Harris County, Texas

Harris County is a county in Texas, United States, anchored by Houston on the upper Gulf Coast
about 50 miles inland from Galveston Bay. It had a population of 4,731,145 at the 2020 census, an
estimated 5,045,026 by 2025, and covers 1,777.36 square miles (4,603.34 km2) centred near
29°51′N 95°24′W — making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous
in the United States.

Houston is the county seat and by far its largest city; its downtown postal code is 77002. The
county holds 34 incorporated cities and villages, all or partly within its borders, plus a dozen
large unincorporated communities and hundreds of smaller subdivisions, and it runs on Central
Time.

Towns & Villages in Harris County

Harris County has 34 incorporated cities and villages on record, either wholly inside the
county or with part of their limits here. Several of the largest — League City, Pearland,
Missouri City, Friendswood, Stafford, Katy and Baytown — sit mostly in a neighboring county,
so the population figures below are citywide totals, not Harris County’s share alone. City · seat
marks the seat of government; Village covers the six small residential municipalities that
incorporated under that name.

Below the incorporated cities, Harris County lists 12 census-designated places — large
unincorporated communities with no city government of their own. The five largest are shown here;
Barrett, Mission Bend, Sheldon, Cinco Ranch and Crosby round out the rest of the twelve.

Beyond the CDPs, several hundred smaller subdivisions and unincorporated neighborhoods carry
their own place names across the county — too many for one page to list with population and
ZIP data attached — and this page focuses on the 34 incorporated municipalities and 12
recognised CDPs instead. One straddling case worth noting: The Woodlands, a large planned
community, is primarily in Montgomery County, with only its southern edge reaching into Harris,
so it is not listed above as a Harris County place.

ZIP Codes

Harris County spans well over 100 ZIP codes, radiating out from Houston’s central 770xx
block. Rather than list every code, the principal ones by area are: 77002 and 77003–77007 for
downtown and near-downtown Houston; 77024 for the Memorial Villages (Bunker Hill, Hedwig, Hilshire,
Piney Point, Spring Valley and Hunters Creek); 77401 for Bellaire and 77005 for West University
Place and Southside Place; 77501–77508 for Pasadena; 77520–77523 for Baytown; 77536 for
Deer Park; 77571 for La Porte, Shoreacres and Morgan’s Point; 77586 for Seabrook, El Lago and
Taylor Lake Village; 77338 for Humble; 77346 for Atascocita; 77373 for Spring; and 77484 for
Waller. Smaller villages without a dedicated post office, such as Hilshire Village and Spring
Valley Village, share their ZIP with a neighboring city rather than issuing their own.

Geography

Harris County sits on the upper Texas Gulf Coast, a flat coastal plain crossed by bayous that
drain southeast into Galveston Bay. Of its 1,777.36 square miles, 1,707.29 are land and 70.07 are
water, about 3.9 percent — the Houston Ship Channel, Buffalo Bayou, and the San Jacinto
River’s reservoir system, Lake Houston, account for most of that surface water. Buffalo Bayou
runs through downtown Houston toward the ship channel and Galveston Bay; the San Jacinto River
forms part of the county’s eastern edge near Highlands and Crosby.

Montgomery County lies to the north, Liberty County to the northeast, Chambers County to the
east, Galveston County to the southeast, Brazoria County to the south, Fort Bend County to the
southwest, and Waller County to the west. Montgomery
County, Liberty County, Chambers County, Galveston County, Brazoria County, Fort Bend County and Waller County all border Harris directly.

Demographics

Harris County had a population of 4,731,145 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts
the county near 5,045,026 residents. Houston and Pasadena are by far its two largest communities;
Houston alone holds roughly half the county’s total population. Median household income runs
$73,104 (2023 ACS), below the Texas statewide figure of $75,780. Population density works out to
roughly 2,771 people per square mile of land — dense by Texas standards and reflecting the
county’s position at the core of the Houston metropolitan area. The county’s 2020 racial
makeup was 43.0 percent Hispanic or Latino, 36.4 percent White, 19.2 percent Black or African
American and 7.4 percent Asian.

Economy & Local Life

Energy dominates the county’s economy: Houston hosts dozens of energy-related Fortune 500
companies and thousands of oil, gas and petrochemical establishments, and the region accounts for
roughly a third of all U.S. oil and gas extraction jobs. The Houston Ship Channel, running through
eastern Harris County past Deer Park, Baytown, Pasadena and La Porte, carries the nation’s
largest petrochemical manufacturing complex and feeds the Port of Houston, the country’s
busiest port by foreign tonnage. The Texas Medical Center, just south of downtown Houston, employs
more than 65,000 health care professionals across its hospitals and research institutions —
the largest medical complex of its kind in the world. NASA’s Johnson Space Center, in the
Clear Lake area near Webster and Nassau Bay, anchors an aerospace cluster of several thousand
federal and contractor jobs. Houston’s biggest annual event is the Houston Livestock Show and
Rodeo each March, one of the largest rodeos in the world and a major draw for the whole county.

History

The Republic of Texas Congress created Harris County on 22 December 1836, one of the
republic’s original counties. It was named for John Richardson Harris, who arrived in the
area in 1824 and founded the trading settlement of Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou in 1826. Houston,
founded in 1836 by the Allen brothers just upstream of Harrisburg, became the county seat and grew
into the region’s dominant city through the 19th and 20th centuries.

Harrisburg itself was burned by retreating Mexican forces in April 1836, days before the Battle
of San Jacinto was fought on the county’s eastern edge, near present-day Highlands —
the battle that won Texas independence. The county’s growth accelerated after the 1900
Galveston hurricane pushed shipping interests inland to Houston, and after the Houston Ship
Channel opened to deep-draft vessels in 1914, turning the bayou city into a major port far from
open water.

Getting There

Interstate 10, Interstate 45 and Interstate 69 (US 59) all cross the county and converge in
downtown Houston, along with the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) loop and the outer Grand
Parkway (State Highway 99).

• Downtown Houston — central
• Baytown — about 25 miles east
• Katy — about 25 miles west
• Galveston — about 50 miles south

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), about 23 miles north of downtown Houston, is the
county’s major hub. William P. Hobby Airport, southeast of downtown, handles domestic and
some international flights closer to the city center. Amtrak’s Sunset Limited stops at
Houston’s station on Washington Avenue, running between New Orleans and Los Angeles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Harris County located?
It sits on the upper Texas Gulf Coast around Houston, bordered by Montgomery, Liberty, Chambers,
Galveston, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Waller counties.

What is the population of Harris County?
4,731,145 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 5,045,026 — the most populous county
in Texas and third most populous in the United States.

How big is Harris County?
1,777.36 square miles (4,603.34 km2) total, of which 1,707.29 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Harris County?
Houston, founded in 1836, is the county seat and largest city in Texas.

How many towns and cities are in Harris County?
34 incorporated cities and villages sit wholly or partly in the county, plus 12 recognised
census-designated places such as Atascocita, Spring and Channelview.

What ZIP codes does Harris County use?
Well over 100, anchored by Houston’s 770xx range; 77024 covers the Memorial Villages, 77401
Bellaire, 77501–77508 Pasadena and 77520–77523 Baytown.

What is Harris County known for?
The Port of Houston and Ship Channel petrochemical complex, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the
Texas Medical Center, and the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto fought on its eastern edge.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Texas.