| ZIP Codes: | 21 ZIP Codes (13 Standard, 8 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 956 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 11:55:11 PM |
| Population: | 425,684 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 48061 |
| CBSA: | Brownsville-Harlingen, TX |
| Land Area: | 990 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 255 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 26.1203, -97.5849 |
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425,684 residents live across 21 ZIPs covering 990 sq mi, served by 14 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 415,103 to 425,684 from 2014 to 2024 — a +2.5% change. 6 ZIPs gained residents, 10 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 78575 (Olmito, $71,765 median) and poorest ZIP 78521 (Brownsville, $44,509) are 14.4 miles apart — a 1.6× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 6.2× across this county — from $85,100 in 78593 (Santa Rosa) to $527,200 in 78597 (South Padre Island).
Density varies 41× across the county — from 37 people/sq mi in 78583 (Rio Hondo) to 1,499 in 78526 (Brownsville).
Educational attainment ranges from 12.6% bachelor's+ in 78586 (San Benito) to 53.6% in 78597 (South Padre Island) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Texas, this is the #13 most populous of 254 counties and ranks #211 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $54,093 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
22.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (56,819 of 257,067 reporting).
13 Standard delivery, 8 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78521 | Brownsville | Standard | 87,380 | $44,509 | 123.5 | -4.0% |
| 78520 | Brownsville | Standard | 64,740 | $50,116 | 44.7 | 2.9% |
| 78526 | Brownsville | Standard | 60,012 | $70,565 | 40.0 | 33.3% |
| 78550 | Harlingen | Standard | 53,335 | $49,007 | 94.6 | 3.0% |
| 78586 | San Benito | Standard | 50,964 | $45,575 | 162.9 | -11.3% |
| 78552 | Harlingen | Standard | 42,332 | $69,811 | 52.7 | 13.5% |
| 78566 | Los Fresnos | Standard | 25,110 | $60,187 | 155.7 | 45.0% |
| 78559 | La Feria | Standard | 12,169 | $49,383 | 37.7 | -7.9% |
| 78578 | Port Isabel | Standard | 10,016 | $51,880 | 46.4 | -14.5% |
| 78593 | Santa Rosa | Standard | 5,455 | $48,649 | 43.5 | -2.7% |
| 78583 | Rio Hondo | Standard | 5,236 | $51,453 | 141.6 | -14.6% |
| 78575 | Olmito | Standard | 4,575 | $71,765 | 9.0 | -55.3% |
| 78597 | South Padre Island | Standard | 2,935 | $68,421 | 37.8 | 0.1% |
| 78592 | Santa Maria | PO Box | 677 | — | 0.0 | -39.8% |
| 78535 | Combes | PO Box | 425 | $39,000 | 0.1 | -42.5% |
| 78567 | Los Indios | PO Box | 323 | — | 0.2 | -42.5% |
| 78522 | Brownsville | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 78523 | Brownsville | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 78553 | Harlingen | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 78551 | Harlingen | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 78568 | Lozano | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |