Population

Houston

2,300,419

Los Angeles

3,857,897

Median Income

Houston

$62,894

Los Angeles

$80,366

Home Value

Houston

$253,400

Los Angeles

$879,500

Rent

Houston

$1,313

Los Angeles

$1,879

Crime Rate

Houston

11.48

Los Angeles

7.29

Cost of Living

Houston

116.4

Los Angeles

181.4

Avg Temp

Houston

70°F

Los Angeles

64°F

Unemployment

Houston

6.7%

Los Angeles

7.9%

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How Similar Are Houston & Los Angeles?

Los Angeles is Houston's #17 most similar city

1/10

1 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Houston

2,300,419

vs

Los Angeles

3,857,897

Different · 40% difference

Los Angeles has a 40% larger population than Houston.

Violent Crime

Houston

11.48

vs

Los Angeles

7.29

Different · 37% difference
🚨

Houston has a 37% higher violent crime than Los Angeles.

Property Crime

🔒

Houston

42.93

vs

Los Angeles

14.84

Different · 65% difference

Houston's property crime is significantly higher than Los Angeles's — 65% difference.

Political Leaning

Houston

46.4%

vs

Los Angeles

31.9%

Different · 31% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Houston has a stronger Democratic lean (31% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Houston

6.7%

vs

Los Angeles

7.9%

Different · 16% difference

Los Angeles has a 16% higher unemployment than Houston.

Median Income

Houston

$62,894

vs

Los Angeles

$80,366

Different · 22% difference
💰

Los Angeles has a 22% higher median income than Houston.

Home Values

🏠

Houston

$253,400

vs

Los Angeles

$879,500

Different · 71% difference

Los Angeles's home values is significantly higher than Houston's — 71% difference.

Education

Houston

23.9%

vs

Los Angeles

26.9%

Different · 11% difference
🎓

Los Angeles has a 11% higher education than Houston.

Demographics

🌍

Houston

35.5%

vs

Los Angeles

37.3%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.

Cost of Living

Houston

116.4

vs

Los Angeles

181.4

Different · 36% difference
💵

Los Angeles has a 36% higher cost of living than Houston.

1 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Houston and Los Angeles differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Houston

vsof 8

0

Los Angeles

Los Angeles leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Houston leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Houston scores 145.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 294.4 in Los Angeles. Houston has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,573 vs $2,601 in Los Angeles (40% lower). Houston has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,323 vs $2,085 in Los Angeles (37% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Houston116.4
Los Angeles181.4

Housing Index

Houston145.9
Los Angeles294.4

Food Index

Houston98.1
Los Angeles111.4

Transportation Index

Houston103.6
Los Angeles118.6

Healthcare Index

Houston98.5
Los Angeles109.1

Utilities Index

Houston108.0
Los Angeles145.7

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Houston$51,208
Los Angeles$79,836

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Houston$121,037
Los Angeles$188,702

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Houston$1,323
Los Angeles$2,085

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Houston$1,573
Los Angeles$2,601

Housing Market — Houston leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Los Angeles has a median home value of $879,500 vs $253,400 in Houston (71% higher). Los Angeles has a vacancy rate of 7.6% compared to 10.4% in Houston. Houston has a median property tax of $4,003 vs $5,773 in Los Angeles (31% lower).

Median Home Value

Houston$253,400
Los Angeles$879,500

Median Rent

Houston$1,313
Los Angeles$1,879

Median Property Tax

Houston$4,003
Los Angeles$5,773

Owner-Occupied

Houston42.0%
Los Angeles36.3%

Vacancy Rate

Houston10.4%
Los Angeles7.6%

Single-Family Homes

Houston47.9%
Los Angeles42.1%

Jobs & Economy — Los Angeles leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Los Angeles: 2,124,954 vs Houston: 1,219,957 for labor force. Los Angeles has a work from home of 17.3% compared to 11.7% in Houston. Los Angeles has a median household income of $80,366 vs $62,894 in Houston (22% higher).

