Groundwork

Real estate · County · Alabama

Real estate businesses in Houston County, AL

The real estate businesses in Houston County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,527 of 2,229 scored counties
#39 of 51 scored counties in Alabama

Listings
131
5 chain locations (4%)
Official establishments
53
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$601.6M
On rent and homeowner costs · $13,894 a household
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
106
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
30.3
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
110,318
+2.8% since 2020

See the real estate businesses around any address in Houston County

The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Houston County spend about $601.6M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $13,894 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 6% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.

There are 131 real estate businesses on map listings in Houston County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 4% of them, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 30.3, 21% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Houston County was 53 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 817 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Another 480 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates show Houston County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for real estate businesses in Houston County is 42 (lower middle), #1,527 of 2,229 scored counties and #39 of 51 scored counties in Alabama.

How Houston County compares

The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.

Real estate in Houston County, AL compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureHouston CountyAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households30.333.438.5
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)10699100
Households per official establishment817668414
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+24.2%+15.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.8%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs$13,894$14,375$16,661
Median household income$58,626$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score4254

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
53 → 530.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
270
Annual payroll, 2023
$20.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
480Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1315 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
139The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Houston County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Houston County

Population, 2025 estimate
110,318+2.8% since 2020
Households
43,302
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
580 sq. mi.
People per square mile
187
Median household income
$58,626+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,747
Median home value
$183,300
Jobs located here
51,974
Daytime population
116,184Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Houston County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Real estate across Alabama

Every Alabama market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Houston County marked.

Top counties in Alabama

Counties in Alabama ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsHousing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)Population growthU.S. rank
1Lawrence County, AL7964.4738+2.3%#32 of 2,229
2Henry County, AL7679.9321+7.1%#85 of 2,229
3Blount County, AL742712.2267+1.8%#127 of 2,229
4Cleburne County, AL71610.0306+6.0%#183 of 2,229
5St. Clair County, AL716919.7174+7.1%#196 of 2,229
6Jackson County, AL692712.4248+3.3%#231 of 2,229
7Dale County, AL68189.1338+1.3%#263 of 2,229
8Talladega County, AL68339.8315+0.3%#264 of 2,229
9Chilton County, AL682715.1213+5.9%#277 of 2,229
10Limestone County, AL668721.2172+18.0%#352 of 2,229
39Houston County, AL4213130.3106+2.8%#1,527 of 2,229

Other business types in Houston County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in Houston County, AL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 131 real estate businesses in Houston County. 5 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 53 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 480 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Houston County, AL spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $601.6M a year, or $13,894 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 131 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 6% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,302 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Houston County, AL compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?

Houston County has 30.3 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 106, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Houston County would have about 139, against 131 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 817 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Houston County, AL growing?

Population estimates put Houston County at 110,318 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,302 households. Median household income in Houston County is $58,626, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Houston County scores 42 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,527 of 2,229 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Houston County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.