Galveston, Texas Population 2024

53,099

Galveston is a city located in Galveston County Texas. Galveston has a 2024 population of 53,099. It is also the county seat of Galveston County. Galveston is currently declining at a rate of -0.26% annually and its population has decreased by -1.03% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 53,650 in 2020.

The average household income in Galveston is $83,238 with a poverty rate of 19.25%. The median age in Galveston is 39.4 years: 38.8 years for males, and 40 years for females.

Galveston is located in Galveston County, where it serves as the county seat. This coastal city is found on Galveston Island and Pelican Island.

Growth of Galveston Population

The city’s population, for the most part, has grown since the first census taken in 1850. However, the population declined in 1970 before rising slightly in 1980. A pattern of decline followed according to the census data from 1990 through 2010. However, recent estimates show that the population has grown almost 6% since the last census of 2010, although the current estimate is a far cry from the peak population of 67,175 recorded in 1960.

The city was incorporated in 1839, and during its earliest history was one of the largest ports in the nation. Initially, the first Europeans to inhabit the area were pirates. The Navy took control of the area and established a port that later became the capital of the Republic of Texas.

Today, the city’s economy is centered on health care, tourism, shipping, and finance. It is also known for its historic buildings, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Galveston Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Galveston was:

  • White: 64.79%
  • Black or African American: 15.82%
  • Two or more races: 13.3%
  • Other race: 2.67%
  • Asian: 2.54%
  • Native American: 0.54%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.34%
State
Texas
Land Area (mi²)
41.0 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,294.0/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
-1.03% (-551)
The current population of Galveston, Texas is 53,099 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 53,650.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White34,51364.79%
Black or African American8,42715.82%
Two or more races7,08213.3%
Other race1,4222.67%
Asian1,3532.54%
Native American2870.54%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander1810.34%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Galveston Population by Race

Galveston Population Pyramid 2024

Galveston Median Age

39.4

Total

38.8

Male

40

Female

Galveston Adults

There are 44,949 adults, (10,184 of whom are seniors) in Galveston.

Galveston Age Dependency

53.2

Age Dependency Ratio

29.3

Old Age Dependency Ratio

23.9

Child Dependency Ratio

Galveston Sex Ratio

Female26,02548.86%
Male27,24051.14%

Galveston Population by Age

Galveston Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All23,7482.0846.353.7
Non Family11,1371.2433.766.3
Married8,2862.776931
Female3,2202.9937.562.5
Male1,1052.832971

2.76

Average Family Size

2.08

Average Household Size

46.3%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Galveston Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade2,8627.49%
Associates Degree3,1348.21%
Bachelors Degree7,55519.78%
Graduate Degree4,75612.45%
High School Graduate9,34024.45%
Less Than 9th Grade2,1445.61%
Some College8,40322%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Galveston Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Galveston Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White20,90419,7348,978
Hispanic9,6517,0361,449
Black6,0604,967856
2+ Races4,3783,253807
Other Race1,010677259
Asian861798627
Native American23321256
Islander939373

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 78.49%.

Galveston Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$58,855$58,449$59,051
Graduate Degree$69,431$72,808$64,668
High School Graduate$33,736$38,309$29,420
Less Than 9th Grade$23,525$31,263$13,710
Overall$41,406$45,594$38,140
Some College$39,098$45,773$36,448

$41,406

Average Earnings

$45,594

Average Male

$38,140

Average Female

Galveston Earnings by Educational Attainment

Galveston Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Galveston Language

73.96% of Galveston residents speak only English, while 26.04% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 20.12% of the population.

Galveston Language

Galveston Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
Hispanic14,9683,87725.9%
White24,8333,19512.87%
Black7,6881,88924.57%
Multiple6,6061,88228.49%
Other1,35443031.76%
Asian1,22139632.43%
Islander18111965.75%
Native2473614.57%

19.25%

Overall Poverty Rate

18.93%

Male Poverty Rate

19.55%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Galveston

The race most likely to be in poverty in Galveston is Islander, with 65.75% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Galveston is White, with 12.87% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.42%. Among those working part-time, it was 25.15%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 29.06%.

Galveston Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade26.54%
High School18.13%
Some College15.1%
Bachelors or Greater8.33%

Galveston Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed41.38%
Female Unemployed29.91%
Male Employed9.71%
Female Employed9.35%

Galveston Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Galveston Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$83,331$110,266
Households$57,453$83,238
Married Families$101,328$-999,999,999
Non Families$34,510$50,060

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Galveston Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

39.2%

Overall Marriage Rate

39.1%

Male Marriage Rate

39.3%

Female Marriage Rate

Galveston Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Galveston Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Galveston Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Galveston Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

3,304

Number of Veterans

2,971

Male Veterans

333

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam1,342
Second Gulf War890
First Gulf War581
Korea142
World War II49

Galveston Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 74987
75+677
35 to 54645
18 to 34511
55 to 64484

Galveston Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White2,1390.07213192149457072
Black7790.10934868051656373
Hispanic5130.04277138569284642
2+ Races2020.03815640347563279
Islander760.5066666666666667
Other Race630.05545774647887324
Asian270.022277227722772276
Native American180.06593406593406594

Galveston Veterans by Race

Galveston Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

13.91%

Veteran Poverty Rate

33.32%

Veteran Disability Rate

Galveston Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

58%

Labor Force Participation

53.9%

Employment Rate

6.8%

Unemployment Rate

Galveston Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Galveston Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Galveston Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

60.2%

Born in Galveston

86.92%

Native Born

13.08%

Foreign Born

7.31%

Non Citizen

5.76%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

86.92% of Galveston residents were born in the United States, with 60.2% having been born in Texas. 7.31% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Galveston Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

36 Rows

Year
Population
Growth
Change
202952,411-137-0.26%
202852,548-138-0.26%
202752,686-138-0.26%
202652,824-137-0.26%
202552,961-138-0.26%
202453,099-138-0.26%
202353,2371060.2%
202253,131-250-0.47%
202153,381-269-0.5%
202053,6503,3606.68%
201950,290-91-0.18%
201850,381-207-0.41%
201750,5883610.72%
201650,2275141.03%
201549,7134430.9%
201449,2705991.23%
201348,6715611.17%
201248,1105491.15%
201147,561-233-0.49%
201047,79400%
200057,247-1,823-3.09%
199059,070-2,832-4.57%
198061,902930.15%
197061,809-5,366-7.99%
196067,1756070.91%
195066,5685,7069.38%
194060,8627,92414.97%
193052,9388,68319.62%
192044,2557,27419.67%
191036,981-808-2.14%
190037,7898,70529.93%
189029,0846,83630.73%
188022,2488,43061.01%
187013,8186,51189.11%
18607,3073,13074.93%
18504,177-48,234-92.03%

Galveston Population by Year