Demographics
Full content of this article may be found on the city website:
http://www.cstx.gov/index.aspx?page=313
College Station's population numbers include university students living in the city limits. The population estimates were calculated using the average household size and occupancy rate based on 2010 Census population, then calculating population growth based on residential demolition permits and certificates of occupancy issues for new residential dwelling units.
HIGHER EDUCATION POPULATION: The city’s growth is significantly impacted by the growth of Texas A&M University. Blinn College, a two-year college located in Bryan, also contributes to the student population in College Station. Fall 2018 enrollment for Texas A&M’s College Station campus was 67,0031, a new record. Fall 2018 enrollment at Blinn College’s Bryan campus was 11,6822. Enrollment for Texas A&M is a 25.9 percent jump from 2013 and Blinn’s Bryan Campus is a decrease of 9.3 percent.
AGE GROUPS:The median age in College Station is 22.6 years old, an increase of 0.3 years from 2010. The relatively young age of city residents is due to the large number of college students. The increase in median age is likely due to the increase in local job opportunities for recent graduates. The city’s senior population (65+) grew from 4.7 percent to 8 percent from 2010 to 2016. As the baby boomer generation ages, it is likely that the city will continue to see an increase in residents 50 years and older. About 17 percent of College Station’s population is under the age of 18, and the child dependency ratio is 21 percent, which shows the ratio of dependents under 18 years old and the total population of 18-64 year old.
HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND COMPOSITION: In 2016, there were an estimated 38,020 total households in College Station. Of these, 53 percent were considered non-family households and 47 percent were considered family households. A non-family household is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a householder living alone or with non-relatives only. Non-relatives include any household member not related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. Non-relatives could include roommates or housemates, as well as unmarried partners or foster children. A family household is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau for statistical purposes as “a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people are considered as members of one family.” Families are classified by type as either a married-couple family or other family according to the presence of a spouse. Other family is further broken out according to the sex of the householder.
ETHNICITY AND RACE: In 2016, 78.8 percent of College Station residents identified themselves as Caucasian, 14.9 percent as Hispanic, and 9.7 percent as Asian1. In the Fall of 2018, 55.8 percent of Texas A&M students identified themselves as Caucasian, 21.3 percent as Hispanic, and 8.6 percent as International.2 College Station has grown more diverse since the 2010 Census, with an increase in Black, Asian, and Hispanic populations.
HOUSING STOCK AND INVENTORY: From 2010 to 2018, the city has seen growth in all housing unit types. Multi-family dwelling units made up the largest segment of new residential units constructed at 5,775 units, with a large spike in multi-family construction in 2017 after the addition of 1,320 units with the Park West development. During this same period, 4,985 single-family homes were constructed, with over 400 single-family homes built each year. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, College Station has about 42,239 housing units. Almost half of the housing stock is made up of single-family homes (attached and detached). Multi-family housing units (three or more units within a structure) make up more than 43 percent of the city’s housing stock, only 0.5 percent less than single-family detached.
HOUSING MARKET: College Station’s median home price is $247,000. Based on October 2018 estimates, the median home price is $247,000, with an average of $283,035. The estimated monthly inventory, or the amount of time estimated to sell the existing stock, was 4.5 months. With the growing housing market, the total number of annual sales in 2013 has decreased from 1,820 to 1,717 for 2018.Texas A&M has an on-campus bed inventory of more than 11,000 in four campus geographic precincts — Northside, Southside, West Campus and The Gardens.
OCCUPANCY AND TENURE: According to the 2016 American Community Survey, College Station’s estimated occupancy rate is 90.1 percent. Of the total population, 39 percent owned the housing unit they lived in and 61 percent rented the unit. According to the data from 2016, 37 percent of the total population (34,952) lived in a single-family, owner-occupied housing unit. Multi-family housed 25 percent (23,617) of the population and made up 41.4 percent of renter occupied housing units. The remaining 36 percent of the population lived in single-family rental housing units.
RENTAL REGISTRATION: Since 2014, the City of College Station has tracked rental properties through its Rental Registration program. In October 2018, there were 6,931 single-family and duplex units registered as active rental properties. The registered properties account for approximately 13.8 percent of College Station’s single-family and duplex units based on the 2016 American Community Survey. Rental properties are located throughout the city but are concentrated near Texas A&M and to the west of State Highway 6.