Houston, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Houston, 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 average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Houston | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,527,996 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 3762.1 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.57% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 33.2 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 988,656 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Houston grew by 9.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2,527,996 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Houston is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 25.6% of residents. That is 2.6 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 602,060 23.8% +0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 646,069 25.6% +2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 468,034 18.5% -0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 306,276 12.1% -1.1 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 50.6% of the people living in Houston and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.4% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Houston
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Houston has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Houston | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,547 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.09% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Houston is about 14% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Houston | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $279,874 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,362 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 44.8% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Houston is about 17.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,362 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Houston spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 214 hours, about 8.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Houston | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.7 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.4 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 214 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,644 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.1% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 24,617 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,813 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Houston is 26 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
Houston has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Houston | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.3% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.52 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Health
Houston has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Houston | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.8 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.4% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.9% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Houston, Texas.
How big is Houston, Texas by population?
About 2,527,996 people live in Houston, Texas, in 988,656 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 33.2, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
How densely populated is Houston, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, Houston, Texas has 3,762 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 44 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Houston, Texas?
The median home costs 4.1 times the median household income ($279,874 against $67,547), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,362 a month takes about 24% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Houston, Texas?
Unemployment in Houston, Texas is 6.9%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
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