Data released March 17 from the U.S. Census Bureau includes information from its Annual Community Survey five-year estimates for 2016-20, including the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the bureau, the pandemic resulted in disruptions to its data collection, and the bureau revised its methodology to reduce bias occurring as a result of nonresponses in 2020.
Montgomery County, which saw its population increase in the last decade, also saw increases in its employed population as well as its total, median and average household income. The county reported a median household income of $83,274, a significant increase over Texas’ $63,526.
A breakdown of additional data is available below. Unless otherwise specified, data compares the 2020 American Community Survey estimates with estimates released in 2015.
Income and employment
Montgomery County saw its median household income increase from $75,274 in 2015 to $83,274 in 2020. The average household income also increased from $104,575 to $117,318.
In 2020, 14.7% of Montgomery County households made $200,000 or more per year, compared to 11.7% of county households in that income bracket in 2015. The county unemployment rate decreased from 6.1% to 4.6% from 2015 to 2020. Of Montgomery County’s population age 16 or over, 64.9% are considered in the workforce, meaning they are employed or are looking for employment.
The 2020 ACS also provided data on occupations for the first time, breaking down the type of work a person does to make a living. Nearly half of Montgomery County’s civilian workforce holds a job in management, business, science or arts. The most common industry for Montgomery County residents to work in 2020 was educational services, health care or social assistance. From 2015 to 2020, the percentage of civilian workers in construction increased from 8.1% to 9.2%, while the manufacturing industry saw a smaller percentage of civilian workers, decreasing from 10% to 8.9%.
