Starr County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Starr 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.
-
F
Health Well below averageLeast healthy county in Texas
-
D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 94% of counties in Texas
-
F
Education Well below averageAmong the 5 least educated counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Starr County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 66,056 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 53.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.59% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 27.8 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,154 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Starr County grew by 8.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 66,056 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Starr County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 26.2% of residents. That is 2.8 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 17,333 26.2% +2.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 12,658 19.2% -3.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,680 16.2% -3.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,508 11.4% -1.9 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 51.0% of the people living in Starr County and men 49.0%.
- Women 51.0% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.0% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Starr County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Starr County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Starr County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $37,802 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.43% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 10.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Starr County is about 52% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Starr County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $59,009 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $726 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.5% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Starr County is about 6.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $726 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Starr County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 142 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Starr County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.0 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.0 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 142 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,387 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,704 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 331 | 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 Starr County is 17 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
Starr County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Starr County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 12.1% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 3.42 | 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
Starr County has a health index of F, which means it scores poorly in health.
| Metric | Starr County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.4 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 34.2% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.8% | 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).
Starr County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
How Starr County, TX compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starr County, TX | 66,056 | $37,802 #2/2 | $59,009 #2/2 | 17.0 min #1/2 |
| Hidalgo County, TX | 891,846 | $54,369 | $188,481 | 20.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Starr County, Texas.
How many people live in Starr County, Texas?
About 66,056 people live in Starr County, Texas, in 19,154 households of 3.4 people on average. The median age is 27.8, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 9 years.
Is Starr County, Texas urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Starr County, Texas has 54 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 62% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Starr County, Texas an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($59,009 against $37,802), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $726 a month takes about 23% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Starr County, Texas?
Unemployment in Starr County, Texas is 10.4%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How educated are people in Starr County, Texas?
12.1% of adults in Starr County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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 →