Houston, TX

Census Place

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2024 Population
2.33M
US Senator
John Cornyn
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Cruz
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
34.4
0.292% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
19.9%
1.09% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$64,813
3.05% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$277,800
9.63% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
1.15M
1.21% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Houston, 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.

80.3% of the residents in Houston, TX are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Houston, TX are University of Houston (11,167 degrees awarded in 2023), Houston Community College (6,568 degrees), and University of Houston-Downtown (3,784 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Houston, TX was $277,800, and the homeownership rate was 42.1%.

Most people in Houston, TX drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Houston, TX was 2 cars per household.

Photo by Katie Haugland Bowen
United StatesTexasFort Bend County, TXHarris County, TXMontgomery County, TXHouston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

Population & Diversity

Houston, TX is home to a population of 2.33M people, from which 80.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 29.2% of Houston, TX residents were born outside of the country (679k people).

In 2024, there were 1.04 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (540k people) in Houston, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 520k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 475k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

80.3%
2024 Citizenship
80.9%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 80.3% of Houston, TX residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Houston, TX was 80.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Houston, TX
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    540k ± 7.66k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    520k ± 8.54k
  3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
    475k ± 11.2k
44.2%
Hispanic Population
1.03M people

In 2024, there were 1.04 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (540k people) in Houston, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 520k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 475k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

44.2% of the people in Houston, TX are hispanic (1.03M people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Texas.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    2,397,739 ± 36,447 people
  2. India
    325,248 ± 13,925 people
  3. 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

29.2%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
679k people
28.7%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
660k people

As of 2024, 29.2% of Houston, TX residents (679k 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 Houston, TX was 28.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    17,979 ± 1,171
  2. Vietnam
    17,372 ± 1,146
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    9,930 ± 1,145

Houston, TX has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.03 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Houston, TX employs 1.15M people. In 2024, the largest industries in Houston, TX were Health Care & Social Assistance (135,352 people), Construction (121,953 people), and Retail Trade (116,847 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($141,336), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($137,058), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($125,427).

Employment

Occupations

1.15M
2024 Value
± 11,005
1.21%
1 Year growth
± 1.33%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Houston, TX grew at a rate of 1.21%, from 1.14M employees to 1.15M employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Houston, TX, are Management Occupations (114,933 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (109,303 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (103,128 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Houston, TX.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

1.15M
2024 Value
± 11,005
1.21%
1 Year growth
± 1.33%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Houston, TX grew at a rate of 1.21%, from 1.14M employees to 1.15M employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Houston, TX, are Health Care & Social Assistance (135,352 people), Construction (121,953 people), and Retail Trade (116,847 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Houston, TX, though some of these residents may live in Houston, TX and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$47,931
Median earning men ± $727
$39,093
Median earning women ± $749

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($135,731), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($85,033), and Public Administration ($72,373).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($104,139), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,949), and Manufacturing ($55,492).

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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.

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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

Voting results are not available for Houston, TX. Showing the available data for Texas.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (56.1%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (42.5%)
    Democratic Party
  3. 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Texas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.
John Cornyn
Senator from Texas2
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 Texas1
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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Houston, TX awarded 39,510 degrees. The student population of Houston, TX in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 68,559 male students and 93,773 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Houston, TX are Hispanic or Latino (13,294 and 36.8%), Black or African American (7,919 and 21.9%), White (7,623 and 21.1%), and Asian (4,961 and 13.7%).

The largest universities in Houston, TX by number of degrees awarded are University of Houston (11,167 and 28.3%), Houston Community College (6,568 and 16.6%), and University of Houston-Downtown (3,784 and 9.58%).

The most popular majors in Houston, TX are General Business Administration & Management (2,453 and 6.21%), Medical Assistant (1,913 and 4.84%), and General Studies (1,859 and 4.71%).

The median tuition costs in Houston, TX are $34,200 for private four year colleges, and $6,511 and $19,933 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Houston, TX, the percentage of applicants admitted was 53.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 24.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 162,332 (42.2% men and 57.8% 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.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 162,332 students enrolled in Houston, TX, 42.2% men and 57.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 56,125 records, of which 59% were women and 41% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Registered Nursing
    1,312 degrees awarded
  2. General Psychology
    1,173 degrees awarded
  3. Other Multidisciplinary Studies
    732 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Houston, TX was Registered Nursing with 1,312 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. University of Houston
    11,167 degrees awarded
  2. Houston Community College
    6,568 degrees awarded
  3. University of Houston-Downtown
    3,784 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Houston with 11,167 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 16,255 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Houston, TX, which is 0.699 times less than the 23,255 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 13,294 degrees mean that there were 1.68 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 7,919 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($34,200) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,517) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private for-profit, 2-year ($1,638) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Houston, TX was $277,800 in 2024, which is 0.835 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $253,400 to $277,800, a 9.63% increase. The homeownership rate in Houston, TX is 42.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Houston, TX have an average commute time of 27.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Houston, TX is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$277,800
Median Property Value 2024
±$3,403
$391,519
Median Property Taxes
±$5,447

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 Houston, TX the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

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Rent vs Own

42.1%
Homeownership
2024
64.5%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 42.1% of the housing units in Houston, TX were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 42%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$64,813
Median Household Income
± $822
930k
Number of Households
± 9,620

In 2024, the median household income of the 930k households in Houston, TX grew to $64,813 from the previous year's value of $62,894.

The following chart displays the households in Houston, 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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Houston, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (67.7%)
  2. Worked At Home (13%)
  3. Carpooled (10.6%)

In 2024, 67.7% of workers in Houston, TX drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13%) and those who carpooled to work (10.6%).

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.

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Commute Time

27.2 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Houston, TX have a longer commute time (27.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.92% of the workforce in Houston, TX have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Houston, TX (456k out of 2.29M people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Houston, TX is Hispanic, followed by Black 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.

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Health

76.3% of the population of Houston, TX has health coverage, with 38.6% on employee plans, 18% on Medicaid, 8.68% on Medicare, 10.3% on non-group plans, and 0.749% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Texas see 1,657 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,657 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1590 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 590 patients per year.

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

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.9% under 18 years, 26.4% between 18 and 34 years, 36.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.2% 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.

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Uninsured People

23.7%
Uninsured
38.6%
Employer Coverage
18%
Medicaid
8.68%
Medicare
10.3%
Non-Group
0.749%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Houston, TX declined by 1.32% from 24% to 23.7%.

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

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