In the Heights, River Oaks and Montrose areas of Houston, the population is growing, getting younger and becoming more diverse.
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 2019-23.
The results show that the five-area ZIP codes that represent the Heights, River Oaks and Montrose areas of Houston's Inner Loop are seeing the majority of populations steadily rise while the median age shrinks.
Breaking it down
All five ZIP codes—77006, 77007, 77008, 77019 and 77098—saw growth from 2018 to 2023. Both 77098, which represents Upper Kirby, and 77007, encompassing Washington Avenue and Rice Military, saw the largest population increases at slightly more than 20% each.
The River Oaks and Heights neighborhoods also saw a boost in population at 10.99% and 17.46%, respectively. The Montrose region had the smallest increase with only 1,295 new residents in the last five years.More details
While populations grew in all five areas, the median age of residents either declined or only slightly increased in all but one ZIP code. The median age of Montrose and River Oaks citizens declined one to two years. In Montrose, or 77006, the median age went from 34.6 in 2018 to 33.6 in 2023. In the River Oaks ZIP code, 77019, the median age dropped from 38.6 to 36.5.
In The Heights and Washington Avenue areas, the median age only decreased by less than a year. The 77098 ZIP code was the only area to see a significant increase in age with a 7% difference.Something to note
Demographically, Houston was voted as the fourth most diverse city in the United States in 2023 by WalletHub, a personal finance company. Since then, it was bumped to the top spot in 2024. However, in the Heights, River Oaks and Montrose, the majority of residents still predominately identify as white, according to census data.
The second largest demographic in all five ZIP codes is Hispanic or Latino with the highest count in The Heights at 8,665.
Washington Avenue and Rice Military, 77007, has the highest count of people who identify as Asian of the five ZIP codes at 4,941 and the highest count of people who identify as Black or African American at 4,307.