Houston City Foot Traffic

The average monthly foot traffic for Houston in the last 12 months was 5,391, this is a 3.9% decrease from the previous 12 months. Though foot traffic in Houston is decreasing overall, zip code 77070 has seen a steady increase. Lake Forest, Humble and Katy neighborhoods experienced the highest total foot traffic for Houston. These 3 neighborhoods constitute over 8% of the total foot traffic experienced from 06/01-2020-05/31/022. Conversely, the New Caney, Missouri City, and Pearland neighborhoods experienced the lowest total foot traffic for the same period of time.

Methodology – Houston foot traffic data was pulled from the Foot Traffic Trend Value module on a monthly basis. The metric Person Count was averaged by zip code by month and simple linear regression was applied to generate trend lines for Foot Traffic. When visualizing the data, the total foot traffic by zip code was plotted on a map and colored by total foot traffic. To analyze specific points of interest, data is aggregated at the Census Block Group geographic level. Additionally, Census Track level data can be used to investigate the surrounding area to any point(s) of interest.

Houston saw the highest average monthly foot traffic (6,772) March 2021 through August 2021 with February 2022 having the lowest average foot traffic of 4,180 average visitors. May of 2021 had the highest total foot traffic (8,329) for the total time frame analyzed (06/01-2020-05/31/022). When considering only the past 12 months, the foot traffic pattern changes displaying no seasonality. Further analysis would provide insights into this change in visitor behavior.

Methodology - The metric Person Count was summed by zip code by month to generate Foot Traffic. To analyze change in foot traffic by quarter, Person Count was summed by zip code by quarter and the percent change was calculated between quarters.

Utilizing the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes available in the foot traffic trend value module, consumers can gain valuable insights on 103 unique industry sectors found in Houston. The top industries include: Fast Food Restaurants, Supermarkets, General Merchandise Stores, Gasoline Stations, and Restaurants. While the industry specific foot traffic patterns generally mirror the overall foot traffic pattern of Houston, there is a notable difference in the restaurant industry. While the foot traffic trend in Houston is decreasing, the restaurant industry is experiencing an increase in average monthly foot traffic. Additionally, there was a larger than expected increase in foot traffic in the restaurant industry in April 2022. Deeper analysis of foot traffic data for specific brands in the restaurant industry could illuminate potential causes for this uptick.

Methodology – The NAICS codes were grouped to create broader Industry level classifications. The Person Count metric was then averaged by industry by month to calculate foot traffic. The data was then visualized for individual industries.

Foot Traffic data is available for 1,396 unique brands in Houston allowing consumers to create detailed brand analysis as well as head-to-head comparisons between two or more brands. The most highly trafficked brands in Houston include: Walmart, Primo Water, McDonald’s, H-E-B Grocery, and Kroger.Taking a deeper dive into the foot traffic data available for the 49 Walmart locations in Houston, we find that 22% or 11 locations are experiencing an increase in foot traffic. For the time period 06/01-2020-05/31/022, Friendswood has the highest average foot traffic pattern with 132,319 visits per month. The Katy area had the highest total foot traffic for Houston Walmart locations with 5,354,615 visits. This can be explained by the zip code 77449 being home to 3 Walmart locations in total. While the total foot traffic at the 150 W El Dorado Blvd location is declining, it is the most visited Walmart boasting approximately 3% of all Walmart foot traffic in Houston. Conversely, the 11425 Barker Cypress Rd location accounts for only 0.61% of the total Walmart foot traffic.

Methodology – The Houston data was filtered to only consider the brand Starbucks. The metric Person Count was summed by zip code by month to calculate Foot Traffic. To analyze change in Foot Traffic by quarter, Person Count was summed by zip code by quarter and the percent change was calculated between quarters. For location level data, Person Count was summed by Street Address. Foot Traffic Percentage was calculated by taking the sum of foot traffic for street address and dividing the resulting value by the total Foot Traffic for Houston in the selected date range.