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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Harris County

Texas · 4,731,145 residents · 1,707 sq mi
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With 4,731,145 people, Harris County is a county in Texas. Growth has run 39% since 2000, or 1,330,567 more people. The median age is 34.3, younger than the US median of 38.8. 26% of locals were born outside the United States. Owners hold 53% of the housing stock. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $189,400.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 34.3
US median: 38.8
Average education
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 50%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
4,731,145
+39%since 2000
from 3,400,578 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
34.3
+10%since 2000
from 31.2 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
1,707 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2.6M3.2M3.8M4.4M5.0M19902000201020202024Harris County
20244.8M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56.6%(313,859)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97.1%(333,672)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 147.5%(354,586)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 197.2%(341,314)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247%(332,503)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3415.6%(737,286)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4414.3%(674,628)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.3%(583,485)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6410.9%(517,774)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 747.3%(343,412)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.1%(147,150)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.1%(51,476)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$63,022
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $42,598 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$33,459
+56%since 2000
from $21,435 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
42.5%
+9.6 ptssince 2009
from 32.9% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
15.6%
+0.6 ptssince 2000
from 15.0% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information10.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Wholesale trade10.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade9.3%
US avg: 10%
Finance & insurance6.6%
US avg: 5.5%
Other services6.1%
US avg: 6.6%
Professional, scientific, technical5.7%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration3.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.3%
US avg: 2.5%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.1%
US avg: 1.7%
Manufacturing2.9%
US avg: 0.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.8%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$189,400
+50%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $84,200 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,115
+26%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $590 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
53.3%
−2.0 ptssince 2000
from 55.3% in 2000
46.7% rent
Persons per household
2.84 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.84 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.0
+17%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic42.1%(1,432,264)
Black18.2%(619,694)
Hispanic / Latino32.9%(1,119,751)
Asian5.1%(173,026)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic27.7%(1,309,593)
Black18.7%(885,517)
Hispanic / Latino43%(2,034,709)
Asian7.3%(344,762)
Other2.4%(115,381)
Segregation Score
51
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican31%(1,451,665)
Central American7%(326,921)
Salvadoran3.6%(167,599)
Honduran1.9%(89,842)
South American1.7%(79,057)
Guatemalan1.1%(51,012)
Cuban0.8%(37,282)
Puerto Rican0.7%(33,867)
Colombian0.7%(30,797)
Venezuelan0.5%(23,185)
Spaniard0.3%(14,837)
Nicaraguan0.2%(10,905)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.2%(8,057)
Dominican0.2%(7,953)
Argentine0.1%(5,590)
Ecuadorian0.1%(5,191)
Panamanian0.1%(4,037)
Chilean0%(2,314)
Costa Rican0%(2,131)
Bolivian0%(1,690)
Uruguayan0%(1,616)
Paraguayan0%(364)
Asian origin
Vietnamese2.3%(105,543)
Asian Indian1.4%(65,211)
Chinese1.2%(54,597)
Filipino0.6%(28,548)
Pakistani0.5%(24,634)
Korean0.3%(13,228)
Japanese0.1%(4,285)
Cambodian0.1%(3,975)
Taiwanese0.1%(3,029)
Bangladeshi0.1%(2,623)
Thai0.1%(2,384)
Nepalese0%(2,108)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(1,988)
Sri Lankan0%(1,915)
Laotian0%(1,477)
Indonesian0%(1,418)
Malaysian0%(484)
Bhutanese0%(192)
Hmong0%(46)
Okinawan0%(30)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(1,699)
Samoan0%(1,109)
Fijian0%(278)
Tongan0%(75)
Ancestry
German6.1%(284,147)
English4.6%(215,513)
Irish4.3%(201,692)
American3.8%(176,513)
Subsaharan African2.1%(96,075)
French1.8%(82,084)
Italian1.7%(79,928)
Scottish1%(48,043)
Polish1%(46,193)
Nigerian0.7%(30,970)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(28,542)
West Indian0.6%(25,959)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Czech0.5%(24,201)
Dutch0.5%(22,701)
British0.5%(21,424)
Norwegian0.4%(18,407)
Swedish0.4%(17,850)
Russian0.3%(15,130)
Welsh0.3%(14,164)
Iranian0.2%(10,575)
French Canadian0.2%(10,562)
Greek0.2%(9,230)
Jamaican0.2%(8,468)
Danish0.2%(7,144)
Lebanese0.1%(6,871)
Brazilian0.1%(6,098)
Egyptian0.1%(5,730)
Iraqi0.1%(5,557)
Arab0.1%(5,479)
Portuguese0.1%(5,371)
Ethiopian0.1%(5,342)
Canadian0.1%(5,259)
Hungarian0.1%(5,093)
Swiss0.1%(4,462)
Palestinian0.1%(3,897)
Ukrainian0.1%(3,782)
Austrian0.1%(3,745)
Turkish0.1%(3,615)
Romanian0.1%(3,531)
Jordanian0.1%(3,142)
Haitian0.1%(3,128)
Lithuanian0.1%(2,927)
Belgian0.1%(2,659)
Finnish0%(2,310)
Ghanaian0%(2,301)
Syrian0%(2,190)
Slovak0%(2,038)
Croatian0%(2,031)
Australian0%(1,867)
Serbian0%(1,773)
Kenyan0%(1,668)
Moroccan0%(1,354)
Israeli0%(1,309)
Armenian0%(1,294)
Barbadian0%(1,080)
Bulgarian0%(920)
Guyanese0%(772)
Slovene0%(772)
Latvian0%(401)
Somali0%(284)
Macedonian0%(123)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.3%
+5.3 ptssince 2000
from 26.9% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
81.8%
+7.2 ptssince 2000
from 74.6% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.8%
+2.8 ptssince 2000
from 9.0% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
29.2 min
+49%since 2000
from 19.6 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
78.0%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 77.0% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
6.1%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
6.2%
−1.5 ptssince 2011
from 7.6% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
67.4%
−1.5 ptssince 2011
from 68.9% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.0%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
37.4%
+4.1 ptssince 2009
from 33.3% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Female
50.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Foreign born
26.0%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 24.4% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
20.4%
−5.8 ptssince 2013
from 26.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
93.4%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
84.5%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married40.4%(758,989)
Married49.9%(936,843)
Widowed2%(36,851)
Divorced7.7%(144,823)
Women 15+
Never married35.9%(690,373)
Married46.8%(900,476)
Widowed6.5%(125,076)
Divorced10.8%(208,369)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
20.4%
−5.8 ptssince 2013
from 26.2% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
48.8%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
10.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
11.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
18.5%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.3%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
57.8%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
27.9%
US average: 35.2%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)27.2%(42,474)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)22.9%(35,859)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era30.4%(47,533)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War5.7%(8,853)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2%(3,166)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 156,267 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Harris County

