Hidalgo County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Hidalgo 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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D
Health Well below averageLess healthy than 93% of counties in Texas
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 87% of counties in Texas
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 891,846 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 563.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.93% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 30.9 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 270,165 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Hidalgo County grew by 26.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 891,846 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Hidalgo County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.8% of residents. That is 3.3 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 238,667 26.8% +3.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 180,732 20.3% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 147,904 16.6% -2.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 101,955 11.4% -1.8 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 Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Hidalgo County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,369 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.23% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.6% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Hidalgo County is about 31% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $188,481 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $956 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 67.5% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Hidalgo County is about 16.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $956 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Hidalgo County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 168 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.1 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.2 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 168 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,198 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.2% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,016 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,365 | 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 Hidalgo County is 20 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
Hidalgo County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.7% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.27 | 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
Hidalgo County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Hidalgo County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 28.4% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.1% | 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).
Hidalgo County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Hidalgo County, TX is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 891,846 residents against a local median of 66,056. Hidalgo County, TX's median home price, at $188,481, runs 219% above the $59,009 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.1 min against a local median of 17.0 min, 18% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 18% above the local median it puts Hidalgo County, TX at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $116,349 on median home price, so Hidalgo County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Hidalgo County, TX has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County, TX | 891,846 | $54,369 #1/4 | $188,481 #1/4 | 20.1 min #4/4 |
| Starr County, TX | 66,056 | $37,802 | $59,009 | 17.0 min |
| Willacy County, TX | 20,139 | $53,177 | $21,785 | 13.6 min |
| Cameron County, TX | 421,649 | $52,582 | $138,134 | 19.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Hidalgo County, Texas.
What is the population of Hidalgo County, Texas?
About 891,846 people live in Hidalgo County, Texas, in 270,165 households of 3.3 people on average. The median age is 30.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Hidalgo County, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, Hidalgo County, Texas has 564 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Hidalgo County, Texas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.5 times the median household income ($188,481 against $54,369), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $956 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Hidalgo County, Texas?
Unemployment in Hidalgo County, Texas is 7.6%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Hidalgo County, Texas have a college degree?
17.7% of adults in Hidalgo 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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