Thousands of Houston, Texas workers see change
Of the cities with the largest workforces, Houston had the second-smallest increase in people working from home — but the change represents thousands of individuals who now work remotely.
The 2021 five-year estimates from the US Census Bureau show the beginning of an upward trend in the number of people working from home, compared to data from 2016. The percentage of remote workers increased in every age group, gender, income group and industry in Texas.
Between 2016 and 2021, the city’s total workforce grew by around 18,500 people, and the number of people working from home rose from 37,108 people to 90,607 – a change of around 53,500 people.
In the west, Austin had the largest percentage increase from 7.4% to 18.4% – a change of 11 percentage points.
Austin’s workforce population grew by nearly 46,500 people, and the telecommuting population grew by about 63,500 employees.
Nationwide, 9.1% of Texans worked from home in 2021, on par with 9.6% of people nationwide. According to 2016 data, only about 4.3% of the working population in Texas performed their work from home. Nationwide, approximately 4.6% of people telecommuted.
However, not all Texas counties saw an increase in the share of telecommuters. But the majority — 78% of Texas counties — had a higher percentage of people working from home compared to the previous five-year period ending in 2016. About 13% of Texas counties had a difference of more than five points percentage.
By gender
A higher percentage of women in the workforce do their jobs from home. Additionally, women saw a greater increase in the percentage working from home.
Nationwide, about 9% of male workers and 10.5% of female workers telecommute, a near match with Texas’ rates of 8.3% and 10.1%.
Since 2016, the share of men working at home increased by about 4.3 percentage points in Texas and 4.6 percentage points nationally. The percentage of women who telecommute increased by 5.6 percentage points in Texas and 5.7 points nationwide.
In Texas and the nation, men and women share an equal share of the labor and household population—each accounting for about 50%.
By age
People working from home are younger than in previous years – but still older than the average age of the overall workforce.
In 2021, the median age of Texans working from home was 44, compared to 41 for the general working population.
In 2016, Texans working from home were generally older, averaging 46 years, compared to 41 years for the overall workforce.
The percentages of different age groups working from home remained relatively similar in Texas between the two five-year assessments. Most people who work from home are between the ages of 25 and 44.
The proportion of 25-44 year olds who work from home increased by six percentage points since 2016 – going from 3.7% to 9.2%. Every age group saw an increase in the percentage of those working from home.
According to income
Earnings among telecommuters are higher than the national average. Income growth between 2016 and 2021 was also greatest for remote workers.
Nationwide, people who work from home have a median income of about $58,000 — nearly $17,000 more than the statewide average.
In 2016, the median income of remote workers, when adjusted for inflation, was $46,283 compared to the nationwide average of $39,099.
By industry
The information industry and the finance, insurance and real estate management industry — which both have median incomes of more than the $40,000 national median income — saw an 11 percentage point increase in workers performing their jobs. from a distance.
About 20% of people in these industries work from home. Previously, both industries had less than 10% of employees working remotely.
Across the board, all industries have a higher percentage of remote workers.
