Harris County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Harris 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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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 81% of counties in Texas
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 92% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Harris County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,837,278 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2720.2 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.10% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.3 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,756,505 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Harris County grew by 23.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 4,837,278 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Harris County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 24.6% of residents. That is 1.6 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,127,840 23.3% -0.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,187,813 24.6% +1.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 940,327 19.4% on par
- Boomers 61–79 563,685 11.7% -1.6 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 50.2% of the people living in Harris County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.8% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Harris County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Harris County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Harris County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,984 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.66% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.7% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Harris County is about 5% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Harris County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $275,121 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,401 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.7% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Harris County is about 16.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,401 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Harris County spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 227 hours, about 9.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Harris County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.3 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 54.6 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 227 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,052 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.9% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 19,607 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,587 | 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 Harris County is 27 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
Harris County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Harris County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.3% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.73 | 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
Harris County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Harris County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.2% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.6% | 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).
Harris County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Harris County, TX is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 4,837,278 residents against a local median of 391,275. Harris County, TX's median household income, at $74,984, runs 23% below the $97,905 typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread $46,824 on median household income, so Harris County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Harris County, TX has the 5th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County, TX | 4,837,278 | $74,984 #5/6 | $275,121 #4/6 | 27.3 min #1/6 |
| Montgomery County, TX | 684,384 | $97,905 | $316,839 | 30.1 min |
| Fort Bend County, TX | 893,669 | $114,494 | $361,207 | 31.4 min |
| Waller County, TX | 61,552 | $83,139 | $353,092 | 30.9 min |
| Liberty County, TX | 103,380 | $67,670 | $236,949 | 33.6 min |
| Brazoria County, TX | 391,275 | $98,470 | $250,540 | 30.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Harris County, Texas.
What is the population of Harris County, Texas?
About 4,837,278 people live in Harris County, Texas, in 1,756,505 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 33.3, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Harris County, Texas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Harris County, Texas has 2,720 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 31 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Harris County, Texas?
The median home costs 3.7 times the median household income ($275,121 against $74,984), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,401 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Harris County, Texas?
Unemployment in Harris County, Texas is 6.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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