Galveston, Texas

Population

Steady. Within 1% of 2020, every year since.

53,636

people, the 73rd-largest of Texas's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Texas's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

72.4%

of 41,936 jobs located in Galveston are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in April: 4.0%.

4.7%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 4.6%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 76% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$1,298

a month. Texas's median is $1,403.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $2,564 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Galveston County.

• $937 Tract 7212.04
• $3,501 Tract 7212.05

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

The median rent sits inside what local wages can carry.

$1,090–$1,635

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $1,298 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 2,225 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 0% of those were in multifamily buildings
• 81% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.2% to the 35,776 homes here.

120–419

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 15% more than Texas's.

$326,000

median home value in Galveston.

• $326,000 Galveston
• $283,800 Texas
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year