Harris County

Harris County, Texas — key demographics (latest Census data)

Population

• 2023 population estimate: 4,835,000 (U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program)
• 2020 Census count: 4,731,145

Age

• Median age: 34 years
• Under 18: 25.7%
• 18 to 64: 62.2%
• 65 and over: 12.1%

Sex

• Male: 50.3%
• Female: 49.7%

Race and ethnicity (mutually exclusive; Hispanic is of any race)

• Hispanic or Latino: 45.5%
• Non-Hispanic White: 28.0%
• Non-Hispanic Black: 18.7%
• Non-Hispanic Asian: 7.1%
• Non-Hispanic other/multiracial (incl. American Indian/Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, two or more races): 0.7%

Households and families

• Total households: 1.69 million
• Average household size: 2.93
• Family households: 69% of households
• Households with children under 18: 36%
• Housing tenure: 54% owner-occupied, 46% renter-occupied

Insights

• The county is majority-minority with a large Hispanic population and a relatively young age profile.
• Household size is above the U.S. average, and the renter share is comparatively high for a large county.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Population Estimates Program (PEP) and 2023 American Community Survey 1-year estimates.

• Scope: Harris County, TX (pop. ≈4.8M; third‑most‑populous U.S. county). Adults 18+ ≈3.46M.
• Estimated email users: ≈3.26M adults (about 94% of adults use email, in line with national usage among internet users).
• Age distribution of email users (approx.):
  • 18–34: ~1.22M
  • 35–54: ~1.19M
  • 55–64: ~0.47M
  • 65+: ~0.38M (lower adoption vs. younger cohorts)
• Gender split: Essentially even, mirroring population (≈50% female, 50% male), yielding ~1.63M users per gender.
• Digital access and trends (ACS-based):
  • Households ≈1.7M; ~89% have a broadband subscription.
  • ~9–10% (≈150–170K households) lack any home internet.
  • ~14% of households are cellular‑only for internet, indicating strong mobile‑first email behavior.
  • Device access is broad; computer-plus-smartphone households dominate, but smartphone‑only access is material in lower‑income tracts.
• Local density/connectivity facts:
  • Highly urbanized Houston metro; population density ≈2,700–2,900 residents per sq. mile.
  • Extensive ISP competition with widespread cable and growing fiber coverage; all major carriers provide 5G, supporting high mobile email engagement.
• Insight: Email reach is effectively universal among working‑age adults; the main gap is older adults and households without fixed broadband, where mobile‑only access remains a key channel.

Harris County, TX mobile phone usage: summary, estimates, demographic profile, and infrastructure, with emphasis on where it differs from Texas overall

Scale and user estimates

• Population and households: ≈4.8 million residents and about 1.74 million households (2023).
• Smartphone presence (household-level): 94% of Harris County households report having a smartphone (vs 92% statewide), equal to roughly 1.64 million households with at least one smartphone. Source: ACS 2023 1-year, S2801.
• Mobile-only home internet (cellular data plan only): 21% of Harris County households rely on a cellular data plan with no other home internet (vs 18% statewide). That’s about 370,000 mobile-only households locally. Source: ACS 2023 1-year, S2801.
• Broadband subscription (any type): 92% (Harris) vs 90% (Texas). Wired/fixed broadband (cable, fiber, or DSL) specifically: 79% (Harris) vs 75% (Texas). Source: ACS 2023 1-year, S2801.
• Households with no internet subscription: 8% in Harris County vs 10% statewide. Source: ACS 2023 1-year, S2801.
• Estimated individual smartphone users: ≈3.5–3.8 million residents use a smartphone in Harris County, reflecting near-ubiquity among adults and teens in large metros and aligning with the high household smartphone rate.

Demographic breakdown and usage patterns

• Age:
  • Younger households are nearly universally smartphone-equipped; seniors remain the main gap. Households headed by someone 65+ are far more likely to lack any internet (≈16% in Harris County vs ≈18% statewide), and—when connected—are less likely to be mobile-only than younger households. Source: ACS 2023 microdata patterns consistent with S2801 age breakouts.
• Income:
  • Lower-income households are both highly mobile-reliant and more likely to be unconnected: in Harris County, mobile-only rates among households under $25,000 are roughly 30%+, compared with low teens in higher-income brackets; no-internet rates are several times higher at the lowest incomes. This gap is wider in Harris County than statewide because mobile service is a lower-cost on-ramp in urban neighborhoods with tighter budgets.
• Race/ethnicity and language:
  • Hispanic and Black households in Harris County exhibit higher mobile-only reliance than the county average (mid-20s percent for Hispanic households and low-20s for Black households, vs mid-teens for non-Hispanic White and Asian households). Spanish-speaking households are notably more mobile-dependent than English-only households. The urban demographic mix in Harris County amplifies these differences more than the Texas average.

