Population 2,887 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in West Congress
Household size in West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.25 | 2.69 | 2.87 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.70 | 2.79 | 2.93 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.60 | 2.83 | 2.95 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.03 | 2.55 | 2.83 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.22 | −0.14 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
West Congress is a place of small households, averaging 2.03 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.25, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
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 West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.2 | 34.0 | 34.7 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 33.5 | 35.2 | 35.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 34.8 | 36.3 | 36.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 34.4 | 37.2 | 36.7 | 40.1 |
| Change | +0.3 | +3.3 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 34.4, West Congress is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young adults, many of them living alone or as couples.
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 West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.4% | 11.8% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.0% | 11.2% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 14.7% | 9.8% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.6% | 9.7% | 12.9% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.2 pts | −2.2 pts | −0.8 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in West Congress (10.6%), a little below the national share of 11.6%. The picture is much the same across the Austin area. Compared with other Austin neighborhoods, though, West Congress has a higher share of single-parent households than most.
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 West Congress
Renters in West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 57.3% | 40.7% | 35.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 62.3% | 42.1% | 37.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 61.4% | 41.8% | 38.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 68.7% | 41.7% | 37.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +11.5 pts | +1.0 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renters far outnumber owners in West Congress: 68.7% of households rent their homes, against 34.8% nationally. Among homeowners, 23.8% have no mortgage at all, well below the national share of 39.8%.
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 West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.6% | 8.8% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 18.0% | 8.5% | 10.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.0% | 8.3% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 2.5% | 5.9% | 9.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −9.2 pts | −2.9 pts | −2.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in West Congress: just 2.5% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market. Of Austin's 61 neighborhoods, only two have a lower vacancy rate.
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 West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1974 | 1990 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1992 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1976 | 1995 | 1987 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1980 | 2000 | 1992 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +10 | +8 | +6 |
Homes in West Congress are the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1980. Homes here are older than in the Austin area as a whole, where the median home dates to 2000.
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 West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $765 | $1,064 | $921 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $932 | $1,155 | $1,005 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,173 | $1,428 | $1,178 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,481 | $1,911 | $1,560 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$716 | +$847 | +$639 | +$606 |
Rent in West Congress runs $1,481 a month at the median, utilities included, below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 28.2% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. Only five of Austin's 61 neighborhoods have lower rents.
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 West Congress
Bachelor's degrees in West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.4% | 38.3% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 28.6% | 40.3% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.8% | 44.2% | 30.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 61.5% | 50.4% | 34.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +36.1 pts | +12.1 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
West Congress is highly educated: about six in ten adults 25 and older (61.5%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%.
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 West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 62.1% | 87.6% | 80.7% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 73.5% | 88.3% | 82.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 85.5% | 89.9% | 83.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 95.8% | 91.6% | 85.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +33.7 pts | +4.0 pts | +5.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in West Congress: 95.8% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.
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 West Congress
| Period | West Congress | Austin area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.2% | 6.4% | 7.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.9% | 6.9% | 7.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.2% | 4.3% | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.2% | 4.3% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −3.0 pts | −2.2 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little easier to find in West Congress than nationally: unemployment was 4.2%, against 5.4%. The picture is much the same across the Austin area. 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).
West Congress compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Congress | 2.03 | 34.4 | 10.6% | 68.7% | 2.5% | 1980 | $1,481 | 61.5% | 95.8% | 4.2% |
| East Congress | 1.86 | 34.0 | 3.5% | 69.3% | 4.2% | 1988 | $1,906 | 50.0% | 89.1% | 6.8% |
| South Manchaca | 1.99 | 39.0 | 5.3% | 39.7% | 5.6% | 1966 | $1,675 | 64.6% | 95.2% | 3.0% |
| Saint Edwards | 1.55 | 27.1 | 7.7% | 89.8% | 1.2% | 1982 | $1,539 | 64.1% | 87.1% | 6.2% |
| Sweetbriar | 1.94 | 35.6 | 7.2% | 71.3% | 7.0% | 1991 | $1,747 | 45.2% | 92.7% | 5.3% |
| Galindo | 2.15 | 35.8 | 12.9% | 56.2% | 5.3% | 1992 | $1,842 | 53.0% | 90.9% | 13.3% |
| South Lamar | 1.68 | 34.5 | 6.7% | 77.5% | 6.3% | 1993 | $1,642 | 67.4% | 93.9% | 2.6% |
| West Gate | 1.85 | 45.2 | 3.7% | 55.6% | 3.5% | 1975 | $1,453 | 53.7% | 93.1% | 2.4% |
| Garrison Park | 2.04 | 38.0 | 7.7% | 49.7% | 4.9% | 1981 | $1,787 | 54.1% | 92.1% | 3.2% |
| Franklin Park | 2.85 | 37.7 | 17.1% | 49.7% | 6.0% | 1983 | $1,683 | 17.9% | 63.6% | 8.8% |
| Parker Lane | 1.86 | 32.5 | 13.1% | 79.5% | 7.9% | 1990 | $1,569 | 47.1% | 91.7% | 7.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Highlands, Wilmington, DE · Village 12, Sacramento, CA · Terrace-Shurtleff, Napa, CA · Southwest Quadrant, Alexandria, VA · South Flagstaff, Flagstaff, AZ · Scioto Woods, Columbus, OH · Rolling Roads, Greensboro, NC · Amtrak, San Bernardino, CA · Hamlin Park, Chicago, IL · Granite Hills, El Cajon, CA
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 West Congress. 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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