Harris County
County
Downtown Houston, Harris County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 29°52′N 95°23′W / 29.86°N 95.39°W / 29.86; -95.39
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1836
Named for	John Richardson Harris
Seat	Houston
Largest city	Houston
Area
• Total	1,778 sq mi (4,600 km2)
• Land	1,703 sq mi (4,410 km2)
• Water	74 sq mi (190 km2)  4.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,731,145
• Estimate  (2022)	4,780,913
• Density	2,700/sq mi (1,000/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 18th, 22nd, 29th, 36th, 38th
Website	www.co.harris.tx.us

Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145,^[1] making it the most populous county in Texas and the third-most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, the most populous city in Texas and fourth-most populous city in the United States. The county was founded in 1836 and organized in 1837.^[2][3] It is named for John Richardson Harris, who founded the town of Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou in 1826.^[2] According to the July 2022 census estimate, Harris County's population has shifted to 4,780,913 comprising over 16% of Texas's population.^[4][5] Harris County is included in the nine-county Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area, which is the fifth-most populous metropolitan area in the United States.

History

Human remains date habitation to about 4000 BC. Other evidence of humans in the area dates from about 1400 BC, 1 AD, and later in the first millennium. The region became uninhabited from 1 AD to European contact. Little European activity predates 1821. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca may have visited the area in 1529. French traders recorded passing through in the 18th century. Spaniards attempted to establish a fort in the area around the same time, but did not persist for long.^[2]

The first recorded European settlers in Harris County arrived in 1822. Their schooner sailed into Galveston Bay and ran aground on the Red Fish Bar. Some of those passengers traveled further up the bay system, but it is not known whether they settled up Buffalo Bayou or the San Jacinto River. One of these passengers, a Mr. Ryder, settled at what is now known as Morgan's Point, Texas. Also in 1822, John Iiams settled his family at Cedar Point after sailing from Berwick's Bay, Louisiana. Dr. Johnson Hunter arrived just after Iiams. He also wrecked his boat near Galveston. He settled at Morgan's Point and was a grantee of land there. Nathaniel Lynch settled in the area and operated a ferry.^[6]

In 1824, the land empresario, Stephen F. Austin convened at the house of William Scott for the purpose of conveying titles for Mexican headrights. He was joined by the land commissioner, Baron von Bastrop, and Austin's secretary, Samuel May Williams. About thirty families gained legal titles to land in what would later be known as Harris County. A few immigrants settled on Buffalo Bayou in these early years, including Moses Callahan, Ezekial Thomas, and the Vince brothers.^[6]

Nicolas Clopper arrived in the Galveston Bay area from Ohio in the 1820s. He attempted to develop Buffalo Bayou as a trading conduit for the Brazos River valley. He acquired land at Morgan's Point in 1826.^[7] John Richardson Harris (1790–1829), for whom the county was later named, arrived in 1824. Harris had moved his family to Sainte Genevieve, Missouri Territory, where they had been residing until the early 1820s.^[8]

Harris was granted a league of land (about 4,428 acres) at Buffalo Bayou. He platted the town of Harrisburg in 1826, while he established a trading post and a grist mill there. He ran boats transporting goods between New Orleans and Harrisburg until his death in the fall of 1829.^[9]

The First Congress of the Republic of Texas established Harrisburg County on December 22, 1836. The original county boundaries included Galveston Island, but were redrawn to its current configuration in May 1838.^[2]

The area has had a number of severe weather events, such as the following hurricanes and tropical storms:

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,777 square miles (4,600 km²), of which 1,703 square miles (4,410 km²) is land and 74 square miles (190 km²) (4.2%) is covered by water.^[10] Both its total area and land area are larger than the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

Adjacent counties

• Montgomery (north)
• Liberty (northeast)
• Chambers (east)
• Galveston (southeast)
• Brazoria (south)
• Fort Bend (southwest)
• Waller (northwest)

Communities

Cities

Multiple counties

• Baytown (partly in Chambers County)
• Friendswood (mostly in Galveston County)
• Houston (county seat and largest municipality) (small parts in Fort Bend and Montgomery counties)
• Katy (partly in Fort Bend, Harris, and Waller counties)
• League City (mostly in Galveston County)
• Missouri City (mostly in Fort Bend County)
• Pearland (mostly in Brazoria County and a small part in Fort Bend County)
• Seabrook (some water surface in Chambers County)
• Stafford (mostly in Fort Bend County)
• Waller (partly in Waller County)