Cook County
Pop 5,194,625
Maricopa County
Pop 4,689,558
Miami-Dade County
Pop 2,802,029
Dallas County
Pop 2,661,397
Places similar to Harris County
Head to head

Compare Harris County to nearby counties

HARRIS COUNTY VS
Montgomery County
Income$97,701+55%
Home value$346,200+83%
Population781,194−85%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HARRIS COUNTY VS
Fort Bend County
Income$114,041+81%
Home value$374,500+98%
Population975,191−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HARRIS COUNTY VS
Waller County
Income$80,397+28%
Home value$318,700+68%
Population69,858−99%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HARRIS COUNTY VS
Liberty County
Income$68,703+9%
Home value$181,700−4%
Population121,364−98%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Harris County, Texas?

Harris County, Texas has about 4,731,145 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Harris County, Texas?

The typical household in Harris County, Texas earns about $63,022 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Harris County, Texas expensive?

In Harris County, Texas, the median home is worth about $189,400, and the typical rent is about $1,115 a month.

How educated are people in Harris County, Texas?

About 32.3% of adults age 25 and over in Harris County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Harris County, Texas?

About 15.6% of people in Harris County, Texas live below the federal poverty line.

Has Harris County, Texas grown since 1990?

Yes, Harris County, Texas has grown since 1990. The population has added about 1,912,946 residents, a change of about 68 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →