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Population Growth,
Central Texas REGION
The 20-county Central Texas region covers about 17,000 square miles in the heart of Texas, stretching from Hillsboro in the north, Interstate 45 in the east, East Yegua Creek in the south and on to the confluence of the San Saba and Colorado rivers.
METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
College Station-Bryan, Killeen-Temple, Waco
MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
Brenham
CENTRAL TEXAS REGION
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, 2023
$78.3
BILLION
3.0% OF TEXAS’ GDP
Population Growth,
2014 to 2024
THE CENTRAL TEXAS REGION’S POPULATION ROSE 14.8% BETWEEN 2014 AND 2024.
Grimes and Bell counties saw the greatest percentage gains at 23.9% and 20.9%, respectively.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
IN 2023, 86.9% OF THE REGION HAD AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND 21.4% HAD EARNED A BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
Demographics
Population Change by Age Group,
2014 to 2024
| Age group | Percent Change |
|---|---|
| Age 0 to 4 years: | 1.1% |
| Age 5 to 19 years: | 15.4% |
| Age 20 to 34 years: | 6.2% |
| Age 35 to 49 years: | 23.2% |
| Age 50 to 64 years: | 7.4% |
| Age 65 years or older: | 37.5% |
COMPONENTS OF ANNUAL POPULATION CHANGE, 2014 to 2024
Population Data
| Year | Natural Increase | Net International Migration | Net Domestic Migration | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 8,241 | 4,363 | -2,910 | 9,694 |
| 2015 | 8,075 | 4,682 | 5,087 | 17,844 |
| 2016 | 7,893 | 3,611 | -257 | 11,247 |
| 2017 | 7,191 | 2,751 | 7,359 | 17,301 |
| 2018 | 6,555 | 1,798 | 6,814 | 15,167 |
| 2019 | 6,592 | 1,529 | 9,204 | 17,325 |
| 2020 | 5,882 | 1,487 | 6,853 | 14,222 |
| 2021 | 3,160 | 659 | 15,218 | 19,037 |
| 2022 | 3,652 | 3,694 | 12,083 | 19,429 |
| 2023 | 5,099 | 5,348 | 11,384 | 21,831 |
| 2024 | 5,081 | 6,361 | 2,857 | 14,299 |
Jobs and Wages
About 488,600 people were employed in the region in 2024, up 17.1% from 2014.
Average annual wages in the region were $59,245 in 2024.
Industry
Industries often aggregate based on unique regional characteristics, such as natural resources or worker skill sets, which give the region a comparative advantage.
- Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (Except Copyrighted Works);
- Poultry and Egg Production;
- Support Activities for Rail Transportation;
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools;
are about three to eight times more concentrated in the Central Texas region than anywhere else in the U.S.
FIND MORE DATA ON ALL THE REGIONS OF TEXAS AT:
COMPTROLLER.TEXAS.GOV/ECONOMY/ECONOMIC-DATA/REGIONS/
Data current as of September 2025
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; JobsEQ; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
KELLY HANCOCK
ACTING TEXAS COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS