Should I Move To
Roughly 118,402 people live in The Woodlands, Texas. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,723/mo; the typical household pulls in $142,384. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 45/100 — a D, putting it at #688 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, The Woodlands sits at 101 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,723/mo against $142,384 median household income), housing eats roughly 15% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $456,400.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 94°F in summer, 46°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 52 inches. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. Air quality is moderate (AQI 53).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, The Woodlands is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 59/100 (grade C) on the families profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on environmental quality (11/100).
For retirees, The Woodlands isn't the strongest match. It earns 43/100 (grade D) on the retirees profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on environmental quality (11/100).
For remote workers, The Woodlands isn't the strongest match. It earns 42/100 (grade D) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on environmental quality (11/100).
For young professionals, The Woodlands isn't the strongest match. It earns 53/100 (grade C-) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on education (95/100); weakest on environmental quality (11/100).
The Woodlands, Texas pulls a 45/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade D), currently ranked #688 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
The Woodlands's cost-of-living index is 101 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the moderate band — essentially matching the national average. Median rent runs about $1,723/mo.
Hot-summer — summer averages around 94°F, winter averages around 46°F, with about 52 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 17/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
The Woodlands has about 118,402 residents, 66% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 41.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put The Woodlands head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how The Woodlands stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare The Woodlands with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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