Census Data for Houston

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Houston a population of 2,315,720 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Houston a population of 2,099,451 people.

The city of Houston is located in Harris County. The 2010 Census gave Harris County; a population of 4,092,459 people. This means that Houston had 51.3% of the county's total population, making it Harris' most populous community.

At the same time, Texas had a population of 25,145,561 people, meaning that Houston had 8.35% of the total population of Texas - making it the state's most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Houston has a total area of 627 square miles [1,625.2 km²]. Of this total, 599 square miles [1,552.9 km²] is land, with the balance (4.45%) being water (27.91 square miles [72.3 km²]).

Harris County has a land area of 1,703 square miles [4,412 km²]. At 599 square miles [1,552.9 km²], Houston has 35.2% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Houston, 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 Houston reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Houston 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° 46' 49"   (or 29.78°)
  • Lon:   -95° 23' 10"   (or -95.39°)
  • 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, Houston had 892,646 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 2,099,451 people, this averages 2.35 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Houston had a land area of 599 square miles [1,552.9 km²]. This translates to 1,422 Housing Units per square mile [549 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Houston had 782,009 Housing Units, a population of 1,953,631 people and a land area of 579 square miles [1,500.7 km²]. This gives a density of 2.5 people per Housing Unit and 1,299 Housing Units per square mile [501 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Houston and you need to be careful when comparing values 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).

Harris County ...

The city of Houston is primarily located in Harris County<4> and is the County Seat for Harris County. A portion of Houston extends into Fort Bend County and Montgomery County.

The county had a population of 4,092,459 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 2,099,451 people, Houston represented 51.3% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Houston has a population density of 3,345 people per square mile [1,291 people/km²], Harris County averages 2,402 people per square mile [927 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Harris County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Houston, 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 Houston. 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 Houston 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 Houston, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Houston.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   29.780472°   (or 29°46'49" N)
  • Lon:   -95.386342°   (or -95°23'10" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   29.762895°   (or 29°45'46" N)
  • Lon:   -95.383173°   (or -95°22'59" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 6,486 feet to the north<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 (#2410796) to Houston. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Houston. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   29.780329°   (or 29°46'49" N)
  • Lon:   -95.386379°   (or -95°23'10" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 53.4 feet to the north<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Houston. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Houston.

Miscellaneous Information for Houston ...

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

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Houston:
  • GNIS ID for Houston: 2410796
  • GNIS ID for Harris County: 1383886
  • GNIS ID for State of Texas: 1779801

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 48 (Texas)
  • County Code: 201 (Harris County)
  • Place Code: 35000 (Houston)
  • State & County Code: 48/201 (Texas / Harris County)
  • State & Place Code: 48/35000 (Texas / Houston)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Houston 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 Houston, 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 Houston:<7>
  • 77001, 77002, 77003, 77004, 77005, 77006, 77007, 77008, 77009, 77010, 77011, 77012, 77013, 77014, 77015, 77016, 77017, 77018, 77019, 77020, 77021, 77022, 77023, 77024, 77025, 77026, 77027, 77028, 77029, 77030, 77031, 77032, 77033, 77034, 77035, 77036, 77037, 77038, 77039, 77040, 77041, 77042, 77043, 77044, 77045, 77046, 77047, 77048, 77049, 77050, 77051, 77052, 77053, 77054, 77055, 77056, 77057, 77058, 77059, 77060, 77061, 77062, 77063, 77064, 77065, 77066, 77067, 77068, 77069, 77070, 77071, 77072, 77073, 77074, 77075, 77076, 77077, 77078, 77079, 77080, 77081, 77082, 77083, 77084, 77085, 77086, 77087, 77088, 77089, 77090, 77091, 77092, 77093, 77094, 77095, 77098, 77201, 77202, 77203, 77204, 77205, 77206, 77207, 77208, 77209, 77212, 77215, 77216, 77217, 77218, 77219, 77220, 77221, 77222, 77223, 77224, 77225, 77226, 77227, 77228, 77229, 77230, 77233, 77234, 77235, 77236, 77237, 77240, 77241, 77242, 77243, 77244, 77248, 77251, 77252, 77253, 77254, 77255, 77256, 77257, 77258, 77261, 77262, 77265, 77266, 77267, 77268, 77269, 77270, 77271, 77272, 77273, 77274, 77277, 77279, 77282, 77284, 77287, 77288, 77289, 77290, 77291, 77292, 77297 & 77299.

• 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 Houston.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Houston: www.cityofhouston.gov/

The official website for Harris County: www.co.harris.tx.us/

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.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)