McAllen, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
McAllen, 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | McAllen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 146,716 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 2338.3 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.09% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.7 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 49,498 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in McAllen grew by 10.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 146,716 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in McAllen is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.4% of residents. That is 0.9 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 35,752 24.4% +0.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 31,035 21.2% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 26,705 18.2% -1.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 19,280 13.1% -0.1 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 50.8% of the people living in McAllen and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.2% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in McAllen
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
McAllen has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | McAllen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $61,369 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.13% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.0% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in McAllen is about 22% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | McAllen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $246,778 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,054 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 58.7% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in McAllen is about 19.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,054 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in McAllen spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 152 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | McAllen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.2 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.5 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 152 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,710 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.9% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 14,903 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,390 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in McAllen is 18 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
McAllen has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | McAllen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.7% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.94 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Health
McAllen has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | McAllen | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.3 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 24.1% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
McAllen, TX Compared With Nearby Cities
How McAllen, TX compares with the 2 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McAllen, TX | 146,716 | $61,369 #1/3 | $246,778 #1/3 | 18.2 min #1/3 |
| Pharr, TX | 72,563 | $53,858 | $169,248 | 20.1 min |
| Mission, TX | 82,130 | $58,937 | $173,638 | 18.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about McAllen, Texas.
How big is McAllen, Texas by population?
About 146,716 people live in McAllen, Texas, in 49,498 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 31.7, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is McAllen, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, McAllen, Texas has 2,338 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 27 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in McAllen, Texas?
The median home costs 4.0 times the median household income ($246,778 against $61,369), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,054 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →