Fort Bend County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Fort Bend County, Texas had an estimated 958,434 residents on July 1, 2024, up 16.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 822,989, across 861 square miles. County output reached $49.62 bn in 2024, 18,519 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,098 7(a) approvals worth $761.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Fort Bend County
How many people live in Fort Bend County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024893,767
- Households292,713
- Average household size3.05
- Median household income$114,041
- Median age37.3
- Median gross rent$1,807 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$374,500
- Home value to household income3.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income19.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher50.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree20.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over581,016
- Population under 18238,118
- Share under 1826.6 percent
- Population 65 and over112,289
- Share 65 and over12.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64543,360
- Civilian labor force455,656
- Unemployment rate5.1 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over69.5 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties8th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included64th of 3,222
Fort Bend County is the 8th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 3.3 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 26.6 percent against 12.6 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Fort Bend County
Is Fort Bend County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024958,434
- Census 2020 base population822,989
- Population change since the 2020 census base16.46 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202431,314
- Births, 20249,629
- Deaths, 20244,455
- Natural change, 20245,174
- Net domestic migration, 202410,467
- Net international migration, 202415,769
- Total net migration, 202426,236
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 202469,549
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents39th of 3,144
The county has grown 16.46 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Fort Bend County
Where are people moving to Fort Bend County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving28,800
- People arriving, from those returns59,796
- Tax returns filed by households leaving23,029
- Net household movement5,771
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.48 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$438.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$86,193
- Average income of a leaving household$88,772
- Largest single originHarris County (14,879 households)
- Largest single destinationHarris County (11,139 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris County | 14,879 | 30,794 | $1.12 bn |
| Brazoria County | 1,033 | 2,087 | $73.8 m |
| Travis County | 432 | 689 | $39.0 m |
| Los Angeles County | 332 | 671 | $29.0 m |
| Bexar County | 321 | 637 | $27.3 m |
| Montgomery County | 313 | 602 | $25.1 m |
| Dallas County | 298 | 511 | $24.3 m |
| Galveston County | 270 | 487 | $20.4 m |
Households arriving report $2,579 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Harris County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Fort Bend County
What is the Fort Bend County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$49.62 bn
- County GDP, 2023$46.07 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20247.7 percent
- GDP change over five years52.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Texas areas BEA publishes10th of 254
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes119th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$55,513
Output grew 7.7 percent in the latest year and 52.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Fort Bend County
Employment by industry in Fort Bend County
- Covered employment, annual average251,283
- Establishments reporting18,369
- Average annual pay$62,566
- Average weekly wage$1,203
- Health care and social assistance, employment35,859
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$54,206
- Retail trade, employment35,230
- Retail trade, average annual pay$39,486
- Accommodation and food services, employment26,122
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$24,844
- Manufacturing, employment16,169
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$84,143
- Construction, employment13,897
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment13,493
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 35,859 | 2,719 | $54,206 |
| Retail trade | 35,230 | 2,352 | $39,486 |
| Accommodation and food services | 26,122 | 1,409 | $24,844 |
| Manufacturing | 16,169 | 544 | $84,143 |
| Construction | 13,897 | 1,059 | $106,912 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 13,493 | 3,298 | $100,854 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 12,456 | 917 | $59,148 |
| Wholesale trade | 10,556 | 1,049 | $95,681 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 35,859 jobs, 14.3 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Fort Bend County
How many businesses are in Fort Bend County?
- Establishments, all industries18,519
- Employment at those establishments222,203
- Annual payroll$11.45 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.7
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Fort Bend County
Building permits in Fort Bend County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202412,017
- Declared construction value permitted$3.31 bn
- Single family units authorized11,200
- Multifamily units authorized817
- Multifamily share of units6.8 percent
- Average declared value per unit$275,803
- Units authorized per 1,000 households41.1
Single-family homes are 93.2 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Fort Bend County
SBA loans in Fort Bend County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,098
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$761.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$693,836
- Median 7(a) approval$310,250
- 10th percentile approval$39,880
- 90th percentile approval$1,928,620
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)12,937
- Jobs per approval11.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active148
- Distinct industries receiving approvals267
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer18.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms199
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter780
- Franchise loans298
- Franchise share of approvals27.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countLimited-Service Restaurants (51)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (107)
- 504 approvals recorded168
- 504 gross approval dollars$233.8 m
- Average 504 approval$1,391,554
- Median 504 approval$1,096,000
- Distinct CDCs active8
- 504 jobs per approval16.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.7
- Most active CDCCapital Certified Development Corporation (50)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$995.6 m
The average approval of $693,836 sits well above the median of $310,250, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 18.1 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Fort Bend County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Fort Bend County
Do SBA loans in Fort Bend County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded175
- Paid in full147
- Charged off28
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans16.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full147
- Status: Cancelled152
- Status: Exempt from disclosure706
- Status: Charged off28
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed65
Of the 175 loans that have reached a final outcome, 16.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Fort Bend County
SBA lending by place in Fort Bend County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending25
- Sugar Land, approvals243
- Katy, approvals238
- Richmond, approvals210
- Missouri City, approvals127
- Stafford, approvals77
- Fulshear, approvals65
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar Land | 243 | $169,300,400 |
| Katy | 238 | $133,200,800 |
| Richmond | 210 | $136,598,400 |
| Missouri City | 127 | $93,744,500 |
| Stafford | 77 | $56,776,600 |
| Fulshear | 65 | $55,178,300 |
| Rosenberg | 51 | $38,229,000 |
| Houston | 27 | $35,256,300 |
| 17 other borrower cities | 60 | $43,547,400 |
Sugar Land accounts for 243 approvals against 238 in Katy. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Fort Bend County
How large is Fort Bend County?
- Land area861 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties181st of 254
- Width, east to west40 mi
- Height, north to south36.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land1,038
- Establishments per square mile21.51
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Fort Bend County
Flood risk in Fort Bend County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Fort Bend County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 480228
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book40
- Of those, participating in the NFIP40
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 4
- Communities carrying a CRS class4
- Radon levels in Fort Bend County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Fort Bend County (community 480228), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Fort Bend County in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 4, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Fort Bend County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Fort Bend County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024893,767
- Households292,713
- Average household size3.05
- Median household income$114,041
- Median age37.3
Common questions
Fort Bend County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Fort Bend County, Texas?
The Census Bureau estimates 958,434 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 893,767, in 292,713 households, ranking 8th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Fort Bend County's population growing?
The population has grown 16.46 percent since the 2020 census base of 822,989, to 958,434 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 9,629 births against 4,455 deaths, with net migration of 26,236. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Fort Bend County?
$114,041. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $374,500, which is 3.3 times income, and median gross rent is $1,807 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Fort Bend County?
18,519 establishments, employing 222,203 people with an annual payroll of $11.45 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Fort Bend County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 35,859 jobs, 14.3 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 251,283 jobs at an average annual pay of $62,566, or $1,203 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Fort Bend County?
1,098 7(a) approvals totaling $761.8 m since FY2020, across 148 lenders, with a median approval of $310,250, plus 168 504 approvals worth $233.8 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Fort Bend County get paid back?
Of the 175 loans that have reached a final outcome, 147 were paid in full and 28 charged off, a charge-off rate of 16.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Fort Bend County?
12,017 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $3.31 bn. Multifamily was 6.8 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Fort Bend County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Fort Bend County come from?
The largest single origin is Harris County, with 14,879 households. Arriving households report an average income of $86,193 against $88,772 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Fort Bend County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Fort Bend County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Fort Bend County
Cities and places in Fort Bend.
28 Census places lie wholly or partly in Fort Bend County. All 28 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | city | 2,328,253 | 27 | 2.6 percent here, 96.4 percent Harris County |
| Pearland | city | 127,514 | None recorded | 2.7 percent here, 87.1 percent Brazoria County, 10.2 percent Harris County |
| Sugar Land | city | 110,016 | 243 | Wholly in this county |
| Missouri City | city | 76,558 | 127 | 95.6 percent here, 4.4 percent Harris County |
| Rosenberg | city | 40,646 | 51 | Wholly in this county |
| Mission Bend | CDP | 36,586 | None recorded | 64.3 percent here, 35.7 percent Harris County |
| Fulshear | city | 34,868 | 65 | Wholly in this county |
| Katy | city | 25,184 | 238 | 29.4 percent here, 36.8 percent Waller County, 33.8 percent Harris County |
| Sienna | CDP | 24,992 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fresno | CDP | 24,560 | 9 | Wholly in this county |
| Pecan Grove | CDP | 24,272 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cinco Ranch | CDP | 18,611 | None recorded | 88.8 percent here, 11.2 percent Harris County |
| Stafford | city | 17,401 | 77 | Wholly in this county |
| Richmond | city | 12,582 | 210 | Wholly in this county |
| Four Corners | CDP | 11,692 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Meadows Place | city | 4,689 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Weston Lakes | city | 4,217 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Needville | city | 3,094 | 17 | Wholly in this county |
| Cumings | CDP | 2,535 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Pleak | village | 2,344 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Arcola | city | 1,911 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fifth Street | CDP | 1,453 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Beasley | city | 999 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Simonton | city | 914 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Fairchilds | village | 815 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kendleton | city | 434 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Orchard | city | 338 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Thompsons | town | 222 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 24 of the county's 1,098 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Fort Bend County, the largest being Rosharon (10), Brookshire (3), Rosenburg (2). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby