DATA: The Woodlands area saw growth in population, income, median age through 2010s

Population, household income and median age in The Woodlands area continued to rise through the 2010s, according to new five-year estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau Dec. 10.

Growth across several demographic categories—a trend also experienced in Montgomery County overall—continued within The Woodlands Township and neighboring cities between the periods of 2010-14 and 2015-19, according to the statistics included in the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey five-year estimates released in December. The Woodlands' population of 102,911 recorded in 2014 estimates grew to 113,819 in the 2019 survey, representing a more than 10% increase from the first to the second half of the 2010s.

Several hundred more residents were recorded in both Oak Ridge North and Shenandoah in the same time period, with the five-year population estimates of those cities rising 1.35% and 20.44%, respectively. Shenandoah grew by less than 500 residents in that time, reaching a population of 2,887 in 2019, while Oak Ridge North's population grew by 42 to a total of 3,149 estimated residents.

Median age also increased in The Woodlands and Shenandoah between the periods of 2010-14 and 2015-19, while Oak Ridge North's fell slightly. The Woodlands residents' median age remained the lowest of the three entities while rising more than 6% from 38 to 40.4, while Shenandoah's rose from 43 to more than 55—a nearly 29% increase resulting from a jump in the percentage of city residents aged 40-79.

In Oak Ridge North, median age dropped 0.63% from 47.3 to 47, as the city's population share fell within every age bracket except 20- to 39-year-olds.

Median annual household income also rose throughout The Woodlands, Shenandoah and Oak Ridge North through the 2010s, with households in The Woodlands remaining the highest local earners at an estimated $122,634 in 2019—a nearly 13% rise over 2014 five-year estimates.

Oak Ridge North's median annual household income rose at a similar rate from an estimated $90,417 to $102,118 over that time, while Shenandoah's median income level increased 2.3% from $78,643 to $80,451.

While the percentage of The Woodlands residents ages 25 and above with both high school diplomas and bachelor's degrees or higher increased, educational attainment in both nearby cities fell. The Woodlands saw a 0.62% increase in those with high school diplomas or higher among its 25-plus population a 5.11% increase in those with a bachelor's degree or higher between 2010-14 and 2015-19. Shenandoah's percentage of high school graduates fell 0.55% along with a more than 6% drop in those with bachelor's degrees, while the percentage of Oak Ridge North residents with high school diplomas or higher fell by around 3% and those with bachelor's degrees fell 27.6%.