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Researchers ranked 50 U.S. cities on factors like demographic makeup, and the presence of programs designed to support black male success. Houston scored 48 out of 100 possible points, coming close to the national average of 53 points.
The Campaign for Black Male Achievement conducted the study.
"We thought it would be really critical to measure commitment, committed action and engagement because those are the things that need to happen if we're ever going to get to the point where we're actually shifting the outcome of black men and boys," says CEO Shawn Dove.
The study cites several challenges for black men, including higher incarceration rates for drug offenses, and a higher chance of black male students being suspended.
Houston received high marks for its presence of national initiatives, but it ranked lower on the number of city-led efforts that support black men.
"Many cities across the country have that, but there's no such targeted initiative coming out of Houston," Dove says.
Detroit, Oakland and Washington D.C. tied for first place with 95 points. Columbus, Georgia was in last.
Editor’s correction: An earlier version stated Detroit, Oakland and Washington D.C. were tied for first place with 98 points. We regret the error.