Living in West University Place, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.4% below the U.S. average in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in West University Place to say.
A safer neighborhood5 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.3 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 10.6 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town7 public schools: 5 elementary and 2 middle. No public high school in town: the nearest is Debakey H S for Health Prof, about 2 miles away.
A hospital close byTexas Orthopedic Hospital in Houston, about 2 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityHouston is about 5 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means West University Place meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

West University Place runs into the built-up area around Houston (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $1,472,000U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 9.6%Harris County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $3,500 or more a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $250,000 or moreU.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 93%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $10,000 or more a yearTexas: $4,232
Homes built before 1940: 13%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 8%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 98.6U.S. average = 100 (the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 9.6% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro area, not West University Place alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 15,1582020: 15,022
Median age: 41.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 17%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 31%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 90%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 3%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (29%); professional and business services (21%); finance, insurance and real estate (15%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 20 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 23%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 2%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Texas Orthopedic Hospital, Houston, TX, about 2 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

7 public schools in West University Place, run by Houston Isd. The nearest public high school is Debakey H S for Health Prof, about 2 miles away.

Colleges in or next to town: Rice University (5,000 to 9,999 students); The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (1,000 to 4,999 students); Baylor College of Medicine (1,000 to 4,999 students); The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Texas's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 95%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 99%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 44°F
July average high: 93°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 109 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 5 a year
Rain and melted snow: 60.5 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 51 feet

Weather stations: Houston-port (9 miles away) and Houston Hts (5 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Texas Orthopedic HospitalEmergency room2

Houston, TXMetro of 7.9 million5

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Texas Orthopedic Hospital, Houston.

Harris County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Big Thicket National Preserve60 miles

Campus life. Check Rice University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about West University Place's history on Wikipedia.

Know West University Place?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Southside Place, TX1,900 people, 1 miles
Bellaire, TX17,400 people, 2 miles
Hunters Creek Village, TX4,500 people, 6 miles
Piney Point Village, TX3,100 people, 6 miles
Spring Valley Village, TX4,400 people, 7 miles
Hedwig Village, TX2,400 people, 7 miles

Smaller places

Hilshire Village, TX843 people, 6 miles
Fifth Street, TX (unincorporated)1,453 people, 11 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.