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Cost of living, pay and housing

29.57° N · 95.05° W · GEOID 4823164

El Lago

Harris County, Texas · part of the Houston, TX metro

Limited data population under 5,000

TexasEl Lago, TXEl LagoEl Lago

The short answer

El Lago is home to 2,997 people. Median household income is $95,625 a year and median rent is $1,374 a month, 17.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $320,900, about 3.4x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,374
1% above the median place
Median household income
$95,625
19% above the median place
Median home value
$320,900
0% above the median place
Unemployment
6.7%
38% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about El Lago

  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,630 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 96% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track.
  • Household income has grown 1.1% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 89% of places its size.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 205 hours a year commuting, more than in 83% of places its size.
  • The population has fallen 2.8% since 2020, a steeper drop than in 84% of places its size.
  • Public schools here have 17.9 students per teacher, more than in 83% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 100 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to El Lago

Harris County loses about 5.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in164,963
Moved out186,178
Net−21,215

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Fort Bend County, TX21,45829,268−7,810
Montgomery County, TX13,36525,206−11,841
Brazoria County, TX6,3179,828−3,511
Galveston County, TX6,0428,050−2,008
Travis County, TX3,3024,282−980
Dallas County, TX3,1063,309−203
Bexar County, TX2,8813,032−151

Within Texas, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within TexasOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$75K
Leavers$83K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Harris County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Harris County report $75,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $83,300, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$55,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,374 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $3,004 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $320,900.
Getting to work
31 minutes each way on average; 13.0% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Mandeville, LA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-5.7
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving out7
$83,269
18% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureEl LagoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.0%13% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-5.7below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$74,9596% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$83,26918% above
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 2.0%, 121% above the median place.

El Lago17.2%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$54,960
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.2%
16% below the median place
Home price to income
3.4x
12% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$81,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in El Lago, $1,374 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like El Lago, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Bridgeport, WV13.3% vs 17.2%n/aCompare
Pleasant Hills, PA13.5% vs 17.2%$7,700Compare
Columbia, IL12.6% vs 17.2%$14,400Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in El Lago.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to El Lago? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
2.0%
121% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$3,004
60% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$6,464
98% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureEl LagoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,3741% above
Rent to income117.2%16% below
Property tax rate12.0%121% above
Home price to income13.4x12% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure98.62% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,4977% below
Property tax paid (median)1$6,46498% above
Median home value1$320,9000% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure0.6%81% below
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure30.7%40% below
Homeownership179.5%20% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure53.8%6% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,00460% above
Vacant homes1County figure8.4%19% above
Median year built119770% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
31 min
23% above the median place
Income per person1
$51,033
27% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureEl LagoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$95,62519% above
Income per person1$51,03327% above
Unemployment1County figure6.7%38% above
Average annual pay5County figure$91,49139% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure3.3%11% below
Jobs5County figure2,458,604above (median 150,665)
Poverty rate1County figure16.3%51% above
Mean commute131 min23% above
Works from home113.0%5% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Population change since 2020 is -2.8%, below the median place (median 1.1%).

Population change since 20206
-2.8%
below the median place (median 1.1%)
Bachelor's or higher1
51.9%
62% above the median place
Median age1
43.9
13% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher95.8% +4%
Homes with broadband93.9% +2%
Household size2.4 −4%
Born abroad10.7% +21%
All 9 people measures
MeasureEl LagoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,9976646th largest
Population change since 20206-2.8%below (median 1.1%)
Median age143.913% above
Bachelor's or higher151.9%62% above
High school or higher195.8%4% above
Household size12.44% below
Born abroad110.7%21% above
No health insurance1County figure20.9%227% above
Homes with broadband193.9%2% above
05

Life in El Lago

311 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.3 +31%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k6.7 −40%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.7 −0%
Shops28.1 −7%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.7 −34%
Doctors' offices and clinics22.5 +11%
Child care centers2.1 −9%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools11
1
89% below the median place
Public school students11
644
87% below the median place
Students per teacher11
17.9
16% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureEl LagoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11189% below
Public school students1164487% below
Students per teacher1117.916% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.70% below
Shops per 10k8County figure28.17% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure2.734% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure22.511% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.19% below
Parks per 10k913.331% above
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k96.740% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure311above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Tornado risk is 100.0, 23% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached El Lago. Larger places are fetched first.

Tornado risk13
100.0
23% above the median place
Hurricane risk13
100.0
42% above the median place
Natural hazard risk13
99.9
8% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureEl LagoAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure93°F7% above
January average low12County figure44°F73% above
Average temperature12County figure70°F27% above
Annual precipitation12County figure53.5 in22% above
Natural hazard risk13County figure99.98% above
Hurricane risk13County figure100.042% above
Tornado risk13County figure100.023% above
Wildfire risk13County figure85.440% above
Heat wave risk13County figure99.711% above
Median air quality index14County figure6244% above
Good air days14County figure11.0%84% below
08

El Lago in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 17% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,374/mo (2024)$1,720/mo$1,410 to $2,100/mo+3.8%
Median household income$95,625 (2024)$120,000$101,500 to $142,000+3.8%
Median home value$320,900 (2024)$454,000$330,000 to $625,000+6.0%
Population2,984 (2025)2,9802,850 to 3,100−0.1%

The median home would be worth 3.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.4 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like El Lago

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Mandeville, LA$1,422$94,405Compare
Twinsburg, OH$1,356$99,144Compare
Germantown, WI$1,355$100,231Compare
Barrington, NJ$1,320$87,290Compare
Barrington, NJGermantown, WITwinsburg, OHMandeville, LAEl Lago, TXEl LagoMandevilleTwinsburgGermantownBarringtonEl LagoMandevilleTwinsburgGermantownBarrington

Common questions

Is El Lago a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,630 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 96% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. Household income has grown 1.1% a year across the last five survey releases, slower than in 89% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 64 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is El Lago expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $320,900.

What salary do you need to live in El Lago?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $54,960 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to El Lago?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Mandeville, LA, Twinsburg, OH, Germantown, WI and Barrington, NJ.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares El Lago with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for El Lago itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/el-lago-texas

Citytistics. “El Lago, Texas.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/el-lago-texas/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.