County profile

Matagorda County

Texas · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
36,329
Median household income
$58,628
People below poverty
20.7%
Median home value
$172,900

Income

The median income of households in Matagorda County, Texas was $58,628. An estimated 7.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.8% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.7
$10,000 to $14,999 5.7
$15,000 to $24,999 7.9
$25,000 to $34,999 9.2
$35,000 to $49,999 11.4
$50,000 to $74,999 21.3
$75,000 to $99,999 9.8
$100,000 to $149,999 14.3
$150,000 to $199,999 5.8
$200,000 or more 6.8

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 58397
Female 43019

An estimated 75.8% of households received earnings. An estimated 33.9% of households received Social Security and an estimated 22.9 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $21,660. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 75.8
Social Security 33.9
Retirement income 22.9
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.2
Cash public assistance income 3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 20.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 31.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 12.5% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 18.3% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 20.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 31.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 12.5
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 18.3

In 2020-2024, 17 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 43.8% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 32.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 29.3% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024, 82.1% had health insurance coverage and 17.9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 56.8% and public coverage was 37.5%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 12.7%.


In 2020-2024, Matagorda County, Texas had a total population of 36,329 - 18,548 (51.1%) females and 17,781 (48.9%) males. The median age was 37.8 years. An estimated 25.6% of the population was under 18 years, 30.8% was 19 to 44 years, 23.8% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.2 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 865 1632
5 to 9 1394 1139
10 to 14 1185 1415
15 to 19 1074 1221
20 to 24 1181 985
25 to 29 1158 923
30 to 34 1325 1305
35 to 39 1254 1209
40 to 44 952 863
45 to 49 917 989
50 to 54 881 1018
55 to 59 1048 1248
60 to 64 1335 1206
65 to 69 1095 1010
70 to 74 1021 922
75 to 79 648 715
80 to 84 305 447
85 and over 143 301

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 52.5% were White; 10.3% were Black or African American; 8.1% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.8% were Asian; 5.4% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 18.5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 43.7% of the people in Matagorda County, Texas were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 41.4% of the people in Matagorda County, Texas were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 15,439 households in Matagorda County, Texas. The average household size was 2.33 people.

Married-couple households made up 45.9% of the households in Matagorda County, Texas while cohabiting couple households made up 5.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 27.3% of all households, while 20.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 17.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 33% of all households.

In Matagorda County, Texas, 29% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 31.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 45.9
Cohabiting Couples 5.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
27.3

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 52.2% of males and 52.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 35 24.6
Now married, except separated 52.2 52.8
Separated 1.8 2
Widowed 2.2 9.1
Divorced 8.8 11.6

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Matagorda County, Texas, 771 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 54.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 88.2% of the people living in Matagorda County, Texas were U.S. natives. 72.5% of the Matagorda County, Texas population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 11.8% of Matagorda County, Texas residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 30% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 59.3 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Matagorda County, Texas come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Matagorda County, Texas.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 72.9
Asia 12.8
Europe 9.4
Africa 4.6
Northern America 0
Oceania 0.4

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024, 27.2 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 24.9% of people at least five years old; 9% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 24.9
Other Indo-European languages 1.3
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1
Other languages 0.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 87.1 % of the people at least one year old living in Matagorda County, Texas were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 87.1
Different house, same county 6
Different county, same state 4.7
Different state 1.6
Abroad 0.5

Education

In 2020-2024, 81 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 22.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 18.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Matagorda County, Texas was 8,457 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 245 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 6,886. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,326.

Educational Attainment of People in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 18.9
High school diploma or equivalency 29.8
Some college, no degree 19.8
Associate's degree 9.2
Bachelor's degree 14.1
Graduate or professional degree 8

Disability

In Matagorda County, Texas, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.5 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 9.2% of people under 18 years old, to 13.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 40.8% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Matagorda County, Texas, 55.5 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 39.2% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 81.3% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 14.1% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 12,714 81.3
Federal, state, or local government workers 2,199 14.1
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 711 4.5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Matagorda County, Texas worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 7.2
Construction 13.2
Manufacturing 13.6
Wholesale trade 2.1
Retail trade 12
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 9.7
Information 1.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.3
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 13.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.3
Other Services, except public administration 3.7
Public administration 5.2

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 4,747 30.4
Service occupations 2,586 16.5
Sales and office occupations 2,779 17.8
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 2,744 17.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,779 17.8

Commuting to Work

An estimated 77.9% of Matagorda County, Texas workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 13.6% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 24 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 77.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 13.6
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.8
Walked 0.9
Other means 0.6
Worked from home 6.1

In 2020-2024, Matagorda County, Texas had a total of 19,058 housing units. Of these housing units, 70.8% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 15.8% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 12.1% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 70.8
Apartments in multi-unit structures 15.8
Mobile homes 12.1
Boat, RV, van, etc 1.2

13% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 6.4% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Matagorda County, Texas was 5.1 rooms, and of these housing units 56.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Matagorda County, Texas had 15,439 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,619 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 68.1% while renters occupied 31.9%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.46 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.05.

6.3% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 8.1% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6% and another 24% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Matagorda County, Texas:

House Heating Fuel Used in Matagorda County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 32.8
Electricity 64.1
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.6
All other fuels 1.9
No fuel used 0.7

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Matagorda County, Texas was $172,900.

Of the owner-occupied households, 37.3 % had a mortgage. 62.7% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,672 and for owners without a mortgage it was $555.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Matagorda County, Texas was $999. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.