Harris County only

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	4,668		—
1860	9,070		94.3%
1870	17,375		91.6%
1880	27,985		61.1%
1890	37,249		33.1%
1900	63,786		71.2%
1910	115,693		81.4%
1920	186,667		61.3%
1930	359,328		92.5%
1940	528,961		47.2%
1950	806,701		52.5%
1960	1,243,158		54.1%
1970	1,741,912		40.1%
1980	2,409,547		38.3%
1990	2,818,199		17.0%
2000	3,400,578		20.7%
2010	4,092,459		20.3%
2020	4,731,145		15.6%
2023 (est.)	4,835,125	[11]	2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[12][failed verification] 1850–2010[13] 2010–2020[1]

Harris County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010[14]	Pop 2020[15]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	1,349,646	1,309,593	32.98%	27.68%
Black or African American alone (NH)	754,258	885,517	18.43%	18.72%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	8,150	8,432	0.20%	0.18%
Asian alone (NH)	249,853	344,762	6.11%	7.29%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	2,260	3,199	0.06%	0.07%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	7,914	23,262	0.19%	0.49%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	48,838	121,671	1.19%	2.57%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,671,540	2,034,709	40.84%	43.01%
Total	4,092,459	4,731,145	100.00%	100.00%

According to the 2000 U.S. census,^[16] 3,400,578 people, 1,205,516 households, and 834,217 families resided in the county; in 2010, the population increased to 4,092,459; by the 2020 U.S. census, Harris County had a population of 4,731,145.^[15] Overall, Harris County's population has recorded positive growth since the 1850 U.S. census tabulated-population of 4,668.

Among the county population, once predominantly non-Hispanic white, the largest racial or ethnic group has become Hispanic or Latino Americans (43.01%) as of 2020.^[15] Following, non-Hispanic whites declined to 27.68% of the population; Black or African Americans were 18.72% of the area population, and Asian Americans made up 7.29% of the county; multiracial Americans increased to 2.57%, American Indians and Alaska Natives declined to 0.18%, and Pacific Islanders grew to 0.07% of the population. Having a large and growing Asian American community alongside Hispanics and Latinos and Black and African American,^[17] the Houston Area Asian Survey of the Kinder Institute of Urban Research Houston Area Survey stated that between 1990 and 2000, the Asian population in Harris County increased by 76%; between 2000 and 2010, it increased by 45%.^[18]

Economically, Harris County along with other Texas counties has one of the nation's highest property tax rates. In 2007, the county was ranked in the top 25 at 22nd in the nation for property taxes as percentage of the homes value on owner-occupied housing; the list only includes counties with a population over 65,000 for comparability.^[19] Additionally, Harris County residents had a median household income of $63,022 with a mean income of $93,184. Families had a median income of $73,274 and mean of $105,534; married-couple families $93,961 with a mean of $128,211; and non-family households a median of $43,488 and mean of $62,435.^[20]

With a poverty rate of 15.6% as of 2020,^[21] Children At Risk—a local nonprofit research organization—estimated 21% of the Harris County children lived in poverty, 6.5 per 1,000 die before age one, and 38% drop out of high school as of 2007.^[22]

As of 2023, Harris County has the second largest population of Black Americans in the nation, only behind Cook County in Illinois. Also Harris County has the second largest Hispanic population in the nation, only behind Los Angeles County in California.^[23]

Language

In 2000, 1,961,993 residents of Harris County spoke English only. The five largest foreign languages in the county were Spanish or Spanish Creole (1,106,883 speakers), Vietnamese (53,311 speakers), Chinese (33,003 speakers), French including Louisiana French and Patois (33,003 speakers), and Urdu (14,595 speakers). Among those who spoke other languages, 46% of Spanish speakers, 37% of Vietnamese speakers, 50% of Chinese speakers, 85% of French speakers, and 72% of Urdu speakers said that they spoke English at least "very well".^[24] By 2020, 55.6% of the county aged 5 and older spoke English only, and 44.4% spoke another language instead of English; Spanish remained the second-most spoken language (35%).^[25]

