Census Data for Houma

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Houma a population of 32,753 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Houma a population of 33,727 people.

The city of Houma is located in Terrebonne Parish. The 2010 Census gave Terrebonne Parish; a population of 111,860 people. This means that Houma had 30.15% of the parish's total population, making it Terrebonne's most populous community.

At the same time, Louisiana had a population of 4,533,372 people, meaning that Houma had 0.74% of the total population of Louisiana - making it the state's 10th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Houma has a total area of 14.64 square miles [37.9 km²]. Of this total, 14.42 square miles [37.3 km²] is land, with the balance (1.52%) being water (0.22 square miles [0.6 km²]).

Terrebonne Parish has a land area of 1,231 square miles [3,190.4 km²]. At 14.42 square miles [37.3 km²], Houma has 1.17% of the parish's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Houma, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Houma reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Houma might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   29° 34' 43"   (or 29.58°)
  • Lon:   -90° 42' 28"   (or -90.71°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Houma had 13,924 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 33,727 people, this averages 2.42 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Houma had a land area of 14.42 square miles [37.3 km²]. This translates to 951 Housing Units per square mile [367.2 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Houma had 12,514 Housing Units, a population of 32,393 people and a land area of 14.03 square miles [36.3 km²]. This gives a density of 2.59 people per Housing Unit and 883 Housing Units per square mile [341.1 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Houma and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Terrebonne Parish ...

Houma is located in Terrebonne Parish<4> and is the Parish Seat for Terrebonne Parish.

The county had a population of 111,860 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 33,727 people, Houma represented 30.15% of the parish's total.

In addition, where the city of Houma has a population density of 2,303 people per square mile [889 people/km²], Terrebonne Parish averages 90.8 people per square mile [35.06 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Terrebonne Parish.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Houma, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Houma. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Houma or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Houma, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Houma.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   29.578630°   (or 29°34'43" N)
  • Lon:   -90.708032°   (or -90°42'28" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   29.587614°   (or 29°35'15" N)
  • Lon:   -90.716108°   (or -90°42'57" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 4,157 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2404734) to Houma. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Houma. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   29.579948°   (or 29°34'47" N)
  • Lon:   -90.705483°   (or -90°42'19" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 940 feet to the southwest<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Houma. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Houma.

Miscellaneous Information for Houma ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county, parish and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Terrebonne Parish or the city of Houma:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Houma:
  • GNIS ID for Houma: 2404734
  • GNIS ID for Terrebonne Parish: 559517
  • GNIS ID for State of Louisiana: 1629543

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 22 (Louisiana)
  • County Code: 109 (Terrebonne Parish)
  • Place Code: 36255 (Houma)
  • State & County Code: 22/109 (Louisiana / Terrebonne Parish)
  • State & Place Code: 22/36255 (Louisiana / Houma)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Houma is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #7 (the West South-Central Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Houma, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. It's important to remember that the boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • Our list of ZIP codes for Houma:<7>
  • 70360, 70363 & 70364.

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Houma.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Houma. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Louisiana: louisiana.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)