Galveston County, TX

County

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2024 Population

358,990

US Senator

John Cornyn

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Cruz

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

38.8

0.779% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.7%

4.99% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$86,105

0.887% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$314,600

10.4% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

170,117

0.834% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Galveston County, TX reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

95% of the residents in Galveston County, TX are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Galveston County, TX are The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (1,200 degrees awarded in 2023), College of the Mainland (849 degrees), and Galveston College (731 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Galveston County, TX was $314,600, and the homeownership rate was 67.6%.

Most people in Galveston County, TX drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Galveston County, TX was 2 cars per household.

Galveston County, TX borders Brazoria County, TX, Chambers County, TX, and Harris County, TX.

Photo by Katie Haugland Bowen

United States Texas Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

Population & Diversity

Galveston County, TX is home to a population of 359k people, from which 95% are citizens. As of 2024, 10.1% of Galveston County, TX residents were born outside of the country (36.2k people).

In 2024, there were 4.02 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (194k people) in Galveston County, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 48.2k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 42.7k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95%

2024 Citizenship

94.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95% of Galveston County, TX residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Galveston County, TX was 94.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Galveston County, TX compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Galveston County, TX

White (Non-Hispanic)
194k ± 1.14k
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
48.2k ± 2.2k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
42.7k ± 995

26.4%

Hispanic Population

94.7k people

26.4% of the people in Galveston County, TX are hispanic (94.7k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Galveston County, TX as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Texas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
2,397,739 ± 36,447 people
India
325,248 ± 13,925 people
El Salvador
221,729 ± 11,517 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Texas was Mexico, the natal country of 2,397,739 Texas residents, followed by India with 325,248 and El Salvador with 221,729.

Foreign-Born Population

10.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

36.2k people

10.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

35.9k people

As of 2024, 10.1% of Galveston County, TX residents (36.2k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Galveston County, TX was 10.1%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Galveston County, TX compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
6,145 ± 802
Vietnam
5,606 ± 483
Gulf War (1990s)
3,476 ± 511

Galveston County, TX has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.1 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Galveston County, TX.

Economy

The economy of Galveston County, TX employs 170k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Galveston County, TX were Health Care & Social Assistance (24,631 people), Manufacturing (18,448 people), and Educational Services (17,395 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($124,488), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($110,114), and Manufacturing ($102,239).

Employment

Occupations

170k

2024 Value

± 3,888

0.834%

1 Year growth

± 3.22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Galveston County, TX grew at a rate of 0.834%, from 169k employees to 170k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Galveston County, TX, are Management Occupations (22,496 people), Sales & Related Occupations (16,183 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (15,355 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Galveston County, TX.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Texas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

170k

2024 Value

± 3,888

0.834%

1 Year growth

± 3.22%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Galveston County, TX grew at a rate of 0.834%, from 169k employees to 170k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Galveston County, TX, are Health Care & Social Assistance (24,631 people), Manufacturing (18,448 people), and Educational Services (17,395 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Galveston County, TX, though some of these residents may live in Galveston County, TX and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$65,749

Median earning men ± $1,858

$45,989

Median earning women ± $1,810

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($124,518), Manufacturing ($107,587), and Public Administration ($92,097).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($78,295), Wholesale Trade ($69,079), and Public Administration ($64,370).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.

Y-Axis

4.59%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 13.8M people employed in Texas. This represents a 4.59% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 9.63%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Texas.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

464
Retail Trade
453
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
413
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$814k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$557k
Manufacturing
$512k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing the state of Texas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Texas is currently represented by 38 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Galveston County, TX. Showing the available data for Texas.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (56.1%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.726%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Texas for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Texas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.

John Cornyn

Senator from Texas

Assumed office on December 2, 2002
Phil Gramm resigned (effective November 30, 2002) a few weeks before the expiration of his term in hopes that his successor, fellow Republican John Cornyn, could gain seniority over other newly elected senators. However, Cornyn did not gain additional seniority due to a 1980 Rules Committee policy.

