City · Alaska
Houston, Alaska
Houston, city, in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. Houston had 2,267 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 14.9% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,975 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,834 (±213). GEOID 0233800.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
2,267
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,975 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,834 ±213
Median household income
$73,015
±$18,540 (90% margin)
Alaska: $92,788
Median home value
$295,000
±$32,562 (90% margin)
Alaska: $352,900
Median gross rent
$887
±$158 (90% margin)
Alaska: $1,419
Where is Houston and what county is it in?
Houston is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. It covers 23.9 square miles of land, 82 residents per square mile in 2020.
Houston is in the Anchorage, AK metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 2 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Houston is the same area as Census Tract 4.01 of Matanuska-Susitna Borough: the tract's figures are Houston's own.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Houston, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,267 people lived in Houston on July 1, 2025, up 14.9% since 2020, faster than Alaska (+0.5%). The 2020 Census counted 1,975 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,834 (±213).
| Measure | Houston | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,834 ±213 | 112,988 | no clear change |
| Households | 735 ±79 | 39,869 | +93 |
| Average household size | 2.48 ±0.23 | 2.77 | −0.59 |
| Housing units | 1,000 ±69 | 51,170 | +85 |
Houston's population since 2000
From 1,202 in 2000 to 2,267 in 2025: up 88.6%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Houston as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Houston?
The median resident of Houston is 40.2 years old; 16.2% are under 18 and 16.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 81.4%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 11.0%.
| Measure | Houston | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 40.2 ±5.7 | 36.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 16.2% ±3.4 pts | 25.7% | – |
| 65 years and over | 16.9% ±3.7 pts | 13.7% | – |
| Male | 59.9% ±4.0 pts | 52.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.3% ±2.2 pts | 5.4% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 81.4% ±4.3 pts | 75.7% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.3% ±0.5 pts | 1.1% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 1.2% ±0.8 pts | 1.6% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 2.8% ±1.8 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.4 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 11.0% ±3.6 pts | 9.8% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.4 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 1.1% ±0.8 pts | 2.9% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 4.0% ±2.0 pts | 5.7% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 13.8% ±3.6 pts | 13.3% | – |
| With a disability | 14.9% ±3.4 pts | 14.0% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 11.3% ±2.9 pts | 11.9% | −5.1 pts |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 92.0% ±3.1 pts | 94.1% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 12.3% ±3.6 pts | 24.4% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 2.7% ±1.6 pts | 8.7% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 84.5% ±5.1 pts | 88.1% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 3.3% ±2.8 pts | 2.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Houston earn?
Half of Houston's 735 households earn less than $73,015 a year (±$18,540), against $94,031 in Matanuska-Susitna Borough and $92,788 in Alaska. In 2015-2019 it was $65,171 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 18.8% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Houston | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,015 ±$18,540 | $94,031 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $98,962 ±$18,357 | $115,954 | – |
| Per capita income | $39,790 ±$7,223 | $42,386 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 18.8% ±6.1 pts | 10.0% | +8.5 pts |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 34.8% ±14.9 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 21.1% ±6.6 pts | 9.4% | – |
| Households with a computer | 92.7% ±4.5 pts | 97.2% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 88.6% ±5.0 pts | 93.2% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Houston?
Owners occupy 70.6% of Houston's occupied homes and renters 29.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $295,000 by its owner (±$32,562). The median renter pays $887 a month including utilities, and 47.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Houston | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $295,000 ±$32,562 | $346,600 | +$93,289 |
| Median gross rent | $887 ±$158 | $1,299 | −$308 |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 47.0% ±16.5 pts | 41.1% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,891 ±$175 | $2,112 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 70.6% ±6.8 pts | 77.2% | −8.5 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 29.4% ±6.8 pts | 22.8% | – |
| Housing units | 1,000 ±69 | 51,170 | +85 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 1.1% ±1.1 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 8.1% ±6.0 pts | 3.9% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 82.0% ±5.1 pts | 83.0% | – |
| Mobile homes | 3.1% ±1.5 pts | 2.6% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.1% ±1.1 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 9.2% ±3.2 pts | 17.3% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 0.0% ±2.5 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 5.7% ±2.6 pts | 3.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Houston building?
Builders took permits for 3 new housing units in Houston in 2025 (3 in single-family houses; the permit office reported 11 of 12 months), 1.3 per 1,000 residents against 1.2 across Alaska.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Houston work and get to work?
65.6% of Houston's workers drive alone and 11.7% work from home. The average trip to work takes 47.1 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 12.0%.
| Measure | Houston | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 60.4% ±5.6 pts | 60.3% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 12.0% ±3.9 pts | 5.8% | no clear change |
| Drove alone to work | 65.6% ±8.4 pts | 71.0% | – |
| Carpooled | 10.1% ±5.2 pts | 9.7% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±2.9 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Walked | 2.9% ±2.4 pts | 1.7% | – |
| Worked from home | 11.7% ±5.1 pts | 11.7% | no clear change |
| Mean travel time to work | 47.1 min ±8.4 | 34.8 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Houston?
1 census tract lies mostly in Houston, and 1 more reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 4.01Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 1,834 | $73,015 |
| Tract 5.02Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 1,935 | $83,750 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Houston) · Census block assignment files
How does Houston compare with other places in Alaska?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Houston is the 7,236th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 21st-most populous of 149 in Alaska.
Houston ranks 49th of 69 places in Alaska with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 21st | 149 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 2nd | 26 |
| Residents per square mile | 38th | 71 |
| Median household income | 49th | 69 |
| Per capita income | 49th | 71 |
| Median home value | 46th | 66 |
| Median gross rent | 58th | 62 |
| Poverty rate | 3rd | 57 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 66th | 69 |
| Median age | 29th | 71 |
| Owner-occupied share | 37th | 68 |
| Work from home | 21st | 50 |
| Travel time to work | 2nd | 69 |
Houston's figures with every place in Alaska (CSV)
Every place in Alaska, sortable · Compare Houston with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Houston?
13 of the 57 figures for Houston on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Houston are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Houston.