Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty
A home in Harris County, Texas

County Overview

Living in Harris County, Texas

Harris County is Houston's county and the largest inventory on this site, from the Loop out to Katy, Cypress, Spring, Tomball, Humble and Baytown. Its housing stock spans every decade since the 1920s, and its cities range from bayfront to prairie.

Get to know Harris County

Welcome to Harris County

More than a dozen school districts serve the county. The median listing dates from the 2000s, new construction is about a fifth of the inventory, and the price mix is wider than in any other county we cover.

This is subdivision-lot territory: most homes sit on conventional lots of well under a quarter acre. New construction is a substantial minority of the listings — roughly a quarter to a third — and the rest is resale, with a median build year in the 2000s. A noticeable share of the inventory is attached — condos and townhomes rather than detached homes. The figures on this page come straight from our own MLS feed and refresh through the day.

Every Harris County city we cover is listed below with its own live listings, schools and market page.

A Harris County, Texas neighborhoodA home in Harris County, Texas

Why people love living here

What makes Harris County, Harris County

Here's what draws people to Harris County — and keeps them here.

  • Housing Mix

    Harris County listings span a range of price bands, build years and lot sizes; the live figures on this page show the current mix rather than a fixed description.

  • School Zoning

    Attendance zones are set by address, not by city limits. Each Harris County city page lists its campuses, their state ratings and the homes currently zoned to each.

  • Price per Square Foot

    Price per square foot in Harris County is tracked live from our MLS feed, alongside median sale price, days on market and months of inventory.

  • Subdivisions & HOAs

    Where a Harris County subdivision carries an HOA, the dues and the pools, trails or amenity centers they fund appear on each listing.

  • Houston Access

    Drive times to Houston's major job centers are shown on the commute panel of each Harris County city page.

  • Shopping & Dining

    Grocery, retail and dining locations are plotted on the amenity map of each Harris County city page.

Cities & towns

Explore Harris County city by city

Harris County spans 15 cities we cover in depth. Pick one for its live listings, schools, neighborhoods and market detail.

Active homes per city, live from our MLS feed.

The Harris County real estate market

What the numbers mean

Not just numbers — what they tell you. Median price, how fast homes really sell, where prices are heading, and which neighborhoods are heating up. Live from our MLS feed, with Allen's plain-English read.

$319,990Median sale pricehomes sold, last 6 months
$161Price / sqfthomes sold, last 6 months
20,398Homes for saleright now
5.1Months of inventoryfor sale now vs. last 6 months of sales
Balanced market

Harris County is a balanced market right now — about 5.1 months of inventory across the county, with a median sale around $319,990. Pick a city above for the local detail.

Each figure is compared with the same period last year. Where last year's data isn't in our feed yet, you'll see "—".

$310,000

Median sale

homes sold, last 30 days

-2% YoY

a year ago: $315,000

3,046

Homes sold

last 30 days

-20% YoY

a year ago: 3,817

82

Avg days on mkt

homes sold, last 30 days

+6% YoY

a year ago: 77

$153

Price / sqft

homes sold, last 30 days

-2% YoY

a year ago: $156

6,308

New listings

last 30 days

-24% YoY

a year ago: 8,323

3,252

Went pending

last 30 days

-10% YoY

a year ago: 3,611

These tiles cover the last 30 days. The median sale price at the top covers the last 6 months, and the days-on-market figure in the read above is for homes for sale right now, so the numbers differ.

Who lives here

The people of Harris County

A quick demographic snapshot of Harris County, straight from the U.S. Census — population, who owns vs. rents, education, household size and more.

4,758,579

People

1115 census tracts

$233,050

Median home value

owner-occupied

$1,368

Median gross rent

per month

$69,021

Median household income

per household

$31,721

Per-capita income

ACS estimate

35

Median age

years

2.84

Avg household size

people

34%

Bachelor's degree+

adults 25+

55%

Own their home

vs. rent

Who owns vs. rents

Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023, aggregated across the 1,115 census tracts that make up Harris County. Missing figures are marked "—".

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Good to know

Harris County, Texas: common questions

Straight answers to what buyers and sellers ask most about Harris County — woven with live market data.

What cities are in Harris County?
We cover 15 cities in Harris County: Houston, Katy, Cypress, Spring, Humble, Tomball, Hockley, Baytown, Crosby, Pasadena, Huffman, Waller, Seabrook, La Porte, Kingwood. Click any city above for its live listings, schools and neighborhoods.
How much do homes cost in Harris County?
The county-wide median sale price is $319,990, with 20,398 homes for sale right now across the county. Prices vary widely by city — drill into a city for local figures.
Is now a good time to buy or sell in Harris County?
Harris County is currently a balanced market with about 5.1 months of inventory county-wide. Conditions differ by city — see the city pages for the local read.