Median Household Income

Houston$62,894
Los Angeles$80,366

Per Capita Income

Houston$41,142
Los Angeles$46,270

Poverty Rate

Houston19.7%
Los Angeles16.6%

Unemployment Rate

Houston6.7%
Los Angeles7.9%

Labor Force

Houston1,219,957
Los Angeles2,124,954

Mean Commute

Houston24 min
Los Angeles26 min

Work from Home

Houston11.7%
Los Angeles17.3%

Private Sector

Houston98.8%
Los Angeles93.9%

Government Sector

Houston46.6%
Los Angeles43.0%

Crime & Safety — Los Angeles leads

Source: FBI UCR

Los Angeles has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 8.52 compared to 29.46 in Houston. Los Angeles has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 14.84 compared to 42.93 in Houston. Los Angeles has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.14 in Houston.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Houston11.48
Los Angeles7.29

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Houston42.93
Los Angeles14.84

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Houston0.14
Los Angeles0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Houston2.74
Los Angeles2.10

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Houston7.87
Los Angeles4.71

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Houston6.45
Los Angeles3.73

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Houston29.46
Los Angeles8.52

Violent Crime Clearance

Houston31.9%
Los Angeles32.6%

Property Crime Clearance

Houston4.8%
Los Angeles7.8%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Los Angeles: 13.7" vs Houston: 50.4" for annual rainfall. Los Angeles gets 135 more sunny days per year than Houston. Los Angeles has a avg humidity of 60.5% compared to 74.8% in Houston.

Avg Annual Temperature

Houston70°F
Los Angeles64°F

Avg Annual High

Houston78°F
Los Angeles77°F

Avg Annual Low

Houston62°F
Los Angeles54°F

Sunny Days per Year

Houston182
Los Angeles317

Annual Rainfall

Houston50.4"
Los Angeles13.7"

Annual Snowfall

HoustonN/A
Los AngelesN/A

Avg Humidity

Houston74.8%
Los Angeles60.5%

Schools & Education — Los Angeles leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Los Angeles has a bachelor's degree or higher of 26.9% compared to 23.9% in Houston. Los Angeles has a high school diploma or higher of 40.0% compared to 38.3% in Houston.

Public Schools

Houston0
Los Angeles0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

HoustonN/A
Los AngelesN/A

Colleges & Universities

Houston0
Los Angeles0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Houston23.9%
Los Angeles26.9%

High School Diploma or Higher

Houston38.3%
Los Angeles40.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Los Angeles has a population of 3,857,897, about 1.7x the size of Houston (2,300,419). Houston skews younger with a median age of 34.3 vs 36.9.

Population

Houston2,300,419
Los Angeles3,857,897

Median Age

Houston34
Los Angeles37

Avg Household Size

Houston2.5
Los Angeles2.6

Married Population

Houston34.8%
Los Angeles34.4%

Foreign Born

Houston28.8%
Los Angeles35.8%

White

Houston35.5%
Los Angeles37.3%

Black

Houston22.9%
Los Angeles8.5%

Hispanic

Houston44.1%
Los Angeles47.2%

Asian

Houston6.9%
Los Angeles12.0%

Houston

Los Angeles

Healthcare — Houston leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Houston: 4 vs Los Angeles: 2 for with emergency services. Houston: 3.0 vs Los Angeles: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Houston5
Los Angeles5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Houston3.0
Los Angeles2.8

With Emergency Services

Houston4
Los Angeles2

Transportation & Commute — Los Angeles leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Los Angeles has a public transit of 6.7% compared to 3.3% in Houston. Los Angeles has a bicycle of 0.7% compared to 0.4% in Houston. Los Angeles has a work from home of 17.3% compared to 11.7% in Houston.

Mean Commute Time

Houston24 min
Los Angeles26 min

Drive Alone

Houston69.7%
Los Angeles61.4%

Public Transit

Houston3.3%
Los Angeles6.7%

Bicycle

Houston0.4%
Los Angeles0.7%

Work from Home

Houston11.7%
Los Angeles17.3%

Airports

Houston0
Los Angeles0

Cities Similar to Houston, TX

Compare Houston against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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