Economy at a Glance - December 2024
THE SUM OF THE PARTS
In the October issue of Houston: The Economy at a Glance, the Partnership analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) to show how the region’s economic and demographic profile has shifted over the past 10 years. In a nutshell, Houston is older, better educated, and more ethnically diverse. However, a substantial share of the population still lacks health insurance and lives in poverty.
In the November issue, the Partnership reviewed how Houston compared to the nation’s other major metros. Metro Houston has one of the youngest and most di-verse populations in the U.S. The region also has one of the nation’s largest foreign-born populations. We’re in the middle of the pack for home ownership, but not surprisingly we lag our peers in educational attainment and health care coverage. Houston also has the highest share of families whose income falls below the poverty line.
In this issue of Glance, the Partnership examines the economic and demographic differences between the 10 counties which comprise the Houston metro area.
Race and Ethnicity
Though Houston is the nation’s most ethnically diverse metro, the groups are distributed unevenly in the region. Harris and Liberty Counties have disproportionally large Hispanic populations. White residents still comprise a majority in Austin, Chambers, Galveston, Montgomery, and San Jacinto Counties. The region’s Asian population is concentrated in Fort Bend and Harris Counties. And few Black residents live in Austin, Chambers, Liberty, and Montgomery Counties.
Foreign-Born Population
One in four Houstonians is foreign-born, compared to one in seven nationally. However, 86.4 percent of metro Houston’s foreign-born population is concentrated in two counties—Fort Bend and Harris.
With such a large share of Houston’s population born outside the U.S., it’s not surprising that a language other than English is often the primary language spoken at home. The most common language is Spanish, followed by other Indo-European languages, with Asian and Pacific Islander languages third.
Age
The median age in Houston was 35.7 years in ’23, which means half of all residents were younger and half older. The median age for the nation was 39.2. Locally, Waller had the youngest population, presumably because the county is home to Prairie View A&M University and thus has a large student population. San Jacinto had the oldest population, likely due to the lack of inmigration to the county and the large number of retirees living there.
As reported in the October issue of Glance, the population over the age of 65 is the fastest-growing cohort in metro Houston, adding some 354,000 residents over the past 10 years. “Seniors” now comprise one in every eight Houston residents. Their share of the population tends to be larger in the suburban counties.
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Note: The geographic area referred to in this publication as “Houston,” "Houston Area” and “Metro Houston” is the ten-county Census designated metropolitan statistical area of Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX. The ten counties are: Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, San Jacinto, and Waller.
