#5city
Houston, TX
Energy, healthcare, and port economy with broad housing inventory and no state income tax.
- Overall rank
- #5 of 25
- Relocation score
- 64 / 100
- Cost of living
- 96 US avg = 100
- Median household income
- $69,000
- Unemployment
- 4.1%
- State income tax (top)
- 0.0%
- Jan low / Jul high
- 45°F / 95°F
- Region type
- city
Data sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — LAUS (2024 Q4) — unemployment rate
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (2023) — cost of living index
- U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023) — median household income
- Tax Foundation (2024) — state top income tax rate
- NOAA — U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020) — January low / July high temperatures
Data updated: May 21, 2026, 10:40 AM UTC · 25 regions ranked · Run 13552fba · Checksum 604ee0e8d132…
Enable optional AI narrative in .env.local with AI_NARRATIVE_ENABLED=true to see a relocation overview section (deterministic template in MVP; no live API calls).