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The Heights vs Sugar Land

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

Should you live in The Heights or Sugar Land? The Heights and Sugar Land are both communities in the Greater Houston metro area. Sugar Land has the lower ACS median owner-occupied home value, by about 33%. The Heights is $609,300 against $406,600 for Sugar Land. On FEMA maps The Heights is not one single zone and Sugar Land is Zone X (AREA WITH REDUCED FLOOD RISK DUE TO LEVEE). Every figure is sourced and linked.

Cost and Demographics

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

MetricThe HeightsSugar LandSource
Median owner-occupied home value (ACS)$609,300 (2023)$406,600 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Median gross rent (ACS)$1,567 (2023)$1,939 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Median household income$142,414 (2023)$137,511 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Population40,155 (2023)109,735 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS

Flood Zone in Each Community

FEMA maps The Heights as more than one flood zone and Sugar Land as Zone X (AREA WITH REDUCED FLOOD RISK DUE TO LEVEE). Where the zone varies, whether flood insurance is federally required depends on the specific address rather than the community.

FEMA flood zoneVARIES (AE, X)X (AREA WITH REDUCED FLOOD RISK DUE TO LEVEE)
Special Flood Hazard AreavariesNo

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 HeightsSugar LandCloser
Chevron9 min43 minThe Heights
NRG Energy10 min43 minThe Heights
Memorial Hermann13 min36 minThe Heights
Houston Methodist14 min36 minThe Heights
MD Anderson14 min36 minThe Heights
Devon Energy17 min30 minThe Heights
Halliburton24 min65 minThe Heights
SLB26 min25 minSugar Land
Sysco28 min25 minSugar Land
Baker Hughes27 min29 minThe Heights
ConocoPhillips27 min29 minThe Heights
McDermott International27 min29 minThe Heights
United Airlines30 min71 minThe Heights
HPE46 min81 minThe Heights
ExxonMobil47 min82 minThe Heights
NASA58 min73 minThe Heights
Daikin70 min76 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 Sugar Land data