Rising costs, risks for Houston homeowners, per Kinder report

• The region's most vulnerable households are the least equipped to manage and handle a climate-related disaster.

By the numbers: Countywide, over 100,000 homes lack central air conditioning, even as 2024 was Houston's hottest year on record.

• Roughly 1 in 5 homes have flood insurance contracts.
• The average home insurance policy hit $3,325 in 2023 — up 43% since 2015 and 18% in one year, per state data.

Meanwhile, the median affordability gap for a home in Houston is about $176,000, meaning the median household can afford a $169,000 home in a market where the median price is $345,000, per the report.

Zoom in: Neighborhoods like Kashmere Gardens, Independence Heights and Spring Branch Central rank high on both environmental risk and housing vulnerability, making them especially fragile amid heat, flooding and rising costs.