Which is better, Houston, TX or Seattle, WA?

Seattle, WA comes out ahead of Houston, TX on 30 of 48 statistics where one end is better, to 18. Seattle, WA leads on Crime & Safety and Economics. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.

Which has more people, Houston, TX or Seattle, WA?

Houston, TX has a population of 2,419,191 (4th of 477 US cities) and Seattle, WA has 792,909 (18th of 477).

How do Houston, TX and Seattle, WA compare on Median Household Income?

Median Household Income: Houston, TX $64,813 (276th of 434), Seattle, WA $123,860 (49th of 434) among US cities. Seattle, WA ranks better.

How do Houston, TX and Seattle, WA compare on Median Home Value (Capped at $2M)?

Median Home Value (Capped at $2M): Houston, TX $277,800 (188th of 434), Seattle, WA $938,600 (394th of 434) among US cities. Houston, TX ranks better.

Where does Houston, TX beat Seattle, WA most clearly?

Houston, TX ranks far ahead on Price Level (Other Services) (Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)): 95.6 vs 106.8; Median Home Value (Capped at $2M) (Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)): $277,800 vs $938,600; Price Level (All Items) (Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)): 98.6 vs 111.1.

Where does Seattle, WA beat Houston, TX most clearly?

Seattle, WA ranks far ahead on Median Household Income (Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)): $123,860 vs $64,813; Poverty Rate (%) (Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)): 9.88% vs 19.9%; Median Annual Wage, All Jobs (Average Wage by City (Metro Area, BLS)): $72,610 vs $49,410.

Houston, TX vs Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA comes out ahead of Houston, TX on 30 of 48 statistics where one end is better, to 18. Seattle, WA leads on Crime & Safety and Economics.

48 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

Houston, TX

Wins: 18
Avg. percentile: 32
Categories led: 0

Seattle, WA

Wins: 30
Avg. percentile: 47
Categories led: 2

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all US cities.

Statistic	Houston, TX	Seattle, WA
Population	2,419,191 4th of 477	792,909 18th of 477
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	$64,813 276th of 434	$123,860 49th of 434
Median Home Value (Capped at $2M)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	$277,800 188th of 434	$938,600 394th of 434
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	19.9% 333rd of 434	9.88% 113th of 434
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)	98.6 tied 224th of 460	111.1 tied 411th of 460
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by City (Metro Area, BLS)	$67,610 tied 186th of 460	$91,790 tied 34th of 460
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	$1,361 tied 215th of 434	$2,030 tied 369th of 434
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)	886.1 356th of 395	698.7 318th of 395

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

Crime & SafetySeattle, WA · 5 statistics
EconomicsSeattle, WA · 14 statistics

Biggest differences

The 19 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 239 US cities.

Statistic	Houston, TX	Seattle, WA
Price Level (Other Services)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)	95.6 tied 47th of 460	106.8 tied 449th of 460
Median Household IncomeHousing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	$64,813 276th of 434	$123,860 49th of 434
Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	19.9% 333rd of 434	9.88% 113th of 434
Median Home Value (Capped at $2M)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	$277,800 188th of 434	$938,600 394th of 434
Median Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by City (Metro Area, BLS)	$49,410 tied 242nd of 460	$72,610 tied 24th of 460
Homes with Broadband Internet (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	90.1% 284th of 434	94.5% 93rd of 434
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)	98.6 tied 224th of 460	111.1 tied 411th of 460
Price Level (Housing Rents)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)	104.5 tied 234th of 460	151.3 tied 400th of 460
Median Rent (Monthly, Capped at $3,501)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	$1,361 tied 215th of 434	$2,030 tied 369th of 434
Bachelor’s Degree or Higher (% of Adults 25+)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	36.6% 187th of 434	68.4% 37th of 434
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by City (Metro Area, BLS)	$67,610 tied 186th of 460	$91,790 tied 34th of 460
Murder Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)	11.3 340th of 395	4.4 232nd of 395
Price Level (Goods)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)	100.6 tied 300th of 460	104.0 tied 356th of 460
Burglary Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)	484.6 344th of 395	975.9 392nd of 395
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)	886.1 356th of 395	698.7 318th of 395
Motor Vehicle Theft Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)	520.3 350th of 395	733.9 376th of 395
Price Level (Utilities)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)	95.3 tied 290th of 460	92.8 tied 262nd of 460
Average Commute (Minutes)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)	27.2 336th of 434	26.0 311th of 434
Property Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)	3,807.2 360th of 395	4,419.6 382nd of 395

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, Houston, TX or Seattle, WA?: Seattle, WA comes out ahead of Houston, TX on 30 of 48 statistics where one end is better, to 18. Seattle, WA leads on Crime & Safety and Economics. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, Houston, TX or Seattle, WA?: Houston, TX has a population of 2,419,191 (4th of 477 US cities) and Seattle, WA has 792,909 (18th of 477).
How do Houston, TX and Seattle, WA compare on Median Household Income?: Median Household Income: Houston, TX $64,813 (276th of 434), Seattle, WA $123,860 (49th of 434) among US cities. Seattle, WA ranks better.
How do Houston, TX and Seattle, WA compare on Median Home Value (Capped at $2M)?: Median Home Value (Capped at $2M): Houston, TX $277,800 (188th of 434), Seattle, WA $938,600 (394th of 434) among US cities. Houston, TX ranks better.
Where does Houston, TX beat Seattle, WA most clearly?: Houston, TX ranks far ahead on Price Level (Other Services) (Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)): 95.6 vs 106.8; Median Home Value (Capped at $2M) (Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)): $277,800 vs $938,600; Price Level (All Items) (Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)): 98.6 vs 111.1.
Where does Seattle, WA beat Houston, TX most clearly?: Seattle, WA ranks far ahead on Median Household Income (Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)): $123,860 vs $64,813; Poverty Rate (%) (Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)): 9.88% vs 19.9%; Median Annual Wage, All Jobs (Average Wage by City (Metro Area, BLS)): $72,610 vs $49,410.

More matchups

Other comparisons with Houston, TX or Seattle, WA.

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