Editor’s note: In its “Economy at a Glance” report for October, the Greater Houston Partnership – the regional chamber of commerce – examines new American Community Survey (ACS) data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, which shows the Houston metropolitan region growing more diverse, more educated, and aging at a slower pace than the nation overall. This article first appeared in The Leader’s sister paper, the Fort Bend Star.
Each fall, the U.S. Census Bureau releases new American Community Survey (ACS) estimates, showing how the nation’s demographic, social, economic, and housing characteristics have changed relative to the previous year. The 2024 data, released in September, includes estimates for Houston and other major metro areas. In this issue of Glance, the Partnership examines some of the ways the region has changed over the past decade. Subsequent editions of Glance will look at the same ACS data in greater detail, comparing Houston to its peer metropolitan areas.
Race and Ethnicity
The Houston region, already one of the nation’s most ethnically and racially diverse metros, has grown even more diverse over the past decade. Since 2014, the region’s Hispanic or Latino population has increased by nearly 700,000, while non-Hispanic Black and Asian populations have added over 200,000 residents each. The non-Hispanic white population has declined slightly, though part of this change may be due to the growing number of residents who now identify with more than one race – a group that has nearly tripled during the same period.
Hispanic or Latino residents make up the largest racial/ethnic group in the region, followed closely by non-Hispanic white residents. But, as has been the case since the late 1990s, no single group constitutes a majority.
Age
Houston continues to be younger than the nation as a whole, with a median age of 35.7 years old compared to the U.S. median of 39.1. The region’s population is aging, but at a gradual pace. The median age has increased by one year and eight months since 2014 – but it held steady between 2023 and 2024.
Improved healthcare technology and declines in harmful behaviors such as smoking have extended life expectancies and helped expand Houston’s senior population. A decade ago, residents aged 65 and older made up about 1 in 10 Houstonians, but last year they accounted for roughly 1 in 8.
Foreign-Born Population
More than 1 in 4 Houstonians was born outside the United States. In 2024, 25.4 percent of the metro area’s residents were in a foreign country, up from 23.1 percent in 2014. Nationwide, the share of foreign-born residents in 2024 was significantly lower at 14.8 percent
Houston added more than 480,000 foreign-born residents over the decade, with international migration representing the region’s largest source of population growth. Metro Houston’s 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.
Houston’s foreign-born residents come from all corners of the globe. Just under half (48.5 percent) come from Central America (defined by the Census Bureau to include Mexico), 24.9 percent come from Asia, 8.6 percent from South America, 7.0 percent from Africa, 6.0 percent from the Caribbean, 3.9 percent from Europe, 1.0 percent from North America, and 0.2 percent from Oceania.
The three Central American countries of Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras are the most common places of birth for the region’s foreign-born population, but the Asian countries of India and Vietnam are not far behind, with over 100,000 residents each. Despite their prominence, these five countries account for just 13.8 percent of Houston’s foreign-born residents.
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.
Find the full “Economy at a Glance” report at houston.org/houston-data/economy-at-a-glance-october-2025. Find the recently released ACS data at census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/news/data-releases/2024/release.html.
