22,197 people (2024 Census estimate, +0.6% since 2020)
1,231 square miles of land · 18 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.
9 active community water systems list Houston County in the area they serve, reporting 28,833 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| THE CONSOLIDATED WSC RURAL SYSTEM groundwater · local government · TX1130033 | 10,481 served |
| CITY OF CROCKETT buys surface water · local government · TX1130001 | 7,755 served |
| THE CONSOLIDATED WSC CENTRAL SYSTEM groundwater · local government · TX1130031 | 3,878 served |
| TDCJ WAINWRIGHT UNIT groundwater · state · TX1130004 | 3,148 served |
| CITY OF GRAPELAND groundwater · local government · TX1130002 | 1,798 served |
| CITY OF LOVELADY buys surface water · local government · TX1130003 | 990 served |
| CITY OF KENNARD groundwater · local government · TX1130011 | 460 served |
| RATCLIFF WSC groundwater · local government · TX1130020 | 275 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 114 people were held in Houston County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 117.
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.
5 school districts have their office in Houston County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $22.6 million — $18.5 million to run schools, about $15,405 per student, plus $3.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8 million local (mostly property tax), $8.7 million state, $8.8 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.4 million.
Spent $10.5 million — $8.4 million to run schools, about $13,608 per student, plus $1.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $5.6 million local (mostly property tax), $2.8 million state, $2.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.4 million.
Spent $9.2 million — $7.3 million to run schools, about $13,485 per student, plus $1.7 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $3.9 million local (mostly property tax), $4.1 million state, $1.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $6.5 million.
Spent $9 million — $6.9 million to run schools, about $13,909 per student, plus $1.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $2.8 million local (mostly property tax), $4.2 million state, $878,000 federal. Long-term debt: $4.8 million.
Spent $4.2 million — $3.9 million to run schools, about $15,132 per student, plus $264,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $1.5 million local (mostly property tax), $2.2 million state, $1.3 million federal.
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: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Houston County about $13.1 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively Low; social vulnerability: Very High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
197 bridges in Houston County: 81 in good condition, 101 fair, and 15 poor (7.6%). “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.
| SH 7 over TRINITY RIVER · built 1957 | 2,084 vehicles a day |
| US 287 over BEAVER CREEK · built 1932 | 1,966 vehicles a day |
| CR 4700 over LEE CREEK · built 1980 | 210 vehicles a day |
| CR 4035 over BOX CREEK · built 1990 | 121 vehicles a day |
| CR 4030 (CUT RD) over BOX CREEK · built 1995 | 69 vehicles a day |
| CR 2065 over HURRICANE BYU REL · built 1975 | 61 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $21.9 million of work in Houston County in fiscal 2025, about $992 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 Houston 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 Houston County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Trinity County (22 mi) · Leon County (34 mi) · Anderson County (38 mi) · Madison County (39 mi) · Cherokee County (39 mi) · Walker County (41 mi).