River Oaks vs The Woodlands
Greater Houston, TX: ACS figures, FEMA flood zone, and commute for both
Cost and Demographics
Both columns below come from the same Census ACS tables, so River Oaks and The Woodlands are measured the same way and each side links its own source.
| Metric | River Oaks | The Woodlands | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median owner-occupied home value (ACS) | $795,278 (2023) | $479,400 (2023) | US Census ACS, US Census ACS |
| Median gross rent (ACS) | $1,865 (2023) | $1,792 (2023) | US Census ACS, US Census ACS |
| Median household income | $105,888 (2023) | $141,353 (2023) | US Census ACS, US Census ACS |
| Population | 42,931 (2023) | 116,916 (2023) | US Census ACS, US Census ACS |
Flood Zone in Each Community
FEMA maps River Oaks as Zone X (AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARD) 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 zone | X (AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARD) | VARIES (AE, X) |
| Special Flood Hazard Area | No | varies |
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 center | River Oaks | The Woodlands | Closer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Methodist | 6 min | 72 min | River Oaks |
| Memorial Hermann | 6 min | 72 min | River Oaks |
| Chevron | 7 min | 67 min | River Oaks |
| MD Anderson | 7 min | 73 min | River Oaks |
| NRG Energy | 8 min | 67 min | River Oaks |
| ExxonMobil | 54 min | 14 min | The Woodlands |
| HPE | 54 min | 15 min | The Woodlands |
| Devon Energy | 17 min | 61 min | River Oaks |
| SLB | 25 min | 65 min | River Oaks |
| Baker Hughes | 27 min | 61 min | River Oaks |
| ConocoPhillips | 27 min | 61 min | River Oaks |
| McDermott International | 27 min | 62 min | River Oaks |
| Sysco | 27 min | 65 min | River Oaks |
| Halliburton | 31 min | 42 min | River Oaks |
| United Airlines | 38 min | 37 min | The Woodlands |
| Daikin | 75 min | 50 min | The Woodlands |
| NASA | 53 min | 111 min | River Oaks |
Straight-line distance converted at ~45mph effective speed. Estimates are not measured drive times. Real I-10, 290 and 59 traffic can exceed them.