Demographics of Houston

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This article on the demographics of Houston contains information on population characteristics of Houston, Texas, including households, family status, age, gender, income, race and ethnicity, and crime.

1 Population and households
2 Race and ethnic origins
3 Crime
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Population and households

Year	Population	Rank
City of Houston Past censuses^[1]^[2]
1850	2,396
1860	4,845
1870	9,332
1880	16,513
1890	27,557
1900	44,633	85
1910	78,800	68
1920	138,276	45
1930	292,352	26
1940	384,514	21
1950	596,163	14
1960	938,219	7
1970	1,232,802	6
1980	1,595,138	5
1990	1,630,553	4
2000	1,953,631	4

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,953,631 people, 717,945 households, and 457,330 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,371.7 people per square mile (1,301.8/km²). There were 782,009 housing units at an average density of 1,349.6 per square mile (521.1/km²). If the city of Houston were a U.S. state, it would rank 36th in population—its 2.01 million residents in 2004 would place it behind Nevada and ahead of New Mexico.^[3]^[4] In 2005, the Greater Houston area had a population of 5.3 million.^[5]

There were 717,945 households out of which 33.1 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2 percent were married couples living together, 15.3 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3 percent were non-families. Twenty-nine percent of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the city, the population was spread out with 27.5 percent under the age of 18, 11.2 percent from 18 to 24, 33.8 percent from 25 to 44, 19.1 percent from 45 to 64, and 8.4 percent who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,616, and the median income for a family was $40,443. Males had a median income of $32,084 versus $27,371 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,101. Nineteen percent of the population and 16 percent of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 26.1 percent of those under the age of 18 and 14.3 percent of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit] Race and ethnic origins

Houston is a diverse and international city, in part because of its many academic institutions and strong biomedical, energy, manufacturing and aerospace industries. According to the U.S. Census 2000, the racial makeup of the city was 49.27 percent White, 25.31 percent Black or African American, 0.44 percent Native American, 5.31 percent Asian, 0.06 percent Pacific Islander, 16.46 percent from other races, and 3.15 percent from two or more races. Thirty-seven percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The Hispanic population in Houston is increasing as more immigrants (illegal or otherwise) from Latin American countries look for work in Houston. The city has the third-largest Hispanic population in the United States. It is estimated that about 400,000 immigrants reside in the Houston area illegally.^[6] This influx of immigrants is partially responsible for Houston having a population younger than the national average.

Houston also has large populations of immigrants from Asia. In addition, the city has the largest Vietnamese American population in Texas and third-largest in the United States.^[7]^[8]

[edit] Crime

Since 2005, Houston has been experiencing a spike in crime which is due in part to an influx of people from New Orleans into the city following Hurricane Katrina, according to the Houston Police Department. Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Houston's murder rate increased 70 percent in November and December of 2005 compared to 2004's levels. The city recorded 336 murders in 2005,^[9] in comparison to 272 in 2004.^[10] The majority of the homicides that occurred in the last quarter of 2005 occurred in two "hotspots" — apartment complexes primarily in the southwest and north-central areas of Houston.^[11] Sixty-five homicides (21 percent of the 312 homicides in the first nine months of 2006) have been classified as Katrina-related, meaning either the victim, suspect, or both evacuated to Houston after Katrina.^[12] Houston's murder rate ranked 18th of U.S. cities with a population over 250,000 in 2005.^[13] Despite the rise in homicides of 23.5 percent, nonviolent crime in the city dropped by 2 percent in 2005 compared to 2004.^[9]

In 2006, there has again been an increase in the number of murders, though not as dramatic as seen in 2005.^[9] In 2006, 379 murders were committed in the city. Houston's homicide rate per 100,000 residents increased from 16.33 in 2005 to 17.24 in 2006.^[14] Houston, like other large cities, also faces crime related to gang activities. In 1996, there were about 380 gangs with 8,000 members—about 2,500 of the members were juveniles.^[15] As of 2006, the largest gang was the Southwest Cholos.^[16]