ZIP Code Tabulation Area

78520

Brownsville, TX · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

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

Total population
64,740
Median household income
$50,116
People below poverty
23.2%
Median home value
$146,000

Income

The median income of households in 78520 was $50,116. An estimated 9.1% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 2.8% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 9.1
$10,000 to $14,999 9.2
$15,000 to $24,999 9.8
$25,000 to $34,999 9.8
$35,000 to $49,999 12.1
$50,000 to $74,999 18.6
$75,000 to $99,999 12.7
$100,000 to $149,999 11.7
$150,000 to $199,999 4.2
$200,000 or more 2.8

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 40982
Female 36544

An estimated 76.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 31.7% of households received Social Security and an estimated 14.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $14,960. 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 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 76.2
Social Security 31.7
Retirement income 14.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 7.4
Cash public assistance income 1.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 23.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 28.4% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 30.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 18.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 23.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 28.4
People 65 years old and over below poverty 30.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 18.9

In 2020-2024, 28.7 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 53.8% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 42% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 38.7% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 78520 in 2020-2024, 72.7% had health insurance coverage and 27.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 39.3% and public coverage was 37.5%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 15.3%.


In 2020-2024, 78520 had a total population of 64,740 - 33,289 (51.4%) females and 31,451 (48.6%) males. The median age was 31.9 years. An estimated 27.8% of the population was under 18 years, 34.6% was 19 to 44 years, 20.1% was 45 to 64 years, and 13.9 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for 78520 in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 2449 2624
5 to 9 2452 2725
10 to 14 2419 2172
15 to 19 3244 2240
20 to 24 2478 3047
25 to 29 2392 2293
30 to 34 2017 2081
35 to 39 1894 1648
40 to 44 2278 2256
45 to 49 2167 1936
50 to 54 1391 1922
55 to 59 1217 1658
60 to 64 1266 1475
65 to 69 1155 1675
70 to 74 1034 1332
75 to 79 674 878
80 to 84 573 618
85 and over 351 709

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 31.5% were White; 0.6% were Black or African American; 4.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.6% were Asian; 0% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 54.5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 92.9% of the people in 78520 were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 5% of the people in 78520 were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 20,847 households in 78520. The average household size was 3.06 people.

Married-couple households made up 45.3% of the households in 78520 while cohabiting couple households made up 3.3% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 33.9% of all households, while 17.5% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 10.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 10.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 21.3% of all households.

In 78520, 39.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 32.8% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 45.3
Cohabiting Couples 3.3
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
17.5
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
33.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 49.7% of males and 41.9% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 40.2 32.3
Now married, except separated 49.7 41.9
Separated 1.5 6.1
Widowed 3.1 10
Divorced 5.5 9.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In 78520, 2,001 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 24.9% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 72.8% of the people living in 78520 were U.S. natives. 65.5% of the 78520 population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 27.2% of 78520 residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 41.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 74.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of 78520 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 78520.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 97.8
Asia 1.5
Europe 0.4
Africa 0
Northern America 0.3
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in 78520 in 2020-2024, 82.5 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 81.9% of people at least five years old; 30.9% 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 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 81.9
Other Indo-European languages 0.2
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.4 % of the people at least one year old living in 78520 were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 90.4
Different house, same county 6.9
Different county, same state 1.6
Different state 0.6
Abroad 0.6

Education

In 2020-2024, 69.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 23.9% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 30.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in 78520 was 19,520 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 1,131 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 13,303. College or graduate school enrollment was 5,086.

Educational Attainment of People in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 30.5
High school diploma or equivalency 23
Some college, no degree 15.6
Associate's degree 7
Bachelor's degree 17.4
Graduate or professional degree 6.5

Disability

In 78520, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 11.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.8% of people under 18 years old, to 8.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 41.7% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In 78520, 54.1 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 42% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 72.2% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18.5% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 8.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 19,108 72.2
Federal, state, or local government workers 4,904 18.5
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 2,295 8.7

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in 78520 worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.2
Construction 6
Manufacturing 7.2
Wholesale trade 2.5
Retail trade 11.3
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.8
Information 1.1
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.1
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 10.6
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 31.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.1
Other Services, except public administration 4.4
Public administration 5.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in 78520 in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 7,865 29.7
Service occupations 6,542 24.7
Sales and office occupations 5,822 22
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 2,445 9.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 3,779 14.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 72.2% of 78520 workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 13.9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 22.5 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 72.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 13.9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.7
Walked 2.1
Other means 1.6
Worked from home 9.5

In 2020-2024, 78520 had a total of 23,135 housing units. Of these housing units, 71.1% 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"). 23.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 4.7% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 71.1
Apartments in multi-unit structures 23.9
Mobile homes 4.7
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.3

18.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 4.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in 78520 was 4.7 rooms, and of these housing units 60.9% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, 78520 had 20,847 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 2,288 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 60.2% while renters occupied 39.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 3.13 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.96.

3.4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 10.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 11% and another 20.2% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in 78520:

House Heating Fuel Used in 78520 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 9.5
Electricity 89
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.3
All other fuels 0.1
No fuel used 1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in 78520 was $146,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 42 % had a mortgage. 58% 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 $1,486 and for owners without a mortgage it was $495.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for 78520 was $865. 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.