The local area continues to grow.
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Houston is the second fastest-growing major metro area in the U.S., seeing its largest population increase in the past six years, according to a recent census analysis.
Between July 2021 and July 2022, the nine-county Houston metro area, which includes The Woodlands and Sugar Land, added 125,000 residents to its population. The region's population now stands at 7.34 million, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data conducted by the Greater Houston Partnership. Dallas-Fort Worth was the fastest-growing major metro area during the same period.
Most of the growth came for inmigration: Net inmigration reflects the number of people who moved into Houston minus those who moved out. Two-thirds of Houston’s population gains in ’22 came from net inmigration, one-third from the natural increase. The ratio frequently shifts, with inmigration accounting for a larger share of population growth when the region’s economy booms and a smaller share when it struggles.
International migration accounted for over half (55.8 percent) of Houston’s net migration last year and well over one-third (38.2 percent) of the region’s overall gains. The flow of foreign-born residents and workers into the region remains essential for the region’s growth.
According to the Census 2021 American Community Survey (the latest detailed demographics available):
- 24.1 percent of the metro Houston population is foreign-born.
- 30.7 percent of the metro workforce was born outside the U.S.
- Unemployment for Houston’s foreign-born averaged 4.3 percent in ’21 vs. 5.1 percent for the native-born.
- A ’19 study by the Partnership found the output of foreign-born workers accounted for 30.8 percent of the region’s gross domestic product.
