The Houston metro area: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto and Waller counties · Population 7,442,788 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Houston area
Household size in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.96 | 2.87 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.00 | 2.93 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.98 | 2.95 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.91 | 2.83 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.05 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
The Houston area is a place of big households: 2.91 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Household size has edged down from 2.96 in 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.0 | 34.7 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 34.8 | 35.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 35.6 | 36.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 36.4 | 36.7 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.3 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
The Houston area is younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 36.4, against 40.1 nationally. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 34.0, in line with the national trend. Only eight of the 100 large U.S. metro areas are younger.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.7% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.7% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 13.3% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.5% | 12.9% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.3 pts | −0.8 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in seven households in the Houston area (13.5%), a bit above the national share of 11.6%. Texas comes in at about the same level. The Houston area has a higher share of single-parent households than the great majority of large metro areas.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in the Houston area
Renters in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.6% | 35.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 38.6% | 37.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 39.5% | 38.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 38.8% | 37.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +2.2 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting is a bit more common in the Houston area than nationally: 38.8% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% for the U.S. Among homeowners, 43.5% have no mortgage at all, above the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the northeast. The renter share is up 2.2 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.3% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.1% | 10.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.3% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.6% | 9.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.7 pts | −2.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in the Houston area as nationally: 8.6%, against 9.6%. Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 2.7 points, as it has nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1985 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1987 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1988 | 1987 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1993 | 1992 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +8 | +6 |
The Houston area has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1993, versus 1980 nationally. The median year built has moved up from 1985 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the northwest, the oldest in the east.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,018 | $921 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,103 | $1,005 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,300 | $1,178 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,649 | $1,560 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$631 | +$639 | +$606 |
The median renter in the Houston area pays $1,649 a month for rent and utilities, close to the national median of $1,571. Rents here are higher than in Texas overall ($1,560). Rents are up $631 a month from 2006–10, a 62% jump, roughly in step with the nation. The typical renter here spends 32.7% of household income on rent, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in the Houston area
Bachelor's degrees in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 29.2% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 30.4% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.5% | 30.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 35.9% | 34.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +6.7 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in the Houston area as nationally: 35.9% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The share with a degree has risen 6.7 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the center and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 80.9% | 80.7% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 81.9% | 82.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 83.6% | 83.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 84.8% | 85.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +3.9 pts | +5.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over one in seven adults in the Houston area never finished high school, more than nationally: 84.8% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S. The share with a diploma is up 3.9 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country. Of the 100 large U.S. metro areas, only eight have a lower share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in the Houston area
| Period | Houston area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.9% | 7.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.7% | 7.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.6% | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.2% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.6 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs a little high in the Houston area: 6.2% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Unemployment has edged down 0.6 points since 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Largest cities in the Houston area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston area (all) | 2.91 | 36.4 | 13.5% | 38.8% | 8.6% | 1993 | $1,649 | 35.9% | 84.8% | 6.2% |
| Katy | 3.27 | 35.5 | 12.5% | 28.7% | 5.7% | 2006 | $2,113 | 47.4% | 91.2% | 5.4% |
| Spring | 3.00 | 35.4 | 11.0% | 29.9% | 6.0% | 1999 | $1,890 | 41.7% | 92.5% | 5.0% |
| Cypress | 3.23 | 35.8 | 9.9% | 18.4% | 4.1% | 2007 | $2,057 | 49.8% | 93.4% | 5.5% |
| Conroe | 2.86 | 35.3 | 12.2% | 34.3% | 7.1% | 2004 | $1,570 | 33.7% | 86.6% | 4.3% |
| Humble | 2.95 | 36.5 | 14.5% | 36.8% | 6.4% | 1997 | $1,744 | 35.4% | 90.6% | 6.4% |
| Richmond | 3.16 | 35.5 | 10.3% | 22.5% | 4.9% | 2011 | $2,002 | 52.0% | 90.9% | 4.5% |
| Pasadena | 3.09 | 33.8 | 16.8% | 46.5% | 8.8% | 1975 | $1,368 | 15.8% | 72.6% | 8.3% |
| Pearland | 2.97 | 37.9 | 9.6% | 24.8% | 8.5% | 2001 | $1,937 | 46.6% | 92.6% | 3.4% |
| Sugar Land | 3.08 | 41.4 | 7.1% | 23.6% | 6.3% | 1997 | $2,091 | 59.2% | 92.7% | 4.7% |
| The Woodlands | 2.84 | 40.6 | 5.9% | 30.6% | 6.9% | 2000 | $2,142 | 66.6% | 97.1% | 4.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Boston area · Atlanta area · Miami area · Philadelphia area · Washington area · Dallas area · Chicago area · Los Angeles area · New York area
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up the Houston area. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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