Welcome to the land of the 1%. Where you’ll find lawyers, and doctors, and business executives. And while they aren’t made of ticky-tacky, they are definitely made of money.
These are the wealthiest neighborhoods that Houston has to offer — where houses go for well over the national median and household incomes follow suit.
But where exactly in Houston do the richest of the rich people live? That would be West University, where the median income is a cool $165,516.
$165,516 median income
$143,470 median income
$133,690 median income
$131,929 median income
$130,337 median income
Located in
Montgomery County, Texas
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$118,360 median income
$105,007 median income
$90,760 median income
$90,179 median income
$85,791 median income
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Texas’s statewide median.
Texas statewide median: $78,476
Texas statewide median: $300,957
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the wealthiest neighborhoods in Houston for 2026
Every city has its best neighborhoods — where everyone wants to live — and the worst neighborhoods — where no one wants to live. And then you have the wealthiest neighborhoods, where no one can afford to live.
And by no one, we mean you because there’s always someone richer than you.
How do you quantify richer than you? We looked at one simple criterion:
- Highest median household income
Using Saturday Night Science, we researched income data from the Census and BLS for every neighborhood in Houston.
We ranked every neighborhood in Houston by median income from highest to lowest. The neighborhood with the highest median income, West University, was named the wealthiest neighborhood in Houston.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the most affluent neighborhoods to live in Houston.
The full plate
Richest neighborhoods in Houston for 2026 by median income
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | West University | $165,516 |
| 2 | Greater Memorial | $143,470 |
| 3 | Greater Heights | $133,690 |
| 4 | Rice | $131,929 |
| 5 | River Oaks | $130,337 |
| 6 | Rice Military | $118,360 |
| 7 | Downtown | $105,007 |
| 8 | Galleria-Uptown | $90,760 |
| 9 | Far Northeast | $90,179 |
| 10 | Montrose | $85,791 |
| 11 | Midtown | $83,013 |
| 12 | West Houston | $79,271 |
| 13 | Meyerland | $73,349 |
| 14 | Medical | $71,233 |
| 15 | Pasadina | $64,381 |
| 16 | Spring Branch | $59,660 |
| 17 | Bellaire | $55,830 |
| 18 | Northwest | $48,919 |
| 19 | Southwest | $48,850 |
| 20 | Westchase | $48,160 |
| 21 | Sugarland | $42,634 |
| 22 | Southeast | $41,297 |
| 23 | East End | $37,480 |
| 24 | North | $34,255 |
| 25 | Northeast | $32,777 |
| 26 | Far North | $30,316 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 26 Houston neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: The wealthiest pockets of Houston
What’s the richest neighborhood to live in Houston for 2026? According to the most recent census data, West University looks to be the richest Houston neighborhood to live in.
The richest neighborhoods in Houston are West University, Greater Memorial, Greater Heights, Rice, River Oaks, Rice Military, Downtown, Galleria-Uptown, Far Northeast, and Montrose.
The poorest neighborhood? That would be Far North.
We ranked the neighborhoods from richest to poorest in the chart below. Not sold on Texas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Neighborhoods In Houston FAQs
What is the richest neighborhood in Houston?
West University is the richest neighborhood in Houston for 2026, with a median household income of $165,516. Greater Memorial and Greater Heights are next.
What are the richest neighborhoods in Houston?
The richest neighborhoods in Houston are West University, Greater Memorial, Greater Heights, Rice, River Oaks, Rice Military, Downtown, Galleria-Uptown, Far Northeast, and Montrose. We ranked all 26 neighborhoods by median household income, highest to lowest.
How much do people make in West University?
The median household in West University earns $165,516 a year, and the median home there is worth $759,119. Those two numbers travel together in most cities, and Houston is no exception.
How do you rank the richest neighborhoods?
One measure: median household income from Census tract data, ranked highest to lowest. No composite score, no adjustments — just where the money lives.
What is the poorest neighborhood in Houston?
Far North posts the lowest median household income of the 26 Houston neighborhoods we ranked. It anchors the bottom of the income table above.