Ted Cruz

Senator from Texas

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing Texas.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Texas over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Galveston County, TX awarded 2,822 degrees. The student population of Galveston County, TX in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 3,611 male students and 6,849 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Galveston County, TX are White (1,172 and 41.8%), Hispanic or Latino (877 and 31.2%), Black or African American (341 and 12.1%), and Asian (277 and 9.87%).

The largest universities in Galveston County, TX by number of degrees awarded are The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (1,200 and 42.5%), College of the Mainland (849 and 30.1%), and Galveston College (731 and 25.9%).

The most popular majors in Galveston County, TX are Registered Nursing (443 and 15.7%), General Studies (393 and 13.9%), and Medicine (223 and 7.9%).

The median tuition cost in Galveston County, TX for a public four year colleges is $2,550 for in-state students and $4,680 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2015 in Galveston County, TX, the percentage of applicants admitted was 75.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 61.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 10,460 (34.5% men and 65.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 10,460 students enrolled in Galveston County, TX, 34.5% men and 65.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,613 records, of which 64.8% were women and 35.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Studies
393 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
116 degrees awarded
Chemical Technology
72 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Galveston County, TX was General Studies with 393 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Galveston County, TX according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
1,200 degrees awarded
College of the Mainland
849 degrees awarded
Galveston College
731 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston with 1,200 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 877 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Galveston County, TX, which is 0.451 times less than the 1,945 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,172 degrees mean that there were 1.34 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 877 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($13,484) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,046) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,023) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Galveston County, TX was $314,600 in 2024, which is 0.946 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $284,900 to $314,600, a 10.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Galveston County, TX is 67.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Galveston County, TX have an average commute time of 27.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Galveston County, TX is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Galveston County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.49%.

Housing

Property

$314,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,354

$95,138

Median Property Taxes

±$2,372

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Galveston County, TX the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Galveston County, TX compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

67.6%

Homeownership

2024

64.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 67.6% of the housing units in Galveston County, TX were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Galveston County, TX compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$86,105

Median Household Income

± $2,507

141k

Number of Households

± 3,272

In 2024, the median household income of the 141k households in Galveston County, TX grew to $86,105 from the previous year's value of $85,348.

The following chart displays the households in Galveston County, TX distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Galveston County, TX is from Texas.

0.475

2023 Wage GINI in Texas

0.476

2022 Wage GINI in Texas

In 2023, the income inequality in Texas was 0.475 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.208% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Texas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Texas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Texas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77.2%)
Worked At Home (11.7%)
Carpooled (7.4%)

In 2024, 77.2% of workers in Galveston County, TX drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.7%) and those who carpooled to work (7.4%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

27.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Galveston County, TX have a longer commute time (27.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.45% of the workforce in Galveston County, TX have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Galveston County, TX compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Galveston County, TX distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Galveston County, TX have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Galveston County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.49%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

11.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Galveston County, TX (41.3k out of 353k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Galveston County, TX is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 14.8% of the children was living in poverty in Galveston County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.4%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 289 in Galveston County, TX. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 58.8 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

86.4% of the population of Galveston County, TX has health coverage, with 51.6% on employee plans, 10.7% on Medicaid, 11.6% on Medicare, 10.9% on non-group plans, and 1.66% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Galveston County, TX see 1,420 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,420 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1930 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 630 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,420 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Galveston County, TX

Primary care physicians in Galveston County, TX see an average of 1,420 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,420 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Galveston County, TX in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.3% under 18 years, 19.6% between 18 and 34 years, 39.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

13.6%

Uninsured

51.6%

Employer Coverage

10.7%

Medicaid

11.6%

Medicare

10.9%

Non-Group

1.66%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Galveston County, TX declined by 1.17% from 13.8% to 13.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Galveston County, TX changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 52.1 in Galveston County, TX.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Galveston County, TX.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 39.8% in Galveston County, TX.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Galveston County, TX.