Houston · 2026 HCAD Data Analysis
The 10 Houston Neighborhoods With The Biggest 2026 Property Tax Hikes
I scraped all 1,154,467 residential parcels in Harris County and ranked neighborhoods by 2026 year-over-year assessment increase. These 10 zips cover 15,315 homes paying roughly $21,278,676 in extra property tax collectively this year.
Past the regular May 15 date, late protests may still be accepted for good cause (Tex. Tax Code §41.44(b)) until the appraisal review board approves the records, typically mid-July, and severe over-assessments may also qualify for a late correction. Check your eligibility, and 2027 protest kits rebuild automatically when new values publish.
Top 10 by Average Assessment Increase (2025 → 2026)
| # | Neighborhood | YoY % | Homes | Avg Assessed | Extra Tax/Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Katy 77449 Cinco Ranch area | +87.2% | 2,034 | $486,797 | $2,137/yr |
| 2 | Tomball 77377 Vintage Lakes | +72.1% | 1,229 | $463,863 | $1,526/yr |
| 3 | Hockley 77447 Bridgeland | +60.5% | 1,280 | $379,834 | $1,539/yr |
| 4 | Houston 77088 Acres Homes | +50.4% | 148 | $276,375 | $1,211/yr |
| 5 | Houston 77016 Trinity Gardens | +45.9% | 128 | $250,952 | $1,218/yr |
| 6 | Houston 77002 Downtown / Midtown | +44.4% | 1,006 | $394,111 | $1,364/yr |
| 7 | Katy 77493 Falcon Ranch | +39.8% | 1,338 | $381,783 | $920/yr |
| 8 | Houston 77045 South Park | +36.9% | 317 | $396,105 | $793/yr |
| 9 | Houston 77057 Tanglewood / Galleria | +34.9% | 479 | $491,672 | $2,032/yr |
| 10 | Houston 77095 Copperfield / Cypress | +30.8% | 7,356 | $502,573 | $1,213/yr |
Methodology
Source: Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) 2026 residential dataset. All 1,154,467 properties classified as state class A1 (single-family residential).
Filters: prior year value ≥ $200,000, current year value ≥ $250,000, YoY change 5-80% (excludes new construction reclassifications). Minimum 200 homes per neighborhood group to avoid sample-size noise. Grouped by HCAD's own "neighborhood group" code, mapped to representative zip + area description.
Ranking: average year-over-year assessment increase (percent). Tax impact computed at Harris County's 2.31% effective property tax rate (combined county, ISD, MUD, and other taxing units; varies slightly by exact location).
Built by a solo Houston developer. Not affiliated with HCAD, Ownwell, Texas Protax, or the Houston Chronicle's TX TAX tool. Methodology questions welcome, reply to john@revxl.net.
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