Big Spring, TX

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

32,290

US Senator

John Cornyn

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Cruz

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.7

0.811% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

13.8%

8.27% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$69,649

2.53% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$155,600

Population & Diversity

Big Spring, TX is home to a population of 32.3k people, from which 92.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.83% of Big Spring, TX residents were born outside of the country (3.17k people).

In 2024, there were 2.06 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (13.9k people) in Big Spring, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.77k White (Hispanic) and 5.62k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92.1%

2024 Citizenship

91.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92.1% of Big Spring, TX residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Big Spring, TX was 91.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Big Spring, TX compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Big Spring, TX

White (Non-Hispanic)
13.9k ± 164
White (Hispanic)
6.77k ± 809
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
5.62k ± 852

47.7%

Hispanic Population

15.4k people

47.7% of the people in Big Spring, TX are hispanic (15.4k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Big Spring, TX as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Texas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
2,408,340 ± 36,549 people
India
354,317 ± 14,528 people
El Salvador
223,512 ± 11,564 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Texas was Mexico, the natal country of 2,408,340 Texas residents, followed by India with 354,317 and El Salvador with 223,512.

Foreign-Born Population

9.83%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.17k people

10.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.5k people

As of 2024, 9.83% of Big Spring, TX residents (3.17k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Big Spring, TX was 10.6%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Big Spring, TX compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
453 ± 111
Gulf War (1990s)
426 ± 139
Gulf War (2001-)
344 ± 133

Big Spring, TX has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.06 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Big Spring, TX.

Economy

The economy of Big Spring, TX employs 13.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Big Spring, TX were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,229 people), Educational Services (1,447 people), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (1,306 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($79,695), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($77,727), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($74,435).

Employment

Occupations

13.5k

2024 Value

± 874

−1.19%

1 Year decline

± 9.42%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Big Spring, TX declined at a rate of −1.19%, from 13.7k employees to 13.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Big Spring, TX, are Management Occupations (1,418 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,235 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (1,032 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Big Spring, TX.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Texas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

13.5k

2024 Value

± 874

−1.19%

1 Year decline

± 9.42%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Big Spring, TX declined at a rate of −1.19%, from 13.7k employees to 13.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Big Spring, TX, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,229 people), Educational Services (1,447 people), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction (1,306 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Big Spring, TX, though some of these residents may live in Big Spring, TX and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$62,087

Median earning men ± $4,007

$35,763

Median earning women ± $3,149

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($136,450), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($78,679), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($73,740).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($69,818), Public Administration ($69,750), and Construction ($65,417).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.

Y-Axis

4.59%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 13.8M people employed in Texas. This represents a 4.59% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 9.63%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Texas.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

43
Retail Trade
39
Other Services (except Public Administration)
39
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$133k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$67.4k
Manufacturing
$47k
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

The student population of Big Spring, TX in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,574 male students and 2,574 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Big Spring, TX are Hispanic or Latino (307 and 46.4%), White (292 and 44.2%), Black or African American (29 and 4.39%), and Two or More Races (23 and 3.48%).

The largest universities in Big Spring, TX by number of degrees awarded are Howard College (651 and 98.3%) and Southwest College for the Deaf (11 and 1.66%).

The most popular majors in Big Spring, TX are Registered Nursing (89 and 13.4%), General Business (74 and 11.2%), and General Studies (67 and 10.1%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 4,148 students enrolled in Big Spring, TX, 37.9% men and 62.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 1,939 records, of which 64.6% were women and 35.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
89 degrees awarded
General Studies
67 degrees awarded
General Business
64 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Big Spring, TX was Registered Nursing with 89 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Big Spring, TX according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Howard College
651 degrees awarded
Southwest College for the Deaf
11 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Howard College with 651 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 184 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Big Spring, TX, which is 0.385 times less than the 478 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Hispanic or Latino students. These 307 degrees mean that there were 1.05 times more degrees awarded to Hispanic or Latino students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 292 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,320) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($946) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,690) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Big Spring, TX was $155,600 in 2024, which is 0.468 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $150,300 to $155,600, a 3.53% increase. The homeownership rate in Big Spring, TX is 69.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Big Spring, TX have an average commute time of 21.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Big Spring, TX is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$155,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,624

$8,474

Median Property Taxes

±$672

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Big Spring, TX the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Big Spring, TX compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

69.5%

Homeownership

2024

67.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.5% of the housing units in Big Spring, TX were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 68.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Big Spring, TX compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$69,649

Median Household Income

± $3,878

12.2k

Number of Households

± 764

In 2024, the median household income of the 12.2k households in Big Spring, TX declined from $69,649 from the previous year's value of $71,457.

The following chart displays the households in Big Spring, TX distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Big Spring, TX is from Texas.

0.475

2024 Wage GINI in Texas

0.475

2023 Wage GINI in Texas

In 2024, the income inequality in Texas was 0.475 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0391% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Texas was higher than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in Texas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Texas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.1%)
Carpooled (16%)
Worked At Home (3.05%)

In 2024, 79.1% of workers in Big Spring, TX drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (16%) and those who worked at home (3.05%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Big Spring, TX have a shorter commute time (21.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.76% of the workforce in Big Spring, TX have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Big Spring, TX compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Big Spring, TX distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Big Spring, TX have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Big Spring, TX (4.01k out of 29k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Big Spring, TX is Hispanic, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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