Katy, TX — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Texas·Katy

Waller County · Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land · population 27,741

Growing fastRenter-friendly
Katy, TX
Image: Wikipedia · Katy, Texas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
54
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Katy stands

Home values down 3.5% in the last year. population growing 6.1% per year.

Median home $338,556
1-year -3.5%
5-yr CAGR +4.1%
vs 5-yr peak -6.8%
Population +6.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-08$339k$218k$271k$324k$378k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
89/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

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 · monthly
$1,855/mo$1,468$1,746$2,023202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent123119100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.2
Lean buy

At a 15.2 price-to-rent ratio, Katy 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 →
Home YoY
33 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
60 · w22%
Distance from peak
55 · w18%
Population growth
90 · w16%
Rent YoY
31 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
52 · w10%
Long thesis

Katy has held up across the cycle: home values at $338,556 with +4.1% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Katy's rents are softening (-2.8% YoY) while home values stall (-3.5%). When rents fall, the cap-rate math gets ugly for investors and the 'rent vs buy' equation tilts toward renting — neither helps prices.

About Katy

Katy is a city in Waller County, Texas, with an estimated population of 27,741. It anchors the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area. The population has grown 6.1% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Katy is $338,556 as of 2026-04, down 3.5% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.1% annual growth (-6.8% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Katy average $1,855 per month, down 2.8% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 54 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 6.1% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
○The data is the data: Katy has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Cooling: -3.5% over the trailing year — momentum has stalled.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Katy (Wikipedia)

Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, approximately centered at the tripoint of Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller counties. The population was 21,894 at the 2020 census. It is the center of the urban Greater Katy area, itself forming the western part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

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.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

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 Waller County right now.

NWS active alerts (TX)Texas Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Waller County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Katy

21 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Spring Green$887,777+2.1%
2Reserve at Katy$832,736-3.5%
3Cinco Ranch Northwest$747,822-1.5%
4Firethorne$736,764-1.5%
5Woodcreek Reserve$606,881-4.2%
6Cane Island$576,603-4.0%
7Trails of Katy$555,952-5.4%
8Falls at Green Meadows$553,741-1.0%
9Young Ranch$486,156-2.9%
10Silver Ranch$477,047-1.6%
11Elyson$459,760-4.2%
12Anserra$384,676-5.3%
13Ventana Lakes$355,764-4.0%
14King Crossing$343,345-4.6%
15Old Katy$336,571+1.6%
16Stone Crest$326,975-3.8%
17Lakecrest$322,219-3.7%
18Katy Manor$303,700-6.3%
19Heritage Meadows$295,856-3.4%
20Williamsburg$281,794-2.8%
21Katyland$244,999-3.2%

Cities like Katy

Glenn Heights, TX61 · StableCleburne, TX58 · StableGreenville, TX59 · StableKrum, TX55 · Stable

Run the numbers for Katy

ToolCan I afford Katy?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Katy rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Katy to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolKaty cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 39°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
95° / 73°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
232
~64% of year
Annual precip
29″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Moderate
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Very high

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Katy listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
64%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$73,000
Texas state median
Top industries (state-level)
Energy/Oil & GasTech (Austin)Healthcare

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.

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