⚖️ Side by side

Pearland vs The Woodlands

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

Should you live in Pearland or The Woodlands? Pearland and The Woodlands are both communities in the Greater Houston metro area. Pearland has the lower ACS median owner-occupied home value, by about 31%. Pearland is $330,900 against $479,400 for The Woodlands. On FEMA maps Pearland is not one single zone and The Woodlands 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 Pearland and The Woodlands are measured the same way and each side links its own source.

MetricPearlandThe WoodlandsSource
Median owner-occupied home value (ACS)$330,900 (2023)$479,400 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Median gross rent (ACS)$1,759 (2023)$1,792 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Median household income$112,470 (2023)$141,353 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS
Population125,983 (2023)116,916 (2023)US Census ACS, US Census ACS

Flood Zone in Each Community

FEMA maps Pearland as more than one flood zone and The Woodlands 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 centerPearlandThe WoodlandsCloser
ExxonMobil85 min14 minThe Woodlands
HPE85 min15 minThe Woodlands
MD Anderson25 min73 minPearland
Houston Methodist26 min72 minPearland
Memorial Hermann26 min72 minPearland
Chevron31 min67 minPearland
NASA31 min111 minPearland
NRG Energy31 min67 minPearland
United Airlines66 min37 minThe Woodlands
Halliburton59 min42 minThe Woodlands
Devon Energy45 min61 minPearland
SLB49 min65 minPearland
Daikin104 min50 minThe Woodlands
Sysco50 min65 minPearland
Baker Hughes53 min61 minPearland
ConocoPhillips53 min61 minPearland
McDermott International53 min62 minPearland

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 Pearland data · Full The Woodlands data