County profile

Zavala 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
9,412
Median household income
$36,749
People below poverty
33.9%
Median home value
$98,800

Income

The median income of households in Zavala County, Texas was $36,749. An estimated 10.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 0% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Zavala County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 10.9
$10,000 to $14,999 9.7
$15,000 to $24,999 9
$25,000 to $34,999 15.1
$35,000 to $49,999 19
$50,000 to $74,999 9.8
$75,000 to $99,999 13.3
$100,000 to $149,999 9.9
$150,000 to $199,999 3.2
$200,000 or more 0

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

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Dollars
Male 35408
Female 25944

An estimated 75.1% of households received earnings. An estimated 35.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 11.5 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $18,128. 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 Zavala County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 75.1
Social Security 35.4
Retirement income 11.5
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 11.9
Cash public assistance income 4.6

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 33.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 50.1% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 17.5% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 30% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Zavala County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 33.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 50.1
People 65 years old and over below poverty 17.5
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 30

In 2020-2024, 40.6 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 67.7% 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 56.1% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Zavala County, Texas in 2020-2024, 85.1% had health insurance coverage and 14.9% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 43.7% and public coverage was 50.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 8.8%.


In 2020-2024, Zavala County, Texas had a total population of 9,412 - 4,465 (47.4%) females and 4,947 (52.6%) males. The median age was 30.8 years. An estimated 29.3% of the population was under 18 years, 31.5% was 19 to 44 years, 19.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 15.7 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 376 295
5 to 9 300 305
10 to 14 507 424
15 to 19 594 343
20 to 24 199 279
25 to 29 432 290
30 to 34 389 717
35 to 39 320 113
40 to 44 171 54
45 to 49 384 162
50 to 54 178 249
55 to 59 267 374
60 to 64 149 64
65 to 69 237 198
70 to 74 210 293
75 to 79 143 76
80 to 84 10 62
85 and over 81 167

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 22.1% were White; 0.8% were Black or African American; 6.6% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.5% were Asian; 0.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 71.4% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 92.6% of the people in Zavala County, Texas were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 6% of the people in Zavala County, Texas were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 3,271 households in Zavala County, Texas. The average household size was 2.86 people.

Married-couple households made up 41.4% of the households in Zavala County, Texas while cohabiting couple households made up 12.6% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 29.6% of all households, while 16.4% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 11% of households were male householders living alone, and 9.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 20.1% of all households.

In Zavala County, Texas, 42.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 34.9% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 41.4
Cohabiting Couples 12.6
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
16.4
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
29.6

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 42.4% of males and 38.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 49.5 37.9
Now married, except separated 42.4 38.4
Separated 1.9 3.7
Widowed 1.9 6.1
Divorced 4.2 13.9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Zavala County, Texas, 235 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 57.4% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 92.3% of the people living in Zavala County, Texas were U.S. natives. 80.1% of the Zavala County, Texas population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 7.7% of Zavala County, Texas residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 53.4% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 68.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Zavala 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 Zavala County, Texas.

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

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Percent
Latin America 96.1
Asia 1.7
Europe 0
Africa 2.2
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Zavala County, Texas in 2020-2024, 67.7 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 67.5% of people at least five years old; 14.1% 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 Zavala County, Texas in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 67.5
Other Indo-European languages 0.1
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 97.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Zavala County, Texas were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 97.4
Different house, same county 1
Different county, same state 1.2
Different state 0.4
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 70.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 11.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 29.6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Zavala County, Texas was 2,887 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 281 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,171. College or graduate school enrollment was 435.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 29.6
High school diploma or equivalency 32.1
Some college, no degree 22
Associate's degree 5.1
Bachelor's degree 10.2
Graduate or professional degree 0.9

Disability

In Zavala County, Texas, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 19 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.6% of people under 18 years old, to 16.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 53.5% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Zavala County, Texas, 52.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 44.7% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 66.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 16.8% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 15.4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 2,491 66.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 627 16.8
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 573 15.4

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 8.9
Construction 12.1
Manufacturing 2.3
Wholesale trade 2.7
Retail trade 12.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.8
Information 0.9
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 6.8
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 2.5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 26.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 4.3
Other Services, except public administration 9.5
Public administration 5.8

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 921 24.7
Service occupations 665 17.8
Sales and office occupations 824 22.1
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 770 20.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 546 14.7

Commuting to Work

An estimated 80.5% of Zavala County, Texas workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 5.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 20.4 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 80.5
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 5.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 3
Other means 4.6
Worked from home 6.4

In 2020-2024, Zavala County, Texas had a total of 3,946 housing units. Of these housing units, 66.3% 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"). 11.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 22.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 66.3
Apartments in multi-unit structures 11.1
Mobile homes 22.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

15% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 10.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Zavala County, Texas was 4.8 rooms, and of these housing units 68.7% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Zavala County, Texas had 3,271 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 675 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 69% while renters occupied 31%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 3.05 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.44.

2.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 14% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 8% and another 24.9% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 12.8
Electricity 87.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0
All other fuels 0
No fuel used 0

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Zavala County, Texas was $98,800.

Of the owner-occupied households, 33.5 % had a mortgage. 66.5% 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 $1,333 and for owners without a mortgage it was $441.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Zavala County, Texas was $548. 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.