Houston
Latest: 2024
Leans Republican — shifted 7.7pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 7.8M residents — 20 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 33.8% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(20) | 37.8% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 17.1% |
▶Asian(6) | 8.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 1.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 0.8% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3) | 0.1% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.4% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 22.8% | 43.3% |
| Catholic | 17.6% | 33.5% |
| Other | 5.1% | 9.8% |
| Mainline Protestant | 4.6% | 8.8% |
| Black Protestant | 2.2% | 4.1% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 1.1% | 2.2% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Non-religious | 47.3% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+9.3 |
| 2020 | Trump+1.6 |
| 2016 | Trump+3.7 |
| 2012 | Romney+13.5 |
| 2008 | McCain+9.6 |
| 2004 | Bush+18.6 |
| 2000 | Bush+18.1 |
| 1996 | Dole+7.3 |
| 1992 | Bush+6.1 |
Houston is a media market that has a population of 7,791,979. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+9.3. Akashic Edge tracks 39 presidential elections here, dating back to 1872.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 44.5% | 53.9% | R+9.3 | R+7.7 |
| 2020 | 48.5% | 50.2% | R+1.6 | D+2.0 |
| 2016 | 46.0% | 49.7% | R+3.7 | D+9.8 |
| 2012 | 42.6% | 56.1% | R+13.5 | R+3.9 |
| 2008 | 44.8% | 54.4% | R+9.6 | D+9.0 |
| 2004 | 40.4% | 59.0% | R+18.6 | R+0.5 |
| 2000 | 39.7% | 57.8% | R+18.1 | R+10.7 |
| 1996 | 43.1% | 50.5% | R+7.3 | R+1.3 |
| 1992 | 37.0% | 43.0% | R+6.1 | D+8.7 |
| 1988 | 42.2% | 56.9% | R+14.8 | D+10.0 |
| 1984 | 37.5% | 62.3% | R+24.8 | R+6.7 |
| 1980 | 39.0% | 57.2% | R+18.2 | R+16.5 |
| 1976 | 48.7% | 50.4% | R+1.7 | D+25.1 |
| 1972 | 36.4% | 63.1% | R+26.8 | R+26.0 |
| 1968 | 39.6% | 40.3% | R+0.8 | R+24.4 |
| 1964 | 61.7% | 38.1% | D+23.6 | D+24.9 |
| 1960 | 48.3% | 49.5% | R+1.2 | D+20.4 |
| 1956 | 38.4% | 60.0% | R+21.7 | R+10.2 |
| 1952 | 44.2% | 55.7% | R+11.5 | R+30.8 |
| 1948 | 51.4% | 32.1% | D+19.3 | — |
What defines Houston?
It has a majority-minority electorate where racial demographics are the primary driver of partisan lean.
Constituent Counties
Similar media markets
Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
Dallas-Fort Worth
Educated rural democratic
San Antonio
Educated rural democratic
Los Angeles
Educated rural democratic
Sacramnto-Stkton-Modesto
Educated rural democratic
Fresno-Visalia
Diverse rural competitive
Las Vegas
Educated rural democratic
Bakersfield
Diverse rural competitive
Austin
Educated rural democratic
Counties in Houston
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 4.8M | D+5.5 | 808,771 | 722,695 | 1,557,484 | 55.6% |
| Fort Bend | 894K | D+1.6 | 179,310 | 173,592 | 362,524 | 12.9% |
| Montgomery | 684K | R+45.5 | 82,277 | 221,964 | 307,258 | 11.0% |
| Brazoria | 391K | R+19.7 | 63,976 | 95,867 | 162,046 | 5.8% |
| Galveston | 359K | R+27.4 | 56,732 | 100,295 | 158,996 | 5.7% |
| Liberty | 103K | R+61.6 | 5,952 | 25,241 | 31,323 | 1.1% |
| Walker | 80K | R+39.9 | 7,461 | 17,515 | 25,175 | 0.9% |
| Waller | 62K | R+25.0 | 10,183 | 17,077 | 27,561 | 1.0% |
| Polk | 53K | R+58.9 | 4,910 | 19,216 | 24,292 | 0.9% |
| Chambers | 51K | R+65.6 | 4,192 | 20,567 | 24,973 | 0.9% |
| Wharton | 42K | R+51.8 | 3,910 | 12,439 | 16,453 | 0.6% |
| Washington | 37K | R+54.7 | 4,058 | 14,020 | 18,217 | 0.6% |
| Matagorda | 36K | R+50.5 | 3,231 | 9,957 | 13,312 | 0.5% |
| Grimes | 31K | R+60.2 | 2,734 | 11,197 | 14,051 | 0.5% |
| Austin | 31K | R+62.7 | 2,816 | 12,457 | 15,383 | 0.5% |
| San Jacinto | 28K | R+65.3 | 2,175 | 10,524 | 12,789 | 0.5% |
| Colorado | 21K | R+57.2 | 2,108 | 7,824 | 9,994 | 0.4% |
| Calhoun | 20K | R+52.2 | 1,853 | 5,939 | 7,832 | 0.3% |
| Jackson | 15K | R+70.8 | 907 | 5,386 | 6,329 | 0.2% |
| Trinity | 14K | R+67.0 | 1,195 | 6,136 | 7,374 | 0.3% |
20 countiesTotal votes: 2,803,366
Ask the Historian
Explore Houston's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Republican in the last 5 presidential elections
- The 2020 election was decided by just 1.6 points — razor-thin
- Swung 7.7 points toward Republican between 2020 and 2024
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Houston | National |
|---|---|---|
▶Hispanic / Latino(20) | 37.8% | 19.3% |
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 33.8% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 17.1% | 12.2% |
▶Asian(6) | 8.0% | 6.0% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.4% | 4.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 1.0% | 0.9% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 0.8% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3) | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
52.7%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -14.3pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.8% | 43.3% | — | — | |
| 17.6% | 33.5% | — | — | |
| 5.1% | 9.8% | — | — | |
| 4.6% | 8.8% | — | — | |
| 2.2% | 4.1% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 1.1% | 2.2% | — | — |
| 0.3% | 0.5% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 47.3% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Houston media market? 7,791,979 residents across 20 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
7.8M
Share of U.S. population
2.33%
Voting-age population
72.9%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$82,380
Poverty rate
14.0%
College degree
35.3%
Homeownership
61.7%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
35.7 yrs
Age 18–29
16.1%
Age 65+
12.6%
Foreign born
23.5%
Non-English at home
39.0%
English only
61.0%
Turnout in Houston
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
49.3%
-0.3pp
5,680,722
1988–2024
How competitive is Houston?
Tilt RAvg margin: R+4.9 (last 3 elections)
2008
R+9.6
2012
R+13.5
2016
R+3.7
2020
R+1.6
2024
R+9.3
11.8pp
0
R+7.6
Do voters in Houston split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Moderate splitting (70/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+9.3 | R+3.9 | 5.4pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 6.8pp
Located In
Houston sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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