The 10 Worst Houston Suburbs For 2022


We used science and data to determine which Houston suburbs are the real pits.

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Not everyone is cut out for city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Houston.

So the question arises, do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Houston 'burbs need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Houston area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the suburbs to live up to Houston proper, although Bellaire certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Houston are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones..

We examined the 28 biggest suburbs of Houston to find out the worst places to live. And while you won't necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Texas lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Houston in terms of quality of life.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Houston for 2022:

  1. Arcola
  2. Galena Park
  3. South Houston
  4. Baytown
  5. Humble
  6. Pasadena
  7. Webster
  8. Alvin
  9. Richmond
  10. Tomball

What's the worst suburb of Houston? Arcola ranks as the worst suburb of Houston for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Houston that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.

Or, if you're thinking of moving to elsewhere in Texas check out the best places in Texas overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Houston too.

Editor's Note: If you see a slight difference between the worst in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it's because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.

For more Texas reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Houston Suburbs To Live For 2022

We'll get the ball rolling with Arcola, the absolute worst place to live around Houston according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Arcola beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 10th worst in the Houston area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 3rd worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it's cheap to live there. But there's a reason for that... it's Arcola.

You won't feel bad about not having a great income for the area, there aren't a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,541
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 3)
Median Income: $60,707 (10th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.3% (highest)
Median Home Value: $123,000 (3rd lowest)
More on Arcola:  Data

Welcome to Galena Park. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 9.4 miles to Houston. Income levels here are the 2nd lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $47,849 a year, which doesn't go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,848
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $47,849 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 10.6% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $82,900 (lowest)
More on Galena Park:  Data | Photos

Galena Park, TX

Source: Public domain

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Houston suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see South Houston on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that's an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it's in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school drop out rate is poor compared to other Houston suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 17,522
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $45,038 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (9th highest)
Median Home Value: $107,300 (2nd lowest)
More on South Houston:  Data | Photos

South Houston, TX

Source: Public domain

If you live in Baytown, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 6th lowest Houston suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 4th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Houston. Remember, we looked at 28 cities for this study.

Baytown is about 25.4 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 76,089
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $54,454 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.8% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $126,500 (4th lowest)
More on Baytown:  Data | Photos

Baytown, TX

Humble has the distinction of being a Houston suburb. Which means that's about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Humble has the 5th lowest home values in the metro Houston area, where the median price is $131,400. To put that into perspective, in Bellaire, the median income is $250,001, which is the best in the area.

Humble has an unemployment rate of 6.49% which ranks 10th worst.

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 15,819
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 4)
Median Income: $53,038 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.5% (10th highest)
Median Home Value: $131,400 (5th lowest)
More on Humble:  Data | Photos

Humble, TX

Pasadena has 152,537 residents that probably know it's a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you've ever been there, you don't need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom and the poverty rate sits at 18.110069669367952%.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 152,537
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Median Income: $57,781 (8th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.8% (3rd highest)
Median Home Value: $132,300 (6th lowest)
More on Pasadena:  Data | Photos

Pasadena, TX

Ah, Webster. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Houston.

It's the place with the 7th most out of work residents in the Houston metro area (6.99%).

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 11,229
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Income: $53,339 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 7.0% (7th highest)
Median Home Value: $207,100 (14th lowest)
More on Webster:  Data | Photos

Webster, TX

Alvin is a city about 26.2 miles from Houston, but Houston probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You'd be hard pressed to find a worse place to live. Alvin has the 13th most uninsured people, 7th worst incomes, and has the 24th highest unemployment rate (3.14%) in the entire Houston metro area.

Homes only cost $157,700 for a reason. That's cheap for Houston standards.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 26,592
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Income: $57,114 (7th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.1% (24th highest)
Median Home Value: $157,700 (7th lowest)
More on Alvin:  Data | Photos

Alvin, TX

If you absolutely have to live near Houston, then Richmond might be a place for you to consider as it's only the 9th worst Houston suburb.

About 3.29% of residents are out of work.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 12,592
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Income: $50,980 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (22nd highest)
Median Home Value: $172,400 (9th lowest)
More on Richmond:  Data | Photos

Richmond, TX

Rounding out the ten worst Houston suburbs to call home is Tomball.

Located 25.9 miles outside the city, Tomballs is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 2highest unemployment rate (3.7%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,689
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Income: $59,944 (9th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (2highest)
Median Home Value: $200,800 (13th lowest)
More on Tomball:  Data | Photos

Tomball, TX

Source: Public domain

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Houston for 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2016-2020, this is the criteria we used:

  • High unemployment rate
  • Low median household incomes
  • Low population density (no things to do)
  • Low home values
  • A lot of high school drop outs
  • High poverty
  • High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Houston.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 28 suburbs to evaluate around Houston.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 28 in each category, where 1 was the "worst".

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index the "Worst Suburb near Houston." We're lookin' at you, Arcola. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The areas around Houston where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2022

Well there you have it -- the worst of the 'burbs surrounding Houston with Arcola casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Houston aren't all bad. Bellaire takes the cake as the best place to live around Houston.

  • Bellaire
  • West University Place
  • Meadows Place

For more Texas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Houston Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Arcola 2,541 $60,707 $123,000
2 Galena Park 10,848 $47,849 $82,900
3 South Houston 17,522 $45,038 $107,300
4 Baytown 76,089 $54,454 $126,500
5 Humble 15,819 $53,038 $131,400
6 Pasadena 152,537 $57,781 $132,300
7 Webster 11,229 $53,339 $207,100
8 Alvin 26,592 $57,114 $157,700
9 Richmond 12,592 $50,980 $172,400
10 Tomball 11,689 $59,944 $200,800
11 La Porte 35,340 $75,810 $158,500
12 Stafford 16,904 $66,810 $190,300
13 Deer Park 33,599 $75,838 $183,000
14 Katy 20,296 $87,179 $208,700
15 Manvel 11,432 $84,711 $241,400
16 Iowa Colony 5,305 $95,144 $256,400
17 Kemah 2,114 $100,294 $228,200
18 Nassau Bay 4,009 $62,273 $271,500
19 Seabrook 13,849 $89,885 $267,000
20 Friendswood 39,893 $108,135 $300,100
21 El Lago 2,805 $85,143 $242,300
22 Pearland 125,817 $102,764 $260,300
23 Shenandoah 2,955 $81,806 $331,600
24 Sugar Land 118,563 $123,261 $337,600
25 Oak Ridge North 3,163 $95,833 $230,500
26 Meadows Place 4,899 $76,563 $195,900
27 West University Place 15,589 $250,001 $1,179,700
28 Bellaire 18,862 $200,250 $829,400

How Is Your Town In ?

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst suburbs around Houston.