5,009,302 people (2024 Census estimate, +5.8% since 2020)
1,707 square miles of land · 2,934 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
714 active community water systems list Harris County in the area they serve, reporting 5,914,592 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF HOUSTON surface water · local government · TX1010013 | 2,970,543 served |
| CITY OF PASADENA buys surface water · local government · TX1010293 | 152,000 served |
| CLEAR LAKE CITY WATER AUTHORITY buys surface water · local government · TX1010056 | 89,702 served |
| CITY OF BAYTOWN buys surface water · local government · TX1010003 | 86,004 served |
| CITY OF HOUSTON UD 5 - KINGWOOD groundwater · local government · TX1010348 | 80,073 served |
| HARRIS COUNTY MUD 165 buys surface water · local government · TX1012187 | 40,503 served |
| CITY OF LA PORTE buys surface water · local government · TX1010018 | 36,569 served |
| CITY OF DEER PARK buys surface water · local government · TX1010007 | 34,495 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 7,048 people were held in Harris County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 8,708.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
20 school districts have their office in Harris County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $3.1 billion — $2.5 billion to run schools, about $13,072 per student, plus $163.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2 billion local (mostly property tax), $213.9 million state, $800.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $2.4 billion.
Spent $1.8 billion — $1.3 billion to run schools, about $10,693 per student, plus $392.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $947.7 million local (mostly property tax), $449 million state, $244.5 million federal. Long-term debt: $3.1 billion.
Spent $887.9 million — $797.1 million to run schools, about $13,268 per student, plus $43.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $351.6 million local (mostly property tax), $378.2 million state, $306.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $970.9 million.
Spent $689 million — $575.7 million to run schools, about $10,719 per student, plus $70.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $376.9 million local (mostly property tax), $239.1 million state, $89.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $1.1 billion.
Spent $725.2 million — $524.8 million to run schools, about $10,763 per student, plus $157.5 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $328.2 million local (mostly property tax), $279.3 million state, $64.1 million federal. Long-term debt: $1.1 billion.
Spent $799.6 million — $671.8 million to run schools, about $13,787 per student, plus $95.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $286.3 million local (mostly property tax), $312 million state, $172.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $675.1 million.
Spent $604.2 million — $539.9 million to run schools, about $13,388 per student, plus $41 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $237 million local (mostly property tax), $240.6 million state, $138.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $342.3 million.
Spent $485.6 million — $433.6 million to run schools, about $12,710 per student, plus $20.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $244 million local (mostly property tax), $172.4 million state, $114.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $601 million.
And 12 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Very High compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Harris County about $2.2 billion a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very Low; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
4,040 bridges in Harris County: 2,011 in good condition, 2,005 fair, and 24 poor (0.6%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| IH 45 SB over CROSSTIMBERS ST · built 1960 | 109,570 vehicles a day |
| IH 45 NB over CROSSTIMBERS ST · built 1960 | 96,046 vehicles a day |
| S BRAESWOOD BLVD over HCFCD DITCH · built 1970 | 44,730 vehicles a day |
| US 90A SB over BUFFALO BAYOU/ ZOLTOWSKI · built 1956 | 25,730 vehicles a day |
| US 59 NB/IH 610 WB over IH 610 · built 1979 | 21,541 vehicles a day |
| IH 45 SB / BW 8 WB over IH 45 SBFR & BW 8 WBFR · built 1997 | 18,977 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $1.7 billion of work in Harris County in fiscal 2025, about $352 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Harris County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Harris County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Montgomery County (31 mi) · Fort Bend County (32 mi) · Waller County (37 mi) · Liberty County (39 mi) · Chambers County (45 mi) · Brazoria County (48 mi).