Religion

In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Harris County was the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston–Houston, with 1,947,223 Catholics worshiping at 109 parishes, followed by 579,759 Southern Baptists with 811 congregations, 348,461 non-denominational Christian adherents with 577 congregations, 182,624 United Methodists with 124 congregations, an estimated 117,148 Muslims with 47 congregations, 44,472 LDS Mormons with 77 congregations, 39,041 Episcopalians with 43 congregations, 34,957 PC-USA Presbyterians with 49 congregations, 33,525 Churches of Christ Christians with 124 congregations, and 30,521 LCMS Lutherans with 46 congregations. Altogether, 58.4% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information.^[26] In 2014, the county had 1,607 religious organizations, the third most out of all U.S. counties.^[27]

Government and politics

County governments serve as agents of the state, with responsibilities defined in the Texas Constitution. Counties are governed by the commissioners' court. Each Texas county has four precinct commissioners and a county judge. Although this body is called a court, it conducts the general business of the county and oversees financial matters.^[28] The commissioners court may hire personnel to run major departments, such as health and human services.

Besides the county judge and commissioners, the other elective offices found in most counties include the county attorney, county and district clerks, county treasurer, sheriff, tax assessor-collector, justices of the peace, and constables. As a part of the checks and balances system, counties have an auditor appointed by the district courts.^[28]

Harris County was one of the earliest areas of Texas to turn Republican. It voted Republican in all but one presidential election from 1952 to 2004, the lone break coming when native Texan Lyndon Johnson carried it in his 44-state landslide in 1964. In 2008, Barack Obama was the first Democrat to win the county since Texas native Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The city of Houston itself holds one of the highest concentrations of Democratic voters in the state, while suburban areas such as Cypress, Spring, and Katy in the county's western and northern areas, tend to be strongly Republican. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county by the largest margin for a Democrat since 1964.^[29] The Democratic Party performed very strongly in the county during the 2018 elections, as it did nationwide.^[30] In 2020, Joe Biden improved Clinton's performance by two points while Donald Trump only increased his vote share by one point. Regardless of the shift towards Democrats and being the most populated county in Texas, for the past 4 elections that it voted for a Democrat, it has always voted to the right of Dallas, Travis, Bexar, and El Paso, each of which have a smaller population.^[31]

In 2013, Allen Turner of the Houston Chronicle said that residents of Harris County were "consistently conservative in elections" and that they were, according to a Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research opinion poll, "surprisingly liberal on topics such as immigration, gun control and equal matrimonial rights for same-sex couples".^[32] Harris is regarded as a moderate or swing county in Texas, and has been a bellwether in presidential elections, voting for winners of every presidential election from 2000 through 2012 (both Barack Obama and Texas resident George W. Bush won the county twice).^[32]

As a result of the Obama sweep in 2008, many Democratic candidates in contests for lower-level offices also benefited, and many Republican incumbents were replaced by Democrats in the Harris County courthouse. Some of the defeated Republican district court judges were later re-appointed to vacant District Court benches by Governor Rick Perry. In 2018, Democrats swept the court capturing all 59 seats on the civil, criminal, family, juvenile and probate courts.^[33]

The Kinder Institute's Houston Survey in 2018 found that from 2014 through 2018 the number of Houston residents who supported adoption of children by same-sex couples climbed above 50% and remained there, while in 2017 over 56% of residents reported gay or lesbian persons among their circle of close personal friends. A 2013 opinion poll had found that 46% of Harris County residents supported same-sex marriage, up from 37% in 2001. Just above 82% favored offering illegal immigrants a path to citizenship provided they speak English and have no criminal record, holding from 83% in 2013, which was up from 19% in 2009. In 2013, 87% supported background checks for all firearms, the latest year that question was included in the Kinder Houston Survey. This measure has moved up steadily from 60% in 1985 to 69% in 2000.^[34][32]

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Harris_County,_Texas
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United States presidential election results for Harris County, Texas^[35]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	700,630	42.69%	918,193	55.94%	22,434	1.37%
2016	545,955	41.61%	707,914	53.95%	58,243	4.44%
2012	586,073	49.31%	587,044	49.39%	15,468	1.30%
2008	571,883	48.82%	590,982	50.45%	8,607	0.73%
2004	584,723	54.75%	475,865	44.56%	7,380	0.69%
2000	529,159	54.28%	418,267	42.91%	27,396	2.81%
1996	421,462	49.24%	386,726	45.18%