What percentage of people rent in Houston, TX?

Name: Renters and owners in Houston, TX, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

57.9% (±0.5 points) of the occupied homes in Houston, TX are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 538,885 renting households against 391,519 that own their home.

In Houston, the share of households that rent went from 57.7% in 2015–2019 to 57.9% in 2020–2024 (+0.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 57.9% (±0.5 points)
Renting households: 538,885 (±4,871)
Median renter income: $50,091 (±$743)

Who rents and who owns in Houston

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Houston	Harris County	Texas	United States
Renter-occupied share	57.9% (±0.5 points)	45.3% (±0.4 points)	37.4% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	538,885 (±4,871)	795,727 (±6,574)	4,113,561 (±20,050)	45,017,354
Owning households	391,519 (±4,830)	961,437 (±6,862)	6,879,255 (±32,101)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.3 (±0.0)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.4 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.7 (±0.0)	3.0 (±0.0)	2.9 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$50,091 (±$743)	$51,599 (±$576)	$53,222 (±$285)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$99,583 (±$1,823)	$104,763 (±$997)	$100,555 (±$369)	$100,009

In Houston, the renter share is higher than in Harris County (45.3%).

It is also higher than in Texas (37.4%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Harris County, Houston ranks 3 of 37 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 39 of 1,421.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Houston has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	57.7% (±0.4 points)	57.9% (±0.5 points)	+0.2 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,041 (±$5)	$1,361 (±$8)	+30.7%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$52,338 (±$473)	$64,813 (±$822)	+23.8%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Houston

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Houston
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Houston	—	57.9% (±0.5 points)	—
West University Place	5.5 mi	6.7% (±2.6 points)	Lower
Hilshire Village	6.0 mi	4.1% (±4.3 points)	Lower
Southside Place	6.0 mi	47.4% (±7.2 points)	Lower
Hunters Creek Village	6.6 mi	0.0% (±3.2 points)	Lower
Spring Valley Village	6.9 mi	2.6% (±2.3 points)	Lower
Bellaire	7.1 mi	12.1% (±4.0 points)	Lower
Hedwig Village	7.8 mi	31.0% (±9.3 points)	Lower
Piney Point Village	7.9 mi	0.6% (±0.9 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: West University Place, TX (6.7%), Hilshire Village, TX (4.1%), Southside Place, TX (47.4%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Harris County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Webster	77.6% (±4.8 points)
2	Humble	61.2% (±5.6 points)
3	Houston	57.9% (±0.5 points)
4	Jersey Village	54.6% (±6.1 points)
5	Nassau Bay	51.3% (±9.9 points)
6	Sheldon	49.2% (±25.0 points)
7	Tomball	48.1% (±5.9 points)
8	Baytown	47.7% (±2.5 points)
9	Southside Place	47.4% (±7.2 points)

Showing 9 of 37 places in Harris County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Houston

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Questions about Houston

How many renters are there in Houston?

Houston has an estimated 538,885 (±4,871) renting households, 57.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Houston?

In Houston, the share of households that rent went from 57.7% in 2015–2019 to 57.9% in 2020–2024 (+0.2 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Houston?

A renting household in Houston has 2.3 people on average, against 2.7 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Houston?

The median renting household in Houston, TX has an income of $50,091 (±$743) a year, against $99,583 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Houston city, Texas (place:35000, in state:48).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.