Overview
Travis County is home to 1,307,625 people (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), making it one of the largest counties in Texas and the nation, with a population higher than 99% of all U.S. counties. It sits in central Texas and contains the state capital, Austin.
The county's defining feature in the data is concentration. High incomes, high home values, high education levels, and a young population all cluster here at rates that place Travis County near the top of both state and national rankings. Median household income is $97,169 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), above 95% of U.S. counties. More than half the adult population holds at least a bachelor's degree. The median age is 35.5 years (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), younger than roughly 90% of counties nationwide.
That combination of youth, education, and income shapes nearly every other metric in the profile.
Demographics
At 35.5 years, Travis County's median age falls below 90% of U.S. counties (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). Within Texas, it's younger than about 77% of counties. This isn't a retirement destination or a rapidly aging rural area. It's a county that keeps attracting working-age residents.
Education levels are the sharpest differentiator. Some 55.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), a rate that exceeds every other county in Texas and ranks above 98% of counties nationally. For context, the national average hovers around 33%.
The racial and ethnic composition is mixed. White residents make up 47.7% of the population, Hispanic residents 32.5%, Black residents 7.8%, and Asian residents 7.4% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The Asian population share ranks above 97% of U.S. counties. Native American residents account for 0.1%.
Travis County's Hispanic population share, at 32.5%, falls near the middle of the pack among Texas counties (58th state ranking) but sits well above most counties nationally (93rd nationally). The white population share, at 47.7%, is lower than about 88% of U.S. counties.
Education
Travis County spent $21,637 per pupil (Education Data Portal, 2020), well above the national average of roughly $15,000 and higher than 88% of U.S. counties. Within Texas, that figure ranks above 86% of counties.
Total enrollment reached 152,518 students (Education Data Portal, 2021), reflecting the county's large population base. The student-teacher ratio stands at 14.3 to 1 (Education Data Portal, 2021), slightly better than the national average of about 15.5 to 1 and ranking above 57% of counties nationally.
Higher spending doesn't automatically produce better outcomes, but the combination of above-average per-pupil investment and a reasonable class size ratio puts Travis County's school system in a stronger resource position than most.
Economy & Employment
The labor force numbers are large. Travis County's labor force totals 866,700, with 839,222 employed and 27,478 unemployed (BLS LAUS, 2025). The unemployment rate is 3.2%, which sits below about 71% of U.S. counties. It's a tight labor market, though not exceptionally so.
Income data tells a clearer story of concentration. Median household income hits $97,169, and per capita income reaches $59,289 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). Per capita income ranks above 98% of U.S. counties and above 99% of Texas counties. Average adjusted gross income on tax returns was $160,237 (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021), with average total income at $161,521. Both figures exceed 99% of counties nationally.
The total AGI reported across 629,160 tax returns was $100.8 billion (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021). That's an enormous tax base for a single county.
Poverty hasn't disappeared, though. The poverty rate is 10.8% (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), lower than about 67% of U.S. counties. In a county with this much aggregate wealth, one in nine residents still falls below the poverty line. The gap between average AGI of $160,237 and a 10.8% poverty rate points to significant income dispersion.
Housing & Cost of Living
The median home value in Travis County is $487,600 (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), higher than 96% of U.S. counties and 99% of Texas counties. Median gross rent is $1,669 per month (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023), also above 96% nationally.
Fair market rents set by HUD for 2026 reinforce the picture. A studio apartment runs $1,474 per month, a one-bedroom $1,562, a two-bedroom $1,852, a three-bedroom $2,347, and a four-bedroom $2,760 (HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026). All of these figures rank above 96% of U.S. counties.
The housing stock totals 594,638 units, with 33,147 vacant (Census ACS 5-Year, 2023). The vacancy rate is 5.6%, lower than roughly 93% of counties nationally and 96% of Texas counties. Low vacancy in a high-cost market means limited options for renters and buyers looking for deals.
A household earning the median income of $97,169 would spend roughly 21% of gross income on median rent. That's within the standard 30% affordability threshold, but it doesn't account for the many households earning well below the median. For those closer to the poverty line, these rents consume a far larger share of income.
Health & Wellness
Travis County's health metrics are consistently better than most U.S. counties and strikingly better than most of Texas. The obesity rate is 30.1% (CDC PLACES, 2023), lower than 93% of counties nationally and the lowest among Texas counties. High blood pressure affects 28% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), a rate lower than 93% of U.S. counties. Diabetes prevalence is 9.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023), below about 76% of counties.
Poor physical health days affect 10.5% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), a rate lower than 97% of U.S. counties. Poor mental health days affect 15.5% (CDC PLACES, 2023), lower than 94% nationally. Depression prevalence is 21.6% (CDC PLACES, 2023), below about 76% of counties.
Preventive care usage is mixed. Cholesterol screening reaches 87.1% of adults (CDC PLACES, 2023), above 96% of counties nationally. Annual checkup rates hit 73.7% (CDC PLACES, 2023), which ranks above only about 33% of U.S. counties. That gap between high screening rates and moderate checkup rates is worth noting in a county with this level of education and income.
