Port Lavaca, TX

Census Place

2024 Population

11,358

US Senator

John Cornyn

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Cruz

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.5

2.9% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

10.2%

10.3% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$70,123

7.23% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$128,200

5.95% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Port Lavaca, TX is home to a population of 11.4k people, from which 92% are citizens.

As of 2024, 13.3% of Port Lavaca, TX residents were born outside of the country (1.51k people).

In 2024, there were 1.11 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (3.18k people) in Port Lavaca, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.86k White (Non-Hispanic) and 2.13k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

92%

2024 Citizenship

92%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 92% of Port Lavaca, TX residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Port Lavaca, TX was 92%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Port Lavaca, TX

Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
3.18k ± 571
White (Non-Hispanic)
2.86k ± 407
White (Hispanic)
2.13k ± 587

62.7%

Hispanic Population

7.12k people

62.7% of the people in Port Lavaca, TX are hispanic (7.12k people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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

13.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.51k people

14.3%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

1.63k people

As of 2024, 13.3% of Port Lavaca, TX residents (1.51k 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 Port Lavaca, TX was 14.3%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
283 ± 120
Gulf War (2001-)
234 ± 165
World War II
84 ± 84

Port Lavaca, TX has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.21 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Port Lavaca, TX.

Economy

The economy of Port Lavaca, TX employs 5.32k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Port Lavaca, TX were Manufacturing (1,364 people), Retail Trade (688 people), and Educational Services (592 people), and the highest paying industries were Manufacturing ($92,689), Construction ($81,414), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,054).

Employment

Occupations

5.32k

2024 Value

± 704

−1.99%

1 Year decline

± 19.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Port Lavaca, TX declined at a rate of −1.99%, from 5.43k employees to 5.32k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Port Lavaca, TX, are Sales & Related Occupations (654 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (549 people), and Management Occupations (461 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Port Lavaca, 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

5.32k

