City profile · Texas · Census ACS 2023

Forest Hill, TX

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Forest Hill — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

13,923
Residents
$59,653
Median income
$171,300
Median home
$1,149
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Forest Hill, TX

Forest Hill is a city in Texas with a population of 13,923 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $59,653 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 15.2%. Typical homes in Forest Hill are valued around $171,300, and the median resident age is 33.3 years. About 12.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 57.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 5 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 89% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1742.8 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Texas registers 97.1 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,149 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $223 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Forest Hill report an average commute of 26.3 minutes, with 74.4% driving alone and 8.3% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.0 out of 100 (Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

13,923 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Texas

Median Household Income

$59,653 /yr

Poverty 15.2%

Cost of Living Index

97.1 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Forest Hill compare to other US cities?

Where Forest Hill sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 35% higher than other cities
Home value 34% pricier than other cities
Median rent 40% pricier than other cities
Safety 38% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Forest Hill against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Forest Hill, TX Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Forest Hill, TX. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Forest Hill, TX — median $59,653/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Forest Hill, TX — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 12.4%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 15.2%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 57.1%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
13,923
Median Income
$59,653
Median Home Value
$171,300
Median Age
33.3
Poverty Rate
15.2%
Labor force participation
57.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
12.4%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1742.8
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
175.7
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
1567.1
per 1,000 residents

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
5
housing units authorized
Single-Family
5
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.4
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 45
2020 18
2021 15
2022 132
2023 10
2024 5

Permit volume decreased 89% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
26.3 minutes
Drive Alone
74.4%
Carpool
12.4%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
8.3%
Other
4.9%

Based on 5,976 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Texas — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$130
avg/month
Natural Gas
$45
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$48
avg/month
Total Utilities
$223
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Texas state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Texas state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
97.1
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,149/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
49.0 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Forest Hill, TX Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Forest Hill, TX — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Forest Hill compares to nearby Texas cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Forest Hill) plus the nearest peer cities in Texas, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

TX

Forest Hill

59.65% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$59,653
Brackets
14
Selected

TX

Lumberton

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,380
Brackets
14
Selected

TX

Azle

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,370
Brackets
14
Selected

TX

Wells Branch

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$1,420
Brackets
14
Census ACS 5-year FIPS TX FBI UCR Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Forest Hill, TX?

What is the population of Forest Hill, TX? +

Forest Hill, TX has a population of 13,923 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Forest Hill, TX? +

The median household income in Forest Hill is $59,653 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Forest Hill? +

Forest Hill has a cost of living index of 97.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Forest Hill, TX safe? +

Forest Hill has a total crime rate of 1742.8 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Forest Hill, TX? +

The median home value in Forest Hill is $171,300, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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