⚖️ Side by side

The Heights vs Katy

Greater Houston, TX: ACS figures, FEMA flood zone, and commute for both

Should you live in The Heights or Katy? The Heights and Katy are both communities in the Greater Houston metro area. Katy has the lower ACS median owner-occupied home value, by about 38%. The Heights is $609,300 against $376,800 for Katy. On FEMA maps The Heights is not one single zone and Katy is not one single zone. Every figure is sourced and linked.

Cost and Demographics

Both columns below come from the same Census ACS tables, so The Heights and Katy are measured the same way and each side links its own source.

MetricThe HeightsKatySource
Median owner-occupied home value (ACS)$609,300 (2023)$376,800 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Median gross rent (ACS)$1,567 (2023)$1,609 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Median household income$142,414 (2023)$107,332 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Population40,155 (2023)23,900 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS

Flood Zone in Each Community

FEMA maps The Heights as more than one flood zone and Katy as more than one flood zone. Where the zone varies, whether flood insurance is federally required depends on the specific address rather than the community.

FEMA flood zoneVARIES (AE, X)VARIES (AE, X)
Special Flood Hazard Areavariesvaries

Each designation was sampled at the community centroid and at four points about a mile out; "varies" means those samples disagreed, so the community genuinely has no single zone. Check a specific address on the FEMA Map Service Center before drawing an insurance conclusion either way.

Commute to Job Centers from Each

Estimated one-way minutes from each community's centroid to every major Houston employer campus, so the same commute is priced from both sides.

Job centerThe HeightsKatyCloser
Chevron9 min63 minThe Heights
NRG Energy10 min64 minThe Heights
Memorial Hermann13 min60 minThe Heights
Houston Methodist14 min60 minThe Heights
MD Anderson14 min61 minThe Heights
Devon Energy17 min40 minThe Heights
Halliburton24 min70 minThe Heights
SLB26 min32 minThe Heights
Baker Hughes27 min30 minThe Heights
ConocoPhillips27 min30 minThe Heights
McDermott International27 min30 minThe Heights
Sysco28 min30 minThe Heights
United Airlines30 min73 minThe Heights
Daikin70 min40 minKaty
HPE46 min71 minThe Heights
ExxonMobil47 min71 minThe Heights
NASA58 min107 minThe Heights

Straight-line distance converted at ~45mph effective speed. Estimates are not measured drive times. Real I-10, 290 and 59 traffic can exceed them.

Want this scored against your actual constraints? Run the match engine →. It weighs commute, cost, housing and risk instead of leaving you to eyeball two columns.

Full The Heights data · Full Katy data