Higher Education in the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area

Reported by the 2005 American Community Survey in the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area, many men in the area have reached the Bachelors Degree or Higher category, with 29.6 percent reaching this education level. The female population in the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metro area have achieved a lower level of higher education (Bachelors Degree or Higher) than the male population-- 29.6 percent (Men) versus 26 percent (Women). Many of the women in the area achieving a Some College or Associates Degree category, with 28 percent of the women population in the area achieving this level of education.

Between 2000 and 2005, the percent of the male population that can be understood as highly educated has increased by 0.6 percent. By the year 2005, 29.6 percent of area's male population (+25) achieved a BA or Higher. During the same period, the percent of women (+25) that have earned a BA or higher has increased by a total of 1.8 percent. By 2005, a total of 26 percent of the female population had achieved this level of education.

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area has a moderately-educated population, with 27.8 percent of the over 25 years old population having a Bachelors Degree or Higher, according to the 2005 American Community Survey. The Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land MSA is reported having a higher percent of individuals with higher educations than the State of Texas's proportion of 25.2 percent and a higher percent than the US proportion of 27.2 percent.

Since 2000, the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metro area has increased in the total percent of the over 25 population having a Bachelors Degree or Higher. This population group has grown by 1.2 percent to a total of 27.8 percent in 2005, as reported by the American Community Survey. The proportion of the 2005 population having received at least a BA is greater than the State of Texas percent of 25.2 and greater than the US percent of 27.2.

In the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX Metro Area as reported in the 2005 American Community Survey, 29.8 percent of the White Alone, 21 percent of Black or African American, 53.4 percent of the Asian alone and 9.2 percent of the Hispanic or Latino (+25) population has achieved at least a Bachelors Degree.

Datasource: U.S. Bureau of the Census. 2000 Decennial Census. 2005 American Community Survey.

Demographic Profile for Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX

The Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metro area had a total estimated population of 5,280,077 for the year 2005. The total population has increased sharply, since the population in 2000 of 4,741,420. This growth shows an increase of 11.4 percent. Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land ranks 2 of 25 MSAs when calculating total change in population for Texas and the metro area ranks 5 of 361 metro areas in terms of population growth in the United States.

The Census Bureau estimates in 2005 the median age in the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metro area to be 32.9 years of age. The median age in Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land is less than the median in Texas of 33.2. Since the year 2000, the area has seen an increase in the median age, at that time the median was 31.9 years of age. With a total of 0.7 percent of the population in the year 2005 being made up of individuals less than 18 years old, Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land can be understood as having a medium-high proportion of youths. The working age population group (18-64) has a medium-low representation within the population, making up 61.6 percent of the population makes up this age category. The retirement (65 and over) age group comprises 13.4 percent of the population. When compared to other metro areas in the United States, this represents a medium-low proportion of the population.

The Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area (MSA) has a population base that is comprised of 44.7 percent White, 16.3 percent African American, 5.5 percent Asian, and 32.2 percent Hispanic. The population mix can be considered to have a very high level of racial and ethnic diversity, with 54.0 percent of minorities in the 2005 population base. This is greater than the State of Texas percent of 49.5. Since 2000, Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land has increased the level of diversity when 50.6 percent of the population were minorities.

When measuring the total land area, the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metro area spans a total area of 8928 square miles. The land areas has a high density of 591 persons per square mile, in 2005. Other US metro areas with similar densities include: -- more densely populated -- Bremerton-Silverdale (608 per sq. mile ), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (647 per sq. mile ), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (655 per sq. mile ), -- less densely populated -- Racine (588 per sq. mile ), Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta (587 per sq. mile ), Barnstable Town (573 per sq. mile ).

Estimated since the year 2000, a very high number of individuals migrated into the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metro area, with 210,440 people migrating in from outside the country. The immigration into Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land accounts for 31.7 percent of the total migration into the State of Texas. This amount of international migration is very high when analyzed against immigration per population in 2005.

Datasource: Population Estimates Program, U.S. Bureau of the Census.