Population
Houston
2,300,419
Philadelphia
1,582,432
Median Income
Houston
$62,894
Philadelphia
$60,698
Home Value
Houston
$253,400
Philadelphia
$232,400
Rent
Houston
$1,313
Philadelphia
$1,323
Crime Rate
Houston
11.48
Philadelphia
9.10
Cost of Living
Houston
116.4
Philadelphia
111.1
Avg Temp
Houston
70°F
Philadelphia
55°F
Unemployment
Houston
6.7%
Philadelphia
8.4%
How Similar Are Houston & Philadelphia?
Philadelphia is Houston's #1 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Houston
2,300,419
Philadelphia
1,582,432
Houston has a 31% larger population than Philadelphia.
Violent Crime
Houston
11.48
Philadelphia
9.10
Houston has a 21% higher violent crime than Philadelphia.
Property Crime
Houston
42.93
Philadelphia
45.48
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.
Political Leaning
Houston
46.4%
Philadelphia
20.0%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Houston has a stronger Democratic lean (57% difference).
Unemployment
Houston
6.7%
Philadelphia
8.4%
Philadelphia has a 20% higher unemployment than Houston.
Median Income
Houston
$62,894
Philadelphia
$60,698
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Houston
$253,400
Philadelphia
$232,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Houston
23.9%
Philadelphia
23.8%
Both cities have similar education — just a 0% difference.
Demographics
Houston
35.5%
Philadelphia
36.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Houston
116.4
Philadelphia
111.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Houston and Philadelphia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Houston
0
Philadelphia
Philadelphia leads in 6 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Philadelphia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHouston has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,573 vs $1,810 in Philadelphia (13% lower). Houston has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,323 vs $1,520 in Philadelphia (13% lower). Philadelphia scores 132.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 145.9 in Houston.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Philadelphia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPhiladelphia has a median property tax of $1,952 vs $4,003 in Houston (105% lower). Philadelphia has a single-family homes of 64.8% compared to 47.9% in Houston. Philadelphia has a owner-occupied of 52.3% compared to 42.0% in Houston.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Houston leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHouston: 1,219,957 vs Philadelphia: 810,038 for labor force. Philadelphia has a work from home of 16.4% compared to 11.7% in Houston. Houston has a private sector of 98.8% compared to 81.7% in Philadelphia.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Philadelphia leads
Source: FBI UCRPhiladelphia has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.19 compared to 6.45 in Houston. Philadelphia has a property crime clearance of 9.0% compared to 4.8% in Houston. Philadelphia has a assault rate (per 1k) of 5.72 compared to 7.87 in Houston.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoHouston averages 62°F, about 15°F warmer than Philadelphia. Houston averages 70°F, about 14°F warmer than Philadelphia. Houston averages 78°F, about 15°F warmer than Philadelphia.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Philadelphia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauPhiladelphia has a high school diploma or higher of 44.4% compared to 38.3% in Houston.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHouston has a population of 2,300,419, about 1.5x the size of Philadelphia (1,582,432).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Houston
Philadelphia
Healthcare — Philadelphia leads
Source: CMS Hospital ComparePhiladelphia: 4.3 vs Houston: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Philadelphia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPhiladelphia has a public transit of 17.9% compared to 3.3% in Houston. Philadelphia has a bicycle of 1.9% compared to 0.4% in Houston. Houston has a drive alone of 69.7% compared to 46.6% in Philadelphia.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.