Place comparison · City scope

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What changes once I live inside the city limits?

Objective data · City scope

HoustonAtlanta

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Four things to check first

A first pass through cost, mobility, and scale using the data available today.

Typical monthly rent and utilities

Houston$1,361

Atlanta$1,711

Typical household income each year

Houston$64,813

Atlanta$85,652

Households spending 30%+ of income on rent

Houston54.1

Atlanta51.5

Typical time to get to work

Houston27.2

Atlanta26.5

Housing and money

City

Housing and money	Houston	Atlanta	Difference
Typical household income each year	Houston$64,813	Atlanta$85,652	Difference+$20,839
About this number Definition Income in the past 12 months for the household at the middle of the distribution, in inflation-adjusted dollars. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B19013Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$822Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B19013Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$1,846Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count.
Typical monthly rent and utilities	Houston$1,361	Atlanta$1,711	Difference+$350
About this number Definition Monthly contract rent plus estimated average monthly utilities and fuels for renter-occupied units paying cash rent. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25064Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$8Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25064Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$22Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count.
Typical home value	Houston$277,800	Atlanta$439,600	Difference+$161,800
About this number Definition Median respondent estimate of value for owner-occupied housing units. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25077Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$3,403Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25077Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$10,668Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count.
Households spending 30%+ of income on rent	Houston54.1percent	Atlanta51.5percent	Difference-2.6 percentage points
About this number Definition Share of rent-paying households spending at least 30% of income on gross rent, excluding cases where the ratio is not computed. Methods note: `round((rent_burden_30_plus_households / rent_burden_universe_households) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `rent_burden_30_plus_households, rent_burden_universe_households` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25070Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25070Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.
Rent as part of household income	Houston25.2percent	Atlanta24.0percent	Difference-1.2 percentage points
About this number Definition Annualized median gross rent divided by median household income. This derived ratio is not a household-level affordability test. Methods note: `round(((median_gross_rent * 12) / median_household_income) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `median_gross_rent, median_household_income` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25064 + B19013Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. This is a ratio of two medians, not the median household's actual rent burden and not an affordability score. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25064 + B19013Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. This is a ratio of two medians, not the median household's actual rent burden and not an affordability score.
Typical property tax each year	Houston$4,198	Atlanta$4,231	Difference+$33
About this number Definition Yearly real estate tax paid by the owner-occupied household in the middle. This is an amount, not a tax rate. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25103Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$73Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. Median annual real estate taxes paid for owner-occupied housing units. This is a tax amount, not a property-tax rate; assessments, exemptions, and individual bills vary. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25103Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±$128Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. Median annual real estate taxes paid for owner-occupied housing units. This is a tax amount, not a property-tax rate; assessments, exemptions, and individual bills vary.

Getting around

City

Getting around	Houston	Atlanta	Difference
Typical time to get to work	Houston27.2minutes	Atlanta26.5minutes	Difference-0.7 minutes
About this number Definition Mean travel time to work among workers in the source universe. Methods note: `round(aggregate_commute_minutes / commute_travel_time_workers, 1)` Formula inputs: `aggregate_commute_minutes, commute_travel_time_workers` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08013 + B08012Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08013 + B08012Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.
Households without a car	Houston10.1percent	Atlanta14.2percent	Difference+4.1 percentage points
About this number Definition Share of households reporting no vehicle available; this is not a measure of transit quality. Methods note: `round((zero_vehicle_households / households_vehicle_universe) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `zero_vehicle_households, households_vehicle_universe` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08201Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08201Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.
People who drive alone to work	Houston67.7percent	Atlanta52.9percent	Difference-14.8 percentage points
About this number Definition Share of workers who usually drove alone to work. Methods note: `round((drove_alone_workers / commute_mode_workers) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `drove_alone_workers, commute_mode_workers` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.
People who carpool to work	Houston10.6percent	Atlanta4.7percent	Difference-5.9 percentage points
About this number Definition Share of workers who usually carpooled to work. Methods note: `round((carpool_workers / commute_mode_workers) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `carpool_workers, commute_mode_workers` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.
People who take public transit to work	Houston3.2percent	Atlanta5.7percent	Difference+2.5 percentage points
About this number Definition Share of workers who usually used public transportation to work. Methods note: `round((public_transit_workers / commute_mode_workers) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `public_transit_workers, commute_mode_workers` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.
People who walk to work	Houston2.0percent	Atlanta3.9percent	Difference+1.9 percentage points
About this number Definition Share of workers who usually walked to work. Methods note: `round((walked_workers / commute_mode_workers) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `walked_workers, commute_mode_workers` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.
People who work from home	Houston13.0percent	Atlanta29.7percent	Difference+16.7 percentage points
About this number Definition Share of workers who usually worked from home. Methods note: `round((worked_from_home_workers / commute_mode_workers) * 100, 1)` Formula inputs: `worked_from_home_workers, commute_mode_workers` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B08301Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Derived from published inputs; no standalone ACS margin of error is asserted.

