Houston’s economy is ticking along. Residents are worried it’s slipping away.

Houston's economy is still moving, but many residents don't feel it. The 45th Kinder Houston Area Survey — the longest-running poll of its kind in any major U.S. city — found that people across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties are more worried about jobs, costs, and making ends meet than they were just a year ago. The gap between what the numbers say and what neighbors feel is real, and it matters.

The 45th Kinder Houston Area Survey turned up some striking findings. The share of residents who rated local job opportunities as good or excellent dropped from 70% to 42% in a single year — the second-steepest one-year fall in the survey's 45-year history. For the first time since 2022, the economy beat out crime as the top concern residents named for the Houston metro area. Meanwhile, the share of people saying they're just getting by or struggling to get by rose across every income level. Lower-income households felt the squeeze most: 79% of those earning under $25,000 a year said they couldn't cover an unexpected $400 expense without borrowing money or going without. At the same time, the metro unemployment rate has stayed between 4% and 5%, wages have generally kept pace with inflation, and the region is still adding jobs — just more slowly than before.

Use this survey as a reality check for your own financial picture. If you've been feeling stretched, you're not alone — and there are concrete steps you can take. Look honestly at where your household stands on emergency savings, housing costs, and job security. If you work in energy, retail, finance, or professional services, be aware those sectors lost jobs in 2025 while construction and health care kept growing. Knowing which parts of the local economy are hiring can help you plan your next move. You can also use the survey findings to start honest conversations with neighbors, coworkers, and local leaders about what support working families actually need.

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The Kinder Houston Area Survey is produced by Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The Greater Houston Partnership tracks local jobs data and economic trends for the metro area. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) publishes employment figures for the region. Local nonprofit credit counseling agencies and workforce development programs can connect residents with free financial coaching and job placement support.

When nearly 8,800 of your neighbors say they're feeling more financial stress, that's worth paying attention to — even if the headline unemployment rate looks fine. This survey tracks how everyday Houstonians experience the economy, not just what the big indicators show. Understanding the gap between data and lived experience helps you make sense of what's happening in your own household and community.