Economy at a Glance - October 2024
WHO ARE WE?
Each fall, the U.S. Census Bureau releases the American Community Survey (ACS), its annual snapshot of the nation’s economic, demographic, housing, and social characteristics. By examining ACS data over time, one can see shifts in the population. In the first of a three-part series, this newsletter will examine ACS data for ’13 and ’23 and discuss the changes in Houston over that time. The November issue will focus on how Houston compares to the nation’s major metros. And the December issue will examine the differences in the 10 counties that comprise the Houston metro area.
Race and Ethnicity
Houston’s Asian, Black, and Hispanic communities have grown substantially over the past 10 years while the white population has remained relatively unchanged. The region has also seen a surge in residents self-identifying as being of more than one race, a trend that is more common than it was a decade ago.
Hispanics comprise the largest racial/ethnic community in the region. However, no single group constitutes a majority of Houston’s population. It’s been that way since the late ’90s.
The demographic shifts that began in Houston 30 years ago are filtering through the rest of the nation. Houston’s racial/ethnic composition today reflects the direction in which the U.S. is headed.
Foreign-Born Population
Individuals born outside the U.S. represent a record share of the region’s population. Ten years ago, the foreign-born comprised 22.6 percent of all area residents. Today, they comprise 24.8 percent. For the nation, foreign-born people represented 14.3 percent of the population in ’23, down from 15.0 percent in ’13.
Houston’s foreign-born population grew by more than 435,000 over the decade. Our foreign-born population now exceeds the total populations of 12 states (Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming) and the District of Columbia.
Well over half (62.1 percent) of Houston’s foreign-born residents came from Latin America, 25.8 percent came from Asia, 6.6 percent from Africa, 4.2 percent from Europe, 1.1 percent from North America, and 0.2 percent from Oceania.
Nearly two-thirds (59.5 percent) of Houston’s foreign-born entered the U.S. prior to ’10 while the remainder (40.5 percent) entered after ’10.
LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME
Among residents five years or older, 40.5 percent speak a language other than English at home, with 29.5 percent speaking Spanish, 5.1 percent an Asian/Pacific Islander language, 3.7 percent an Indo-European language, and 1.7 percent another language.
AGE
Houston has grown older. In ’13, the region’s median age was 33.6 years. In ’23, the median was 35.7. By comparison, the median for the U.S. was 39.0 last year.
To continue reading, download this report.
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.
