land has a violent crime rate of 0.78 per 1,000 residents, a property crime rate of 13.84 per 1,000 residents, and the city's auto fatality rate is 6.85 per 100,000 residents.

SmartAsset found Sugar Land has a "relatively high" natural disaster risk, which was calculated by converting Fort Bend County's risk rating in FEMA’s National Risk Index to a five-point numeric scale. Specific natural disaster risks were not shared, but the report categorized risk levels in five levels: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high, and very high.

The safest cities in Texas
Two popular Austin suburbs — Georgetown and Round Rock — lead Texas with balancing the trifecta of affordability, opportunity, and safety, SmartAsset found. Both cities are located in Williamson County just north of Austin.

Georgetown came out on top as the No. 1 safest midsize city in Texas, and it ranked 27th in the national comparison. The city has a violent crime rate of 1.91 per 1,000 residents, and there are 8.74 auto fatalities per 100,000 residents. The city's property crime rate is a little higher, 11.7 per 1,000 residents, but it's among the lowest out of the 35 total Texas cities included in the report.

Round Rock, meanwhile, ranked as the third-safest midsize Texas city, and it ranked No. 53 nationally. This North Austin neighbor also has a slightly lower lower violent crime rate (1.31 per 1,000 residents) than Georgetown, but the city's property crime rate is higher: 19.41 per 1,000 residents.

Both suburbs share "relatively moderate" natural disaster risks, according to FEMA, and the same auto fatality rates.

Other Texas cities that rank among the top 100 safest midsize cities in America include:

No. 28 – College Station
No. 63 – New Braunfels
No. 75 – San Angelo
No. 83 – Bryan
No. 90 – Mission
No. 95 – Pharr

reports smartasset houston sugar land houston suburbs

housing boom

Houston booms as No. 2 market for new home construction in the U.S.

safety matters

Houston suburb secures No. 5 rank on list of safest midsized Texas cities

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