Houston, TX is a major metropolitan area that is home to a diverse population of over 2.3 million people. The city offers top-notch medical care, with over 25 hospitals operating in the Greater Houston Area. These include Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Texas Children's Hospital, among many others. Additionally, there are numerous smaller medical facilities including doctor’s offices, urgent care centers, and specialty clinics scattered throughout the city to meet the healthcare needs of residents from all backgrounds and economic levels. With its extensive network of health care providers, Houston offers high quality care for all types of medical conditions and treatments.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 185 physicians per 100,000 population in Houston. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Houston area is 93.8 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
93.8 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Houston area is 37 (100=best). The US average is 55.
37 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Houston area is 94 (100=best). The US average is 87.
94 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Houston commutes 27.0 minutes one-way, which is longer than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Houston area is 49 (100=best). The US average is 58.
49 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.