The five local ZIP codes representing the Southwest Inner Loop of Houston show a fluctuation in population, median age and diversity, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
What you need to know
The U.S. Census Bureau on Dec. 12 released new-five year data for 2023 as part of its American Community Survey, or ACS. The new data represents a 5-year estimate from 2019 to 2023 compared to data studied from 2014 to 2018.
The results show that although West University, Bellaire and Meyerland are close in proximity, the areas differ in population growth and secondary diversity.
Zooming in
The cities of West University and Bellaire saw a decrease in population from 2018 to 2023 while Meyerland, Braeswood and Texas Medical Center areas saw slight increases.
The 77030 ZIP code, which encompasses the Texas Medical Center and the Houston Museum District, saw the most significant increase at 18.36%, or the addition of 2,013 people.
West University’s population decreased by 1.12% while neighboring city Bellaire saw a decrease of 11.19%.
A closer look
Demographically, the majority of all five ZIP codes, is made of people who identify themselves as white. In West University and Bellaire, Hispanic and/or Latino represent the second highest diversity at 2,628 and 1,880, respectively.
The 77030 ZIP code is the only area out of all five where Black or African Americans are the second most populous race with 2,002 people.
However, over 5,000 people combined from all five ZIP codes identified as two or more races. The 77025 ZIP code near Braeswood and Willowbend showed the highest number in 2023 at 1,864 people. The 77030 ZIP code had the lowest number at 398.
More details
The five areas were most similar when comparing median age with a range from 32.4 to 45.1. West University, Texas Medical Center and Meyerland residents all got nominally younger by 1% to 5%.
Residents near Braeswood jumped from a median age of 36.8 to 39.1. Bellaire citizens also grew in age by roughly two years, jumping from 43.5 to 45.1.
