From 1930 to 1950, the county showed a decline in the rate of expansion and even a decrease in population. This was a period when many African Americans migrated in the second wave of the
Great Migration from Texas and other parts of the South to the West Coast, where a buildup in the defense industry provided more job opportunities. Other minorities settled in the county during its residential development, and African Americans are now a minority.
Recent estimates As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Fort Bend County was $395,730. As of the 2023
American Community Survey, an estimated 281,259 households are in Fort Bend County, with an average of 3.04 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $113,409. About 8.5% of the county's population lives at or below the
poverty line. Fort Bend County has an estimated 66.7% employment rate, with 49.3% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.9% holding a high-school diploma. The top-five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (57.2%), Spanish (18.3%), Indo-European (9.5%), Asian and Pacific Islander (11.9%), and other (3.0%). The median age in the county was 37.6 years.
Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the
2020 census, the county had a population of 822,779, 263,128 households, and 215,579 families. The median age was 37.1 years, 27.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 12.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.4 males age 18 and over. Of those households, 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 63.4% were married-couple households, 11.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 95.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 4.8% lived in rural areas.
2000 census As of the
2000 census, 354,452 people, 110,915 households, and 93,057 families resided in the county. The population density was . The 115,991 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 56.96% White, 19.85% African American, 0.30% Native American, 11.20% Asian, 9.14% from some other race, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 21.12% of the population. Other self-identifications were 8.8% of
German ancestry, 6.3% American, and 5.8% English ancestry. Of the110,915 households, 49.8% had children under 18 living with them, 68.8% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.10% were not families. About 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.10% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 3.46. In the county, the age distribution of the population was 32.0% under 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 96.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $63,831, and that for a family was $69,781. Males had a median income of $47,979 versus $32,661 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $24,985; 7.1% of the population and 5.5% of families were below the
poverty line. Of the total population, 8.5% of those under 18 and 9.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Ethnic backgrounds Since the 1970s, Fort Bend County has been attracting people from all ethnic backgrounds. According to a 2001 Claritas study, it was the fifth-most diverse U.S. county, among counties with a population of 100,000 or more. It is one of a growing number of U.S. counties with no single ethnic group forming a majority of the population. Fort Bend County has the highest percentage of Asian-American residents in the Southern United States; the largest groups are of
Vietnamese,
Chinese,
Indian, and
Filipino ancestry. By 2011, Fort Bend was ranked the fourth-most racially diverse county in the United States by
USA Today. The newspaper based the ranking on calculating the probability that two persons selected at random would be of different ethnic groups or races. According to the
USA Today methodology, the chance of people of being two different ethnic groups/races being selected was 75%. Karl Eschbach, a former demographer with the State of Texas, has said that many people from Houston neighborhoods and communities with clear racial identities, such as the
East End,
Sunnyside, and the
Third Ward, moved to suburban areas that were too new to have established racial identities. Eschbach explained, "[a]s a large minority middle class started to emerge, Fort Bend was virgin territory that all groups could move to." In 2020, Fort Bend County had the highest percentage of Asian Americans of any county in Texas. In 2019,
Indian Americans made up almost 50% of the Asian Americans in the county, with the second- and third-largest subsets being
Chinese Americans and
Vietnamese Americans. From 2010 to 2020, the percentage of non-Hispanic White residents declined by 4.8% (though this population grew in absolute numbers), the Asian-American community grew by 83,167 (83.7% increase), the percentage of Hispanic people increased by 42.9%, and the percentage of Black people increased by 35.9%. Fort Bend County also has the highest percentage of
Filipino Americans in the Greater Houston area and in state of Texas.
Economic characteristics According to the 2008 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the county was $81,456, and for a family was $90,171. Males had a median income of $54,139 versus $41,353 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $30,862. About 5.5% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 8.5% of those under 18 and 9.4% of those 65 or over. As of 2006, Fort Bend County was the wealthiest county in Texas, with a median household income of $95,389 and a median family income of $105,944, having surpassed Collin and Rockwall Counties since the 2000 census. However, the Council for Community and Economic Research ranked Fort Bend County America's third-wealthiest county when the local
cost of living was factored in. This estimate did not include property taxes and local taxes, as effective tax rates and home insurance were not measured. Along with other Texas counties, Fort Bend County has one of the nation's highest property-tax rates. In 2007, it was ranked fifth in the nation for property taxes as a percentage of the homes' value on owner-occupied housing. The list includes only counties with a population over 65,000. Fort Bend County also ranked in the top 100 in property taxes paid and percentage of taxes of income. Part of this is due to Texas's complex
Robin Hood plan school financing law. ==Government and politics==