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Houston’s population grows as city remains Texas’ No. 1 destination

by James McClister

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The Texas Association of Realtors just released its annual Texas Relocation Report, which uses data from the  American Community Survey. The numbers confirm that Houston is still a magnetic market.

Here is what we learned:

1. Houston’s population is growing – In 2015, more people moved to Harris County than any other county in the state. And what’s more, comparing population inflow and outflow, Harris was also No. 1 for biggest net population gain, with an increase of nearly 19,000 residents. Houston itself was No. 2 in the state for population inflow, behind Dallas. But looking solely at net gain, Houston, like Harris County, reported the largest growth in the state at 29,339.

Gains by County

County Residents Entering Houston Residents Leaving Houston Net Change in Houston’s Population
Harris 74,829 55,884 18,954
Bexar 40,833 34,917 5,916
Dallas 40,745 37,094 3,651
Tarrant 38,171 29,851 8,320
Travis 31,998 22,750 9,248

Gains by City

City Residents Entering Houston Residents Leaving Houston Net Change in Houston’s Population
Dallas 117,982 92,985 24,997
Houston 101,604 72,265 29,339
Austin 46,598 29,708 16,890
San Antonio 43,388 35,359 8,029
Killeen 23,315 18,423 4,892

2. Texans are choosing Houston, when they have the chance – An odd stat that came out of Texas Realtors’ report was the number of people leaving Houston to go to other Texas cities, and vice versa. Houston was the No. 1 destination for residents who wanted to remain in the state but leave Austin and Dallas, and was the No. 2 destination for residents leaving San Antonio. However, compared to outflow, the only population exchange in which Houston came out with a population increase was with Dallas; the net gain was a little over 800. Otherwise, more people were leaving Houston for other Texas cities than were coming in.

City Residents Entering Houston Residents Leaving Houston Net Change in Houston’s Population
Dallas 14,666 13,852 814
Austin 9,211 13,304 -4,093
San Antonio 7,412 8,568 -1,156
College Station 5,156 6,328 -1,172
Beaumont 4,435 4,834 -399

3. A nationwide magnet – Finally, what is perhaps the most promising stat from the state association’s report was the influx of new residents hailing from other major domestic markets. Houston recorded net gains of Chicagoans, New Yorkers and Los Angelenos, among others. The increases bolster Houston’s claim to call itself one of the country’s most attractive real estate markets.

City Residents Entering Houston Residents Leaving Houston Net Change in Houston’s Population
Los Angeles 5,614 2,403 3,211
New York 5,522 2,605 2,917
Chicago 5,255 2,844 2,411
Washington, D.C. 3,160 N/A N/A
Miami 2,890 N/A N/A

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