Houston Neighborhood Market Drilldown

Houston's inner-city neighborhoods are stronger places with more people and greater buying power than conventional demographic research has previously documented, according to a pioneering new study by Social Compact.

The in-depth survey of 16 Houston neighborhoods shows these oft-neglected areas are prime zones for commercial development and economic opportunity. One key finding is the neighborhoods' population is 27 percent larger- 353,882 residents instead of 281,262 - than was reported in the 2000 Census.

Social Compact, a Washington D.C.-based coalition of business leaders, examined the economic conditions in neighborhoods encompassing the Near Northside, Greater Fifth Ward, Greater Eastside, Gulfgate and Greater Third Ward. Instead of relying on voluntary surveys, Social Compact researchers used a process called Drill Down, utilizing government documents such as driver's licenses, tax records, building permits and auto registrations to unearth information missed by the U.S. Census Bureau. The $160,000 study was paid for by The City of Houston and a team of industry leaders, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank Of America, Enron, State Farm, Washington Mutual and Wulfe & Co. Another key finding of the Drill Down is the aggregate household income of the 16 neighborhoods is $3.391 billion, about $170 million more than the census estimates. There is a significant cash economy at work - work done for cash payments, such as baby sitting, lawn mowing and auto repair.

The cash economy in the 16 neighborhoods is estimated to be about $443 million, or 13 percent of all income from those neighborhoods. While average household income is lower than Census estimates - the Drill Down is finding people with lesser economic means than those counted by the Census - income per acre is substantial. For instance, the Gulfgate area has an average of 21 households per acre, with an average income per acre of $732,627.

Section 1: Executive Summary -Executive Summary of the Houston Neighborhood Market Drilldown

Section 2: Houston Overview - Text Overview and Comparison of the Five Large Neighborhood areas Social Compact Studied

Section 3: Group DrillDown - Chart Comparing the Large Five Large Areas Social Compact Studied

(Sections 4 - 8) Detailed Analysis by Neighborhood

Section 4: Near Northside Analysis

Section 5: Greater Fifth Ward Analysis

Section 6: Greater East Side Analysis

Section 7: Gulfgate Analysis

Section 8: Greater Third Ward Analysis

Section 9: Neighborhood Drill Down - Chart Comparing the Areas Studied, Broken Down by Super Neighborhood

Section 10: Source Sheet - Sources Social Compact Used

Social Compact Organization Web Site

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