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Allen Markel, REALTOR® · Texas Premier Realty · TREC #0658294

Questions about Harris County

Property Taxes & Exemptions

  • How are property taxes calculated in Harris County?

    A Harris County tax bill is taxable value times each taxing unit's rate, added across the units that cover the address. The Harris Central Appraisal District sets the appraised value as of January 1, exemptions reduce it, and each unit (county, school district, college, hospital and flood-control districts, and any MUD or city) applies its own rate per $100. Across 18,290 active Harris County listings with a complete 2025 stack, the median total rate is 2.25%, about $7,210 a year on a $320,000 home before exemptions.

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  • What taxing units make up a Harris County tax bill and what does each charge?

    A Harris County bill stacks up to seven kinds of taxing unit. For 2025 the county levies $0.38096 per $100, the hospital district $0.18761, flood control $0.04966, the Port of Houston Authority $0.0059 and the Department of Education $0.004798, together $0.628928. Then come the school district (25 Harris districts range from $0.8783 to $1.2552), a college (Lone Star $0.106 or Houston Community College $0.0988), a city if the home is inside one (32 cities from $0.205 to $0.938), and any MUD or special district.

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  • How do I file a homestead exemption in Harris County?

    File a residence homestead application with the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD), which accepts it electronically through its mobile app. You must own the home and occupy it as your principal residence, and the application must include a copy of a driver's license or state ID showing the property address (Tax Code 11.13, 11.43). The general filing deadline is before May 1, and a buyer who closes after January 1 can receive the exemption for the rest of that year immediately once qualified (11.42(f)). State law gives every school district a $140,000 exemption (11.13(b)).

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  • How do I protest my property taxes in Harris County, and what is the deadline?

    You can protest your appraised value with the Harris Central Appraisal District. The deadline is May 15, or 30 days after the notice of appraised value is delivered, whichever is later, under Texas Tax Code section 41.44. File a notice of protest online or on paper, meet informally with HCAD, and if you disagree, present evidence to the Appraisal Review Board. Filing is free. On a $320,000 home at the 2.25% median rate, each $10,000 of value removed saves about $225 a year.

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  • Are Harris County property taxes frozen at age 65?

    Only school district taxes, and only for a homeowner who receives the age-65-or-older homestead exemption or the matching exemption for owners who qualify through Social Security Disability Insurance. Tax Code 11.26(a) limits the school district tax on that homestead to the amount imposed in the first year the owner qualified, and a county, city or junior college district has a similar limit only if it adopts one (11.261). The limit is a ceiling on the tax bill, not an exemption, and it does not change appraised or taxable value. Improvements you add can reset it (11.26(b)).

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  • Are property taxes paid in arrears in Harris County?

    Yes. Texas property tax is billed after the year ends: the bill for a calendar year goes out in October or November of that year, is due when received, and becomes delinquent after January 31 of the following year. At a closing, the seller's share for the days owned in the year is usually credited to the buyer. On a $320,000 home at the 2.25% median rate, closing on September 30 puts about $5,400 of the year's $7,213 tax on the seller.

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  • Which Harris County cities have the lowest and highest tax rates?

    Among MLS city labels with at least 40 active listings and a complete 2025 tax stack, the lowest median total rates are Webster at 1.97%, Bellaire at 2.02% and Channelview at 2.04%, and the highest are Waller at 3.29%, Hockley at 3.09% and Deer Park at 2.64%. Houston is at 2.17% on 11,262 homes, Cypress at 2.63% and Katy at 2.57%. The county median is 2.25%. The spread comes mostly from MUD lines and school districts, not the city rate.

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  • Harris County vs Fort Bend County: how do taxes and prices compare?

    Fort Bend County homes cost more and carry a slightly higher tax rate. The six-month median sale price is $389,000 in Fort Bend and $320,000 in Harris, or $165 versus $156 per square foot. The median total tax rate on active listings with a complete stack is 2.38% in Fort Bend and 2.25% in Harris, and the share of homes in a FEMA flood hazard area is 4.2% versus 9.4%. Fort Bend prices are down 0.7% over 12 months, and Harris prices down 2.2%.

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  • What over-65, Social Security Disability Insurance and disabled veteran exemptions can Harris County owners claim?

