For single-family home renters, finding the right suburb to live in around Houston can be a complicated process. But three very different Houston neighbors have come out among the top 10 best suburbs for house renters in Texas: Iowa Colony, West University Place, and Manvel.
This crowning achievement was awarded in online real estate marketplace Point2Homes' new study, "Top Texas Suburbs for House Renters." The report compared suburbs within a 20-mile radius (or 30-mile driving distance) from Texas' five largest cities — San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth — based on 12 metrics, including a suburb's cost of living, share of single-family rental listings, five-year renter income growth, and more.
Iowa Colony ranked as the No. 2 best suburb for house renters in Texas, while West University Place and Manvel ranked No. 4 and No. 10, respectively.
Bulverde, a small town 22 miles outside San Antonio, was declared the No. 1 best suburb for house renters statewide. Two Austin suburbs — Hutto (No. 3) and Lakeway (No. 5) — round out the top five.
The report touted Iowa Colony, located 22 miles south of Houston, as a suburban paradise with a "relaxed atmosphere and convenient access to city amenities and job opportunities." Point2Homes calculated the city has a population of about 9,500 residents, and the median age of a resident is 33 years old.
Out of the suburb's entire renter population, the report found 91 percent of renters are residing in single-family homes, and there are 523 single-family home listings available to rent per 1,000 renter households. Iowa Colony has the second highest number of available renter home listings in Texas, just one spot behind Katy.
The median household income for single-family home renters in Iowa Colony is $111,824, the report said, which has grown nearly 98 percent over the last five years, while the population simultaneously skyrocketed. Higher household incomes combined with the vast number of spacious rental homes also contributed to the city's booming popularity.
"Known for its homey neighborhoods and recreational options, the suburb is also one of the select two with rentals boasting more than 7 rooms overall," the report said. "All this might have contributed to the whopping 813 percent boost in population between 2017 and 2022 — not bad for a town that used to have only 27 people well into the 1960s."
Other factors that helped Iowa Colony earn its second place ranking were its residents' average commute time (37.2 minutes) and the share of the population aged 25 and older who have "higher education" degrees (37 percent).
Other top Houston suburbs for house renters in 2024
Situated less than ten miles southwest of downtown Houston, the suburb of West University Place boasts a reputation as the third wealthiest suburb in America. Of course, the late Ken Hoffman vigorously disrupted attempts to classify West U. as a suburb, since it's so centrally located.
The city has an estimated population of nearly 15,000 residents, a figure that has surprisingly declined 3.3 percent over the last five years. An overwhelming majority of the city's population aged 25 and older (90.6 percent) have higher education degrees.
The median household income of single-family renters in West U. is $169,135, and the city's income level has grown 83.5 percent in the last five years. Almost all renters in the city (95.3 percent) are single-family home renters.
There are about 65 single-family rental listings on the market per 1,000 renter households in West U., and the study said the median number of rooms in a rental home comes out to 7.7.
Here's how Point2Homes broke down West U.'s ranking in the remaining metrics in the study:
- +179.8 percent – Cost of living compared to state median
- 7.4 percent – Share of renters out of the entire population
- 7,467 – Population density
- 20.3 minutes – Average commute time
- 5.7 percent – Unemployment rate
West University Place is the third most affluent suburb in America. City of West University Place, TX - City Government / Facebook
West U. residents also benefit from living in a quiet, close-knit community that has many outdoor recreational activities for families, such as the Colonial Park Pool, the West University Place Recreation Center, and 10 more beautiful parks and playgrounds.
"With a philosophy that combines rich traditions and responsible innovation, West University Place has shed its orphan municipality roots to become a stable, yet progressive model city," the city website says.
The third Houston suburb to earn a top 10 rank was Manvel, which is 24 miles south of downtown Houston. A single-family renter household in the city has a median income of $67,655, which has grown only nine percent over five years.
Manvel is a far more affordable place to live than West U., and the cost of living is 30.4 percent higher than the state median, the report said. The city also has a low unemployment rate, at only 2.6 percent.
This is how Manvel stacked up in the report's remaining metrics:
- 67 percent – Share of single-family renters
- 36 – Single-family rental listings per 1,000 renter households
- 5.4 – Median number of rooms in a rental home
- 17.6 percent – Share of renters out of the entire population
- 37 percent – Five-year population change
- 412 – Population density
- 36.1 minutes – Average commute time
- 34.4 percent – Share of the population 25 years and older with higher education degrees
Surprisingly, major Houston suburbs like Katy (No. 24), The Woodlands (No. 37), and Sugar Land (No. 40) all appeared farther down the list of top markets for single-family home renters in Texas. In July 2024, Conroe was ranked one of the best cities for renters in a separate report by SmartAsset. Cinco Ranch, which ranked No. 55 in this study, was dubbed one of America's best suburbs earlier this year.
Other Houston-area suburbs that earned spots among the top 100 best Texas suburbs for single-family home renters include:
- No. 13 – Spring
- No. 19 – Pecan Grove
- No. 27 – Fresno
- No. 29 – Atascocita
- No. 50 – Missouri City
- No. 53 – Friendswood
- No. 61 – Tomball
- No. 62 – Rosenberg
- No. 71 – Stafford
- No. 73 – Dickinson
- No. 79 — Humble
- No. 80 – League City
- No. 83 – Pearland
- No. 93 – Mission Bend
- No. 96 – La Porte
- No. 97 – Baytown
- No. 100 – Jersey Village
The full report and its methodology can be found on point2homes.com.
