Brooks County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Brooks County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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F
Health Well below averageAmong the 3 least healthy counties in Texas
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F
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 84% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Brooks County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,943 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 7.4 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.48% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.2 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 2,977 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Brooks County declined by 7.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,943 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Brooks County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.4% of residents. That is about the same share as Texas.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,623 23.4% on par
- Millennials 29–44 1,327 19.1% -3.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,183 17.0% -2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,298 18.7% +5.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Brooks County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.4% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Brooks County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Brooks County has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Brooks County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,277 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 9.96% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 19.9% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Brooks County is about 39% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Brooks County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $72,778 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $719 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 52.8% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Brooks County is about 8.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $719 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Brooks County spend about 23 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 97 hours, about 4.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Brooks County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 11.6 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 23.2 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 97 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $2,994 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.1% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,431 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 410 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Brooks County is 12 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Brooks County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Brooks County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.6% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.22 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Brooks County has a health index of F, which means it scores poorly in health.
| Metric | Brooks County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 35.1% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Brooks County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Brooks County, TX is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 6,943 residents against a local median of 66,056. The measure that sets Brooks County, TX apart most is median home price: $72,778, 61% below the local median of $188,481.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 11.6 min against a local median of 17.0 min, 32% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 32% below the local median it puts Brooks County, TX at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $255,507 on median home price, so Brooks County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Brooks County, TX has the 3rd highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooks County, TX | 6,943 | $48,277 #3/4 | $72,778 #3/4 | 11.6 min #1/4 |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 891,846 | $54,369 | $188,481 | 20.1 min |
| Kleberg County, TX | 30,579 | $62,665 | $314,516 | 13.2 min |
| Starr County, TX | 66,056 | $37,802 | $59,009 | 17.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Brooks County, Texas.
How big is Brooks County, Texas by population?
About 6,943 people live in Brooks County, Texas, in 2,977 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 36.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Brooks County, Texas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Brooks County, Texas has 7 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 9% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Brooks County, Texas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.5 times the median household income ($72,778 against $48,277), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $719 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Brooks County, Texas?
Unemployment in Brooks County, Texas is 19.9%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Brooks County, Texas?
17.6% of adults in Brooks County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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