Walker County · Huntsville · population 49,500
Where Huntsville stands
Steady, no major recent move.
Home value trajectory · last 10 years
Zillow ZHVI · monthlyLifestyle scores
Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.
Rent trajectory · last 5 years
Zillow ZORI · monthlyHome value vs rent · indexed to 100
Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)Rent vs buy
At a 17.1 price-to-rent ratio, Huntsville is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.
How the momentum score breaks down
methodology →Huntsville has held up across the cycle: home values at $261,762 with +3.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.
Huntsville's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.
About Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Walker County, Texas, with an estimated population of 49,500. The population grew 1.9% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Huntsville is $261,762 as of 2026-04, up 0.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +3.0% annual growth (-4.9% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Huntsville average $1,277 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.1%). The composite momentum score is 59 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.
▲ Bull case
▼ Bear case
About Huntsville (Wikipedia)
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. Its population was 45,941 as of the 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area. Huntsville is in the East Texas Piney Woods on Interstate 45 and home to Sam Houston State University, Texas State Prison, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Huntsville State Park, and HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas.
Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Playbook
Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.
Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.
Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.
Local safety & alerts
No active National Weather Service alerts for Walker County right now.
Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Walker County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.
Cities like Huntsville
Run the numbers for Huntsville
Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.
Climate & natural-disaster risk
State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.
Current weather
Find rentals & listings
Open current Huntsville listings on the major real-estate sites.
Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.
Local news & community
Latest news
- Sam Houston football player William Davis dies; no cause givenESPN · 2d ago
- Sam Houston State University football player, William Davis, dies over the weekend, school confirmsABC13 Houston · 2d ago
- Texas executes 600th inmate since death penalty was reinstated in 1976The Texas Tribune · 6d ago
- Rebecca Wiley Obituary (2026) – Huntsville, TX – Waller-Thornton Funeral Home – Huntsville, LLPPost and Courier · 6d ago
- Susan Clelland Baggett Obituary – Visitation & Funeral Information – Sam Houston Memorial Funeral HomeHuntsville, TX · 3w ago
- Denise Ainsworth Obituary (2026) – Huntsville, TX – Waller-Thornton Funeral Home – Huntsville, LLPDallas News · 5d ago
Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.
Local sports teams
Major professional teams the Huntsville area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.
Local economy & environment
Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.
Cities similar to Huntsville
Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.