    Texas requires school districts to give an additional $60,000 homestead exemption to a homeowner who is 65 or older or who qualifies through Social Security Disability Insurance (Tax Code 11.13(c)), in addition to the $140,000 general exemption, and any taxing unit may add a local option of at least $3,000 (11.13(d)). Disabled veterans get partial exemptions of $5,000, $7,500, $10,000 or $12,000 by VA rating (11.22), and a veteran with a 100% VA rating can be exempt on the whole homestead (11.131). Apply with the appraisal district.

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  • How do I look up and pay a Harris County property tax bill?

    Look up a bill at the Harris County Tax Office website, hctax.net, by account number, address or owner name, and pay online, by mail or in person. Bills go out in October or November, are due when received, and become delinquent after January 31. On the county median tax of about $7,213 a year ($601 a month), a missed deadline adds penalty and interest, so confirm the current schedule with the tax office. Use the official site only, since look-alike payment sites exist.

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Flood & Insurance

  • Does Harris County flood?

    Parts of Harris County flood and most homes are outside the mapped hazard area. Of 20,471 active Harris County listings, 1,918 (9.4%) are in a FEMA flood zone that is a Special Flood Hazard Area (1,815 in AE, 45 in A, 39 in VE and 19 in AO); the other 90.6% map to zone X or have no mapped zone. A separate point-in-polygon check on a random sixth of the listings gives 9.1%. Zone X is lower mapped risk, not no risk.

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  • What does the Harris County Flood Control District tax fund?

    The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) tax, $0.04966 per $100 of taxable value in 2025, funds county-wide flood damage reduction: channel and stormwater basin maintenance, drainage and detention projects, a voluntary home buyout program, and flood warning and mapping tools. It is about $159 a year on a $320,000 home, roughly 2.2% of the 2.25% median Harris County total rate. The rate rose 60% from $0.03105 in 2023, and voters approved a $2.5 billion flood bond in 2018 for project work.

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Market Updates & Home Values

  • What is the median home price in Harris County?

    The median sale price of Harris County homes that closed in the last six months (March 25 to September 25, 2026) is $320,000, based on 24,369 sales, at a median of about $156 per square foot. Over the last 12 months the median was $315,000 on 44,723 sales. August 2026 alone had 3,587 sales at $311,145. Prices vary by city and by type: about 8,500 of the 20,475 homes for sale are under $300,000 and 1,937 are above $750,000.

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  • Are home prices in Harris County going up or down?

    Flat to slightly down. The Harris County median sale price for the last 12 months is $315,000, which is 2.2% below the $322,046 median for the 12 months before it. Closed sales fell 3.9% (44,723 versus 46,531). The median has held between $301,000 and $325,000 every month in the last year, and the quarterly series has sat between $309,990 and $325,000 for two years. Price cuts are on 42% of active listings.

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  • How much inventory does Harris County have and how fast is it selling?

    Harris County has about 20,475 homes for sale and 5.0 months of inventory, a balanced level. Half of the homes that sold in the last 12 months went under contract within 29 days of listing. In the last 30 days, 6,507 new listings came on the market against 3,506 pending sales and 3,198 closings, and 42% of active listings have had a price cut. About half of active listings are more than 60 days old.

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Neighborhoods & Places

  • Which cities and communities are in Harris County?

    Our Harris County page covers 15 cities: Houston, Katy, Cypress, Spring, Tomball, Humble, Hockley, Baytown, Crosby, Pasadena, Huffman, Waller, La Porte, Seabrook and Kingwood. Houston has the most active listings (11,566), followed by Katy (1,576), Cypress (1,330), Spring (1,154) and Tomball (749). The counts are MLS city labels, and a mailing city does not always match the municipality or school district, so use the address for tax and school questions. Harris County has other cities as well.

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HOAs, MUDs & PIDs

  • How do I look up a MUD tax rate in Harris County?

    Find your MUD on the HCAD account page, which lists every taxing unit for the address, then read its rate on the Harris County Tax Office bill search or on the district's own tax rate notice. In our data, 37.6% of active Harris County homes (6,877 of 18,290 with a complete stack) carry a MUD line, and the median MUD line is $0.591 per $100. The middle 80% run from $0.288 to $1.416. Each $0.10 of MUD rate is $320 a year on a $320,000 home.

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  • How much are HOA dues in Harris County?

    Across Harris County, 73% of active listings (14,989 of 20,471) show HOA dues, and the median is $975 a year, with the middle half between $520 and $1,895. The range is wide because the county includes condominiums, whose dues are often monthly, and master-planned suburban sections. Cypress's median is $1,200 a year and Katy's $1,195, while Fort Bend County's is $1,150. Dues are agent-entered in the listing, so confirm the amount and what it covers.

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Inventory & Pace

  • How fast are homes going under contract in Harris County?

