Houston County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Houston 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 averageLess healthy than 89% of counties in Texas
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 94% of counties in Texas
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Houston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 22,051 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 17.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.41% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.4 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,983 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Houston County declined by 2.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 22,051 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Houston County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.2% of residents. That is 1.8 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,931 17.8% -5.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,465 20.2% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,677 21.2% +1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,596 20.8% +7.6 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 46.4% of the people living in Houston County and men 53.6%.
- Women 46.4% Texas 50.1%
- Men 53.6% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Houston County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Houston County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Houston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,458 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.16% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.7% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Houston County is about 28% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Houston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $50,869 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $886 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.6% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Houston County is about 4.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $886 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Houston County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 154 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Houston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.5 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.0 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 154 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,774 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,228 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 264 | 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 Houston County is 18 minutes, shorter 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 County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Houston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 14.2% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.42 | 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
Houston County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Houston County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 26.0% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.2% | 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).
Houston County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Houston County, TX is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 22,051 residents against a local median of 58,439. Where Houston County, TX breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 59% below the local median of $122,806 at $50,869.
The counties themselves spread $73,049 on median home price, so Houston County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Houston County, TX has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston County, TX | 22,051 | $56,458 #3/4 | $50,869 #4/4 | 18.5 min #1/4 |
| Anderson County, TX | 58,439 | $62,143 | $91,167 | 18.6 min |
| Cherokee County, TX | 51,885 | $61,269 | $164,216 | 20.2 min |
| Walker County, TX | 80,209 | $51,752 | $122,806 | 19.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Houston County, Texas.
What is the population of Houston County, Texas?
About 22,051 people live in Houston County, Texas, in 7,983 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Houston County, Texas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Houston County, Texas has 18 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 21% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Houston County, Texas?
The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($50,869 against $56,458), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $886 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Houston County, Texas?
Unemployment in Houston County, Texas is 6.7%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Houston County, Texas?
14.2% of adults in Houston County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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