Digital infrastructure and performance

• Coverage and 5G:
  • All three national carriers provide essentially countywide 4G LTE and 5G coverage, with mid-band 5G widely deployed and dense small-cell grids in central Houston, the Texas Medical Center, the Energy Corridor, the Galleria/Post Oak area, and along major freeways. Millimeter-wave 5G is present in high-traffic venues and districts (e.g., Downtown, NRG Park, Minute Maid Park, Toyota Center, the George R. Brown Convention Center, IAH and HOU airports).
• Capacity and backhaul:
  • Harris County benefits from extensive metro fiber backhaul (AT&T, Comcast, Lumen, Zayo, Crown Castle and others) and thousands of small cells supporting 5G capacity. This densification exceeds typical Texas markets outside the DFW/Austin cores and underpins higher median 5G throughputs and better peak-time performance than the statewide average.
• Resilience:
  • The Gulf Coast hazard profile (hurricanes, flooding) drives above-average investment in backup power, mobile recovery assets (COWs/COLTs), and hardened transport in Harris County. Outage risks are more about weather events than coverage deficits, a different constraint than many rural Texas counties face.

How Harris County differs from the Texas average

• More mobile-first: A higher share of households rely solely on cellular data for home internet (21% vs 18%), and smartphone presence in households is higher (94% vs 92%).
• Better wired availability but sharper affordability divide: Fixed broadband availability and take-up are higher than the state average, yet income- and language-linked gaps remain pronounced, pushing more residents into mobile-only solutions than the statewide pattern would suggest.
• Denser, faster 5G: Far denser small-cell and fiber backhaul deployment enable stronger mid-band 5G performance than the Texas average outside the largest metros.
• Fewer unserved households: A smaller share of households have no internet at all (8% vs 10% statewide), reflecting urban infrastructure advantages, but the remaining unconnected cluster is concentrated among seniors, very low-income, and limited-English households.

Key takeaways

• Harris County is a mobile-first, 5G-saturated urban market: smartphone penetration is near universal at the household level, and mobile-only home internet is meaningfully above the Texas average.
• Infrastructure depth, not coverage scarcity, defines the local experience: dense small cells and fiber backhaul drive capacity and speeds; resilience planning addresses storm-related risks.
• Digital equity remains the main constraint: affordability and language are stronger determinants of mobile reliance and non-adoption than physical access, producing a sharper mobile-only skew than the statewide profile despite better infrastructure.

Social media usage in Harris County, TX (2024–2025)

Population base and context

• Adults (18+): approximately 3.55 million (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023). Median age ≈34; ≈45% Hispanic/Latino; ≈19% Black; ≈8% Asian; ≈28% non-Hispanic White; ≈50% speak a language other than English at home. These demographics favor high mobile, video, and bilingual social engagement.

Most-used platforms among adults Note: Percentages are Pew Research Center 2024 U.S. adult usage rates; user counts are modeled for Harris County’s adult population (rounded).

• YouTube: 83% (~2.95M adults)
• Facebook: 68% (~2.41M)
• Instagram: 47% (~1.67M)
• Pinterest: 35% (~1.24M)
• TikTok: 33% (~1.17M)
• LinkedIn: 30% (~1.07M)
• WhatsApp: 29% (~1.03M)
• Snapchat: 27% (~0.96M)
• X (Twitter): 22% (~0.78M)
• Reddit: 22% (~0.78M)
• Nextdoor: 20% (~0.71M)

Age-group patterns (Pew 2024, applied to the county’s age mix)

• 18–29: Very high YouTube use (90%+). Instagram (75%+) and Snapchat/TikTok (60%+) dominate daily social activity; Facebook is lower (50%).
• 30–49: Multi-platform heavy users: YouTube (90%+), Facebook (70%+), Instagram (~50%); TikTok around ~40%.
• 50–64: Facebook (70%+) and YouTube (80%+) lead; Instagram (~30%); TikTok low-to-mid teens.
• 65+: Facebook (50%) and YouTube (60%) anchor usage; other platforms low.

Gender breakdown

• Overall social media user base is roughly even by gender, reflecting the county’s near 50/50 split (ACS).
• Platform skews (Pew 2024):
  • Women over-index on Pinterest (~50% of women vs ~20% of men), Facebook, and Instagram.
  • Men over-index on Reddit (~36% of men vs ~10% of women), X/Twitter, and YouTube.
  • WhatsApp usage is broad, with high adoption among Hispanic users of all genders.

Behavioral trends observed/applicable locally

• Short‑form video first: Reels and TikTok are primary discovery and engagement surfaces across 18–49, with cross-posting common.
• Community and commerce: Facebook Groups/Marketplace and Nextdoor see strong use for neighborhood info, small business discovery, and buy/sell activity.
• Messaging as the engagement layer: DMs on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp drive a large share of responses and conversions versus public comments.
• Bilingual content wins: High Spanish and bilingual consumption; creators and brands that post in both English and Spanish see meaningfully higher reach among Hispanic audiences.
• Event- and weather-driven spikes: Engagement surges around local news, severe weather, traffic, sports (Astros/Rockets), and civic updates; accounts like ReadyHarris and local TV/radio pages act as aggregation hubs.
• Visual-first verticals: Food, nightlife, festivals, and real estate perform best on Instagram/TikTok; B2B, energy, and healthcare hiring/industry content over-index on LinkedIn.

Methodology and sources

• Adult population and demographics: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2023 (Harris County, TX).
• Platform usage percentages and age/gender skews: Pew Research Center, Social Media Use in 2024. County user counts are modeled by applying Pew’s U.S. adult platform usage rates to Harris County’s adult population. Figures are rounded and represent likely orders of magnitude for planning.