Harlingen, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Harlingen, 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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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Harlingen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 65,715 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1611.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.62% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.6 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 23,734 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Harlingen grew by 22.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 65,715 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Harlingen is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.1% of residents. That is 0.4 points below Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 15,179 23.1% -0.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 13,300 20.2% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 11,223 17.1% -2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 9,679 14.7% +1.5 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 51.2% of the people living in Harlingen and men 48.8%.
- Women 51.2% Texas 50.1%
- Men 48.8% Texas 49.9%
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Economy
Harlingen has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Harlingen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,913 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.32% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Harlingen is about 33% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Harlingen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $179,338 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $931 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.0% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Harlingen is about 16.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $931 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Harlingen spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 133 hours, about 5.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Harlingen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.9 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.9 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 133 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,119 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.7% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 19,720 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,889 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Harlingen is 16 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
Harlingen has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Harlingen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.7% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.73 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Health
Harlingen has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Harlingen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.6 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 29.3% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.3% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Harlingen, Texas.
What is the population of Harlingen, Texas?
About 65,715 people live in Harlingen, Texas, in 23,734 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 31.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Harlingen, Texas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Harlingen, Texas has 1,612 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 19 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Harlingen, Texas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.4 times the median household income ($179,338 against $52,913), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $931 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Harlingen, Texas have a college degree?
17.7% of adults in Harlingen, 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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