Official Federal Data
Galveston County, Texas
FIPS 48167 · Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · Population 358,990
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$86,105 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.4%
Unemployment
4% national
$26.3B ▲
GDP
34.8% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$86,105 ▲
Per Capita
$44,946 ▲
Mean Household
$114,254 ▲
Poverty Rate
11.7% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Galveston County$86,105
Texas$78,476
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.6%
18-34 · 21.2%
35-54 · 26.5%
55-64 · 13%
65+ · 15.8%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
89.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +0.3 pts
34.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 0.9 pts
11.6%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 2.5 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
358,990
Population
181,329
Labor Force
Employed
170,117
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.4%
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
27.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.7%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Accommodation and Food Services employs 19,160 workers (23.6% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $25,910.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $26.3B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Manufacturing averages $143,514 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $25,910, a 5.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Seeing a change here?
Get Deeper Trends
EP customers get year-over-year deltas, WARN notices, and SEC filings for every sector tracked above, surfaced as proactive alerts, not after-the-fact news.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Accommodation & Food Services Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
16,889
Cluster Employment
1.74x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
5.98x 860
Fishing, Hunting and Trapping
4.53x 27
Water Transportation
4.26x 233
Support Activities for Transportation
3.93x 2,567
Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation
2.74x 66
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
2.16x 2,046
Repair and Maintenance
2.15x 2,498
Oil and Gas Extraction
1.88x 175
Food Services and Drinking Places
1.74x 16,889
Support Activities for Mining
1.65x 351
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.07x
Machinery Manufacturing
57 employed
0.08x
Management of Companies and Enterprises
166 employed
0.16x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
220 employed
0.16x
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
80 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar concentrates at 5.98x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$314,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,404 ▲
Rent/Mo
67.6% ▲
Owner-Occ
13.1% ▼
Vacancy
3.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,280/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,323/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,573/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,116/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,639/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,153/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.7x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Elevated vacancy: 13.1% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,153/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
217,702 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
27.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.7%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
80.2%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
34.8% ▲
HS Diploma+
89.9% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
79,681/yr
20,117/yr
17,432/yr
11,449/yr
10,913/yr
10,852/yr
8,918/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.4%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
44.5%
Service
17%
Sales & Office
18.5%
Construction / Maint.
8.6%
Production / Transport
11.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 170,117 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 48,998 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Galveston County shows strong potential for museums, historical sites, and similar attraction, with a 5.98x concentration and 860 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across museums, historical sites, and similar, fishing, hunting and trapping, and water transportation creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
Take it further
AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.
Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.
Schedule a DemoAvailable as premium offerings.
Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Galveston County, Texas, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Galveston County, Texas?
358,990 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Galveston County, Texas?
$86,105 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Galveston County, Texas?
4.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Galveston County, Texas?
$26.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
Galveston County, TX: Public data. Imagine the full platform.
Get a Demo →