The uninsured rate is 13.6% (CDC PLACES, 2023), higher than 76% of U.S. counties and in the bottom 8% among Texas counties. Texas doesn't participate in Medicaid expansion, and that policy choice shows up clearly in coverage gaps, even in a wealthy county like Travis.
Climate & Natural Disasters
Travis County has 37 FEMA disaster declarations on record, higher than 94% of U.S. counties (FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026). That's not just a big-county effect. The disaster types tell the real story: floods, wildfires, ice storms, and hurricane evacuations from the coast, sometimes in the same calendar year.
The baseline climate is warm. Average temperature is 70°F with highs averaging 81.1°F and lows around 59°F (NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025). Annual precipitation comes in at 26.7 inches, which is relatively dry for a county that floods this often. Travis gets less rain than 76% of U.S. counties, yet floods account for seven of its major declarations. The rain comes hard and fast, and the clay-heavy soils don't absorb it.
Winter is where the county's vulnerability surprises people. Snowfall averages just 0.7 inches annually (NOAA, 2025), but ice storms are a different category of risk entirely. February 2021 brought two FEMA emergency declarations and a major disaster declaration within five days, all for the same severe ice storm event (FEMA, 2021). The county's infrastructure wasn't built for sustained freezing temperatures, and it showed.
Wildfires are a recurring problem, too. The summer of 2011 generated five separate fire declarations, including the Bastrop Complex fires that burned through neighboring areas and pushed smoke and evacuees into Austin (FEMA, 2011). The most recent declaration, a flood in July 2025, shows the pattern hasn't changed.
For anyone relocating here, the climate math is this: you're trading harsh winters for extreme heat, swapping blizzards for ice storms, and accepting real flood and fire exposure. Knowing your specific address's flood zone status before buying isn't optional.
Financial Profile
The IRS data paints a picture of a high-income county with a large tax base. Residents filed 629,160 tax returns reporting $100.8 billion in total AGI and $101.6 billion in total income (IRS Statistics of Income, 2021). Average AGI of $160,237 and average income of $161,521 both rank above 99% of U.S. counties.
Banking access is moderate. The FDIC counted 12 bank branches holding $3.2 billion in total deposits (FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023). The branch count ranks above 60% of counties nationally and 69% within Texas. For a county of 1.3 million people, 12 branches translates to roughly one branch per 109,000 residents, a ratio that likely reflects the shift toward online banking and the presence of credit unions and other institutions not captured in FDIC branch data.
Social Security benefits reach 146,485 beneficiaries (SSA OASDI, 2024), about 11.2% of the total population. That share is low for the nation but consistent with a county where the median age is 35.5 and the workforce skews young.
Key Comparisons
Travis County stands apart from both Texas and the nation on several measures. Here's how the numbers stack up.
Income and wealth. Median household income of $97,169 exceeds the national median of roughly $75,000 by about 30%. Per capita income of $59,289 is nearly double the national figure. Average AGI of $160,237 places Travis County in the top 1% of all U.S. counties.
Education. The 55.5% bachelor's attainment rate is the highest in Texas and roughly 22 percentage points above the national average.
Housing costs. Median home values of $487,600 run about triple the national median. Median rent of $1,669 is roughly 50% above the national median. Fair market rents for a two-bedroom at $1,852 per month put Travis County in the top 3% nationally.
Health. Obesity at 30.1%, high blood pressure at 28%, and diabetes at 9.5% all rank among the lowest in Texas. But 13.6% of residents lack health insurance, well above the national average.
Age and growth. A median age of 35.5 is younger than about 90% of U.S. counties. Combined with low vacancy rates and high labor force participation, the data points to continued demand pressure on housing and services.
Disaster risk. With 37 declared disasters, Travis County faces more frequent federal disaster declarations than 94% of U.S. counties. Flood, fire, and ice storms are recurring threats.
The overall pattern: Travis County has the income, education, and workforce metrics of an economically productive urban center, paired with housing costs that increasingly reflect that demand, health insurance gaps shaped by state policy, and natural disaster exposure that the data says isn't slowing down.
Data Sources
- Census ACS 5-Year, 2023 (population, income, housing, demographics, education attainment, commute, poverty)
- BLS LAUS, 2025 (unemployment, employment, labor force)
- CDC PLACES, 2023 (health metrics, insurance coverage)
- HUD Fair Market Rents, 2026 (rental cost benchmarks)
- FEMA OpenFEMA, 2026 (disaster declarations and history)
- IRS Statistics of Income, 2021 (tax returns, AGI, total income)
- FDIC Summary of Deposits, 2023 (bank branches, deposits)
- NOAA Climate Data Online, 2025 (temperature, precipitation)
- SSA OASDI, 2024 (Social Security beneficiaries)
- Education Data Portal, 2020/2021 (per-pupil spending, enrollment, student-teacher ratio)