Scale

City

Scale	Houston	Atlanta	Difference
People who live here	Houston2,328,253people	Atlanta505,268people	Difference-1,822,985 people
About this number Definition Total resident population estimate. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B01003Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±196Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B01003Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±79Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count.
Land inside this boundary	Houston640.8square miles	Atlanta135.3square miles	Difference-505.4 square miles
About this number Definition Land area within the stated geographic boundary. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau National Places GazetteerVintage: 2024 Census Gazetteer FilesObservation period: 2024-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: Census land-area geometry measurement; no survey margin of error applies. Land area excludes water area and follows the 2024 Census geography vintage. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau National Places GazetteerVintage: 2024 Census Gazetteer FilesObservation period: 2024-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: Census land-area geometry measurement; no survey margin of error applies. Land area excludes water area and follows the 2024 Census geography vintage.
People per square mile	Houston3,634people per square mile	Atlanta3,734people per square mile	Difference+101 people per square mile
About this number Definition Population divided by land area; it does not describe density in every neighborhood. Methods note: `round(population / land_area_square_miles, 1)` Formula inputs: `population, land_area_square_miles` HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B01003 + Gazetteer ALANDVintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-year population / 2024 Gazetteer land areaObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Density combines an ACS period estimate with a 2024 boundary-area measurement and must not be treated as an ACS-published density. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B01003 + Gazetteer ALANDVintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-year population / 2024 Gazetteer land areaObservation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: No standalone margin of error is published for this CityFit-derived value; input observations retain their published margins of error. Density combines an ACS period estimate with a 2024 boundary-area measurement and must not be treated as an ACS-published density.

People and place

City

People and place	Houston	Atlanta	Difference
Middle age of residents	Houston34.4years	Atlanta34.2years	Difference-0.2 years
About this number Definition Age that divides the population into two numerically equal groups. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B01002Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±0.2Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B01002Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±0.3Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count.
People in a household	Houston2.46people per household	Atlanta2.00people per household	Difference-0.46 people per household
About this number Definition Average number of people per occupied housing unit classified as a household. HoustonSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25010Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±0.01Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count. AtlantaSource: U.S. Census Bureau B25010Vintage: 2020-2024 ACS 5-yearMargin of error: ±0.02Observation period: 2020-01-01–2024-12-31 Margin of error: ACS 90% confidence-level margin of error. ACS 5-year estimates are period estimates, not a point-in-time count.

Climate

City

Climate	Houston	Atlanta	Difference
Usual low in January	Houston43.7degrees Fahrenheit	Atlanta35.6degrees Fahrenheit	Difference-8.1 degrees Fahrenheit
About this number Definition January normal daily minimum temperature at the documented representative station. HoustonSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Monthly Normals · USW00012960Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Houston Intercontinental Airport is the selected NOAA normals station for Houston; station observations do not represent every part of the city or metro. NOAA station name: HOUSTON INTERCONT AP, TX US. AtlantaSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Monthly Normals · USW00013874Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is a documented NOAA normals station in Atlanta; values describe the station and are not a metro-wide climate estimate. NOAA station name: ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP, GA US.
Usual high in July	Houston94.5degrees Fahrenheit	Atlanta90.1degrees Fahrenheit	Difference-4.4 degrees Fahrenheit
About this number Definition July normal daily maximum temperature at the documented representative station. HoustonSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Monthly Normals · USW00012960Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Houston Intercontinental Airport is the selected NOAA normals station for Houston; station observations do not represent every part of the city or metro. NOAA station name: HOUSTON INTERCONT AP, TX US. AtlantaSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Monthly Normals · USW00013874Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is a documented NOAA normals station in Atlanta; values describe the station and are not a metro-wide climate estimate. NOAA station name: ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP, GA US.
Usual rain in a year	Houston51.84inches	Atlanta50.43inches	Difference-1.41 inches
About this number Definition Annual precipitation normal at the documented representative station. HoustonSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Annual/Seasonal Normals · USW00012960Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Houston Intercontinental Airport is the selected NOAA normals station for Houston; station observations do not represent every part of the city or metro. NOAA station name: HOUSTON INTERCONT AP, TX US. AtlantaSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Annual/Seasonal Normals · USW00013874Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is a documented NOAA normals station in Atlanta; values describe the station and are not a metro-wide climate estimate. NOAA station name: ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP, GA US.
Usual snow in a year	Houston0.10inches	Atlanta2.20inches	Difference+2.10 inches
About this number Definition Annual snowfall normal at the documented representative station when published. HoustonSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Annual/Seasonal Normals · USW00012960Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Houston Intercontinental Airport is the selected NOAA normals station for Houston; station observations do not represent every part of the city or metro. NOAA station name: HOUSTON INTERCONT AP, TX US. AtlantaSource: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Annual/Seasonal Normals · USW00013874Vintage: 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1Observation period: 1991-01-01–2020-12-31 Margin of error: NOAA Climate Normals do not publish an ACS-style margin of error for this station normal. Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is a documented NOAA normals station in Atlanta; values describe the station and are not a metro-wide climate estimate. NOAA station name: ATLANTA HARTSFIELD INTL AP, GA US.

Second place minus first place; no positive or negative judgment is implied.