    In the 30 days to September 30, 2026, 7,153 homes were newly listed in Harris County, 3,332 went under contract and 2,808 closed. In the last 7 days the counts were 1,482 new listings, 694 contracts and 593 closings. That is fewer homes going under contract than coming on the market: 0.47 contracts for every new listing over the month.

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  • How common are price cuts in Harris County?

    About 42% of the 20,493 homes for sale in Harris County right now have had at least one price cut. Across the last 12 months the monthly share of sellers who cut ran from 34% to 43%, and 24% to 29% relisted to reset the clock.

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  • Is Harris County a buyer's market or a seller's market?

    By months of inventory, Harris County is a balanced market right now: 5.1 months of supply, with 20,402 homes for sale against 24,796 sales in the last six months. Supply and demand are roughly even to neither side has a decisive edge, so strategy matters. Conditions differ by price band and area, so use this as context, not a rule.

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  • How long does it take to sell a home in Harris County?

    In Harris County, homes that sold in the last 12 months averaged between 75 and 97 cumulative days on the market, depending on the month, and the 20,493 homes for sale now have been listed for an average of 106 cumulative days. Timing is mostly pricing: how long a home takes depends on its condition, price band and how it is priced against recent sales.

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  • How many homes sell in Harris County each month?

    About 45,175 homes closed in Harris County in the 12 months to August 2026, an average of 3765 a month, with 4,503 in June the busiest month and 2,589 in January the quietest. That is 3% fewer than the 46,351 sales in the 12 months before.

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Prices & Trends

  • Which price ranges sell the most homes in Harris County?

    Of the 45,175 homes that closed in Harris County in the 12 months to August 2026, the most sales were in the $250K to $500K range: 23,597, or 52%. Under $250K had 12,342, $500K to $1M had 6,512, $1M+ had 2,724.

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  • Which communities in Harris County have the highest and lowest median home prices?

    Among communities assigned to Harris County (a few also reach into neighboring counties) with at least 60 closed sales in the last 12 months, the highest median sale prices in the last six months are Cypress ($420,000), Tomball ($370,000), Katy ($350,000) and the lowest are Huffman ($244,115), Pasadena ($245,000), Crosby ($249,990).

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  • What is the price per square foot for homes in Harris County?

    Homes that sold in Harris County in the last six months went for a median of $161 per square foot. Over the last 12 months the monthly figure ran from $153 to $158, and August was $155 against $159 in the same month a year earlier.

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Homes for sale

  • How many bedrooms do homes for sale in Harris County have?

    Of the homes for sale in Harris County, the largest group has 3 bedrooms (8,513 of 19,782). The full split is 2,148 with 2, 8,513 with 3, 7,099 with 4, 2,022 with 5+ bedrooms.

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  • What kind of homes can you buy in Harris County at different price points?

    In Harris County, homes for sale in the Under $250K band have a median size of 1,314 square feet and are 47 years old at the median, while homes in the $1M+ band run 4,338 square feet at 13 years. Each price band tells a different story about size and age.

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  • How many homes are for sale in Harris County between $300,000 and $500,000?

    7,636 of the 20,402 homes for sale in Harris County are listed between $300,000 and $500,000, as of September 30, 2026. Counts change daily as homes list and go under contract. Source: our listing data.

  • How many homes are for sale in Harris County between $500,000 and $750,000?

    2,310 of the 20,402 homes for sale in Harris County are listed between $500,000 and $750,000, as of September 30, 2026. Counts change daily as homes list and go under contract. Source: our listing data.

  • How many homes are for sale in Harris County for $750,000 or more?

    1,959 of the 20,402 homes for sale in Harris County are listed for $750,000 or more, as of September 30, 2026. Counts change daily as homes list and go under contract. Source: our listing data.

  • How many homes are for sale in Harris County for under $300,000?

    8,588 of the 20,402 homes for sale in Harris County are listed for under $300,000, as of September 30, 2026. Counts change daily as homes list and go under contract. Source: our listing data.

Prices & trends

  • How many homes in Harris County have had a price cut?

    8,566 of the 20,493 homes for sale in Harris County have had at least one price cut, about 42%. Source: our listing data, as of September 30, 2026.

Schools

  • Which school districts serve the communities in Harris County?

    On our community pages, homes for sale in Harris County communities are served mainly by Houston ISD (11,710), Katy ISD (2,615), Spring ISD (1,562), Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (1,342), Waller ISD (1,106), Humble ISD (841). A school district boundary rarely matches a community boundary, so the district for a home depends on its address. Source: our listing data.

More questions people ask

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