Galveston County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Galveston County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 94% of counties in Texas
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 94% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Galveston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 358,877 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 410.6 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.66% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.3 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 140,573 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Galveston County grew by 27.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 358,877 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Galveston County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 21.9% of residents. That is 1.1 points below Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 76,184 21.2% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 78,443 21.9% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 75,718 21.1% +1.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 54,969 15.3% +2.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.8% of the people living in Galveston County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.2% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Galveston County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Galveston County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Galveston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $87,798 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.10% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Galveston County is about 11% higher than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Galveston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $173,067 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,404 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.6% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Galveston County is about 10.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,404 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Galveston County spend about 47 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 196 hours, about 8.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Galveston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 23.5 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 47.1 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 196 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,081 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.7% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 16,514 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,737 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Galveston County is 24 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Galveston County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Galveston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.1% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Galveston County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Galveston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.4 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.0% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.0% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Galveston County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Galveston County, TX is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 358,877 residents against a local median of 253,852. The measure that sets Galveston County, TX apart most is median home price: $173,067, 31% below the local median of $250,540.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 23.5 min against a local median of 28.6 min, 18% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Galveston County, TX is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread $88,648 on median home price, so Galveston County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Galveston County, TX has the 6th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston County, TX | 358,877 | $87,798 #3/6 | $173,067 #6/6 | 23.5 min #2/6 |
| Chambers County, TX | 51,498 | $105,539 | $205,288 | 28.6 min |
| Brazoria County, TX | 391,275 | $98,470 | $250,540 | 30.6 min |
| Harris County, TX | 4,837,278 | $74,984 | $275,121 | 27.3 min |
| Liberty County, TX | 103,380 | $67,670 | $236,949 | 33.6 min |
| Jefferson County, TX | 253,852 | $60,035 | $293,936 | 18.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Galveston County, Texas.
How many people live in Galveston County, Texas?
About 358,877 people live in Galveston County, Texas, in 140,573 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 37.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Galveston County, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, Galveston County, Texas has 411 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Galveston County, Texas?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($173,067 against $87,798), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,404 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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