Census: H-GAC region surpasses 6 million

Harris County hits 4 million

Steve Hawley, Apr 08, 10.

The 13-county Houston-Galveston region has surpassed six million residents and Harris County has hit four million, according to official Census estimates gathered by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC).

The Houston-Galveston Area Council provides planning and economic development assistance for the counties of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, Waller, and Wharton. It also provides transportation planning services for the eight counties nearest to Houston. Most of the population - an estimated 5.8 million people - lives in those eight counties, while the other five counties are somewhat sparsely populated.

According to the Census Bureau, the Houston-Galveston region is the sixth-largest in the country, behind New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Philadelphia. In 2009, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston were the two fastest-growing regions in the country. Dallas-Fort Worth added over 146,000 people, or 2.3 percent, while the Houston region grew by almost 141,000 people, or 2.5 percent.

The Census Bureau itself uses a different geographical definition of the Houston region. According to the federal government, the 10-county Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown region excludes Colorado, Matagorda, Walker, and Wharton counties, and it adds San Jacinto, which is north of Liberty and Montgomery counties and east of Walker. The Census Bureau estimates that the 10-county region currently houses 5.86 million people, compared to just over six million in the 13-county H-GAC region.