| City: | Laredo, Texas |
| County: | Webb County |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 9:08:32 PM |
| Population: | No Population Data |
| Area Code: | 956 |
| Classification: | PO Box |
| Coordinates: | 27.5062, -99.5075 |
| Quick Link: |
The single street carrier route on Matamoros Street delivers to 140 addresses, but the postal facility's real reach extends well beyond this downtown corridor. Border communities face distinct mailing realities: packages sent to Mexican addresses often require expensive international shipping, while a U.S. PO Box just miles away offers reliable, affordable delivery. Businesses operating in both countries maintain boxes here to simplify customs documentation and provide U.S. addresses to vendors who won't ship internationally. That's why box demand exceeds the business count by a factor of three.
This ZIP sits in Laredo's Western district, overlapping the Central Business District and bordering neighborhoods like El Cuatro and El Trece. The street name itself tells the story: Matamoros Street is named for the Mexican city directly across the Rio Grande. It's not just geographic proximity but economic and cultural integration that shapes this postal zone. In Webb County, which is predominantly Hispanic, the post office serves families with relatives in both countries, students attending schools on opposite sides of the border, and small businesses navigating binational supply chains.
The facility code designation confirms year-round city delivery service, though the dominance of PO Boxes over street addresses reveals customer preference rather than infrastructure limitation. For many in a border community, a PO Box isn't a fallback option. It's the practical choice when you're managing shipments that can't cross customs directly, receiving documents for businesses registered in the U.S. but operating in Mexico, or simply ensuring mail security in a high-traffic downtown district where package theft is a concern. The post office here doesn't just sort and deliver mail. It anchors cross-border connectivity.
The single street served by this ZIP is named for Matamoros, Mexico, the city directly across the Rio Grande from Laredo. This naming pattern reflects the deep binational ties that define the border region. Rather than a diverse street network, this ZIP focuses on serving a concentrated downtown business district where PO Box service supports cross-border commerce.
ZIP Code 78042 supports both business and residential activity. According to the Business Census (2024), there are 29 business establishments, employing about 621 people with an annual payroll of $41,349,000.
| # Residential Mailboxes: | 0Source: USPS |
| # Business Mailboxes: | 0Source: USPS |
| Total Delivery Receptacles: | 7,633Source: USPS |
| Single Family Delivery Units: | 0Source: USPS |
| Multi Family Delivery Units: | 0Source: USPS |
| # of Businesses: | 29Source: CBP |
| 1st Quarter Payroll: | $8,068,000Source: CBP |
| Annual Payroll: | $41,349,000Source: CBP |
| # of Employees: | 621Source: CBP |
ZIP Code 78042 is located in Webb County, Texas, within the Laredo, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area (CBSA 29700) and Texas's 28th Congressional District. This Metro area has a population of 267,731 people, about 0.00% of whom live in ZIP Code 78042. It covers 0 sq mi of land and a water area of 0 sq mi.
| CBSA Name: | Laredo, TXSource: Census |
| CBSA Number: | 29700Source: Census |
| CBSA Type: | MetroSource: Census |
| CBSA Division: | --Source: Census |
| CBSA Population: | 267,731Source: Census |
| MSA: | Laredo, TX MSASource: Census |
| Land Area: | --Source: Census |
| Water Area: | --Source: Census |
| Congressional District: | 28Source: USPS |
| Congressional Land Area: | 9378.53 sq miSource: Census |
| PMSA: | --Source: Census |
| Intro Date: | < 2004-10Source: ZIP-Codes.com |
| Place FIPS Code: | 4841464Source: Census |
| Place Name: | Laredo city; TexasSource: Census |
We could not locate which school district 78042 belongs to, but we will update this once new district data is released. There are no public schools nor private schools with a mailing address in this ZIP Code. Listing Nearby schools instead. It also has 6 colleges, universities or post secondary education institutions nearby which would be a short commute to.
Our sources include trusted federal and licensed data from the United States Postal Service, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Geological Survey, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the National Center for Education Statistics, along with proprietary datasets created by ZIP-Codes.com. Data last updated on February 1, 2026.