Photo: Breadandcheese at English Wikipedia · Public domainHouseholds without a car or van make up 6.8% in Houston, less than in 96% of UK towns
25% of adults have never married or formed a civil partnership; across Scotland’s towns the figure is 40%. In Houston, 54% of households live in a detached house. The median age here is 48.5, higher than in 77% of UK towns. Census day 2021: 6,206 residents and 2,588 households locally.
Houston ranks above 59% of UK towns on residents aged 65 and over: 23%
Share of residents in each five-year age band, Census 2022.
The biggest five-year age group is 60–64, with 9.1% of residents, 1.4 times the share across Scotland’s towns. By way of comparison, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Scotland’s towns. Residents aged 15 to 24: a tenth of the total.
Median age of UK towns of 2,500+
■ Houston, 48.5. The typical town is 44.4.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Scotland, 51% of residents are women.
7.5% of adults are full-time students, more than in 93% of UK towns
What adults did at the 2022 Census (the NS-SEC classes).
Adults by occupation class · residents 16 and over
Managerial and professional jobs account for nearly half of Houston’s adults, routine and semi-routine work for 14%, against 33% and 25% across Scotland’s towns. Across Scotland’s towns, nearly one in ten adults are full-time students.
The Census was taken on 20 March 2022, in term time, so students were counted at their term addresses.
25% of households are one person living alone, below 86% of UK towns
Household make-up at the 2022 Census. Each square is 1% of households.
Against Renfrewshire’s towns and Scotland’s towns
People per household
Scotland’s towns.
24% of households have dependent children across Scotland’s towns, against 30% in Houston. Census figures put shared households of unrelated adults at 1.3% in the town. By way of comparison, 38% of households are one person living alone across Scotland’s towns.
Below 84% of UK towns: 12% of households live in a terraced house
Accommodation type and cars or vans per household, Census 2022. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Cars or vans · share of households
Where 39% of households live in a flat or apartment across Scotland’s towns, Houston has 5.3%. The comparison figure for households in terraced houses is 19% across Scotland’s towns.
Residents born outside the UK make up 3.5% in Houston, less than in 85% of UK towns
Country of birth, year of arrival and main language, Census 2022.
Born outside the UK, by region · share of all residents; the bar runs to 15%
When those born abroad arrived
Main language · residents aged 3 and over
The figure for residents whose main language is English is 99% in Houston and 94% across Scotland’s towns. Across Scotland’s towns, 11% of residents were born outside the UK. Residents born abroad were most often born in the Middle East and Asia (1.2%), then in EU countries (0.9%).
Houston sits above 76% of UK towns for residents who describe themselves as White British (95%)
How residents described themselves at the 2022 Census. Lines join the lowest and highest of the three figures.
Ethnic groups other than White British · all residents
White British, not charted: 95% of Houston · Renfrewshire’s towns 90% · Scotland’s towns 86%.
Religion · all residents
Here 44% of residents said they have no religion, where the figure across Scotland’s towns is 51%. Measured more widely, 86% of residents describe themselves as White British across Scotland’s towns. Behind White British, the largest groups are Other White (1.8%), Mixed or multiple (0.9%) and Indian (0.7%).
Houston sits above 99% of UK towns for married adults and civil partners (62%)
Legal partnership status (residents 16 and over) and unpaid care (residents 3 and over), Census 2022.
Partnership status · residents 16 and over
Unpaid care given · share of residents 3 and over
Houston sits close to the norm on unpaid carers: 12%, about the same as across Scotland’s towns. The wider picture: 42% of adults are married or in a civil partnership across Scotland’s towns.
Degree level: the highest qualification of 44% of adults
Highest qualification, residents 16 and over, Census 2022.
Highest qualification · residents 16 and over
Across Scotland’s towns, 17% of adults have no qualification; in Houston, 8.7%, while 44% hold one at degree level (32%). 13% have A levels as their highest qualification, many of them still studying for a degree.
188th highest median age among 625 UK towns of 4,000 to 8,000
Median age, Census 2022. Hover a dot for its students and residents born abroad; click for its page.
The youngest is Bailrigg (18.9) and the oldest Barton on Sea (65.3). Nearest to Houston in age: Market Rasen (48.5), Quorndon (48.5), Howden (48.6) and Bowdon (48.6).
Median age: 2 of the 7 towns around Houston are older
Nearby towns coloured by median age, Census 2022. Tap a town for its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Homes with children |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 6,206 | — | 48.5 | 23% | 30% |
| Linwood | 8,408 | 1.5 mi | 43.5 | 19% | 25% |
| Bridge of Weir | 4,927 | 1.7 mi | 46.1 | 22% | 28% |
| Kilbarchan | 3,367 | 2 mi | 51.6 | 28% | 19% |
| Johnstone | 16,477 | 2.3 mi | 42.5 | 19% | 23% |
| Elderslie | 5,632 | 2.8 mi | 48.1 | 24% | 24% |
| Bishopton | 10,048 | 3.1 mi | 38.2 | 16% | 35% |
| Kilmacolm | 3,876 | 4.3 mi | 53.3 | 31% | 23% |
Health, work and homes have their own pages
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The Census was taken in term time. 20 March 2022 fell in term time, and students were asked to give their term-time address, so most were counted where they study. Some may have been living with family that day.
- “Renfrewshire’s towns” and “Scotland’s towns” mean their towns. Census comparisons pool every locality in Renfrewshire (or Scotland), summed the same way as Houston’s figures, so households in open countryside are left out.
- Small counts are blurred. National Records of Scotland adjusts small Census counts to protect privacy, so the same total differs a little between tables, and the shares of a small town can move by a point or two.
Questions about Houston’s residents
What is the population of Houston?
The 2022 Census counted 6,206 people in Houston’s locality.
What is the average age in Houston?
The median age was 48.5 at the 2022 Census, older than 77% of UK towns. 10% of residents were 15 to 24 and 23% were 65 or over.
How diverse is Houston?
95% of residents described themselves as White British in 2022, against 86% across Scotland’s towns and 90% across Renfrewshire’s towns. 3.5% were born outside the UK.
What religion are people in Houston?
44% said they had no religion and 50% that they were Christian at the 2022 Census; 0.7% were Muslim and 5.7% didn’t answer.
Is Houston good for families?
30% of households had dependent children in 2022, against 24% across Scotland’s towns. Schools are on Houston’s schools page.
Sources: Scotland’s Census 2022 (National Records of Scotland), output areas summed to the NRS 2022 locality (UV101b, UV103, UV104, UV113, UV201, UV204b, UV205, UV212, UV301, UV402, UV405, UV406, UV501, UV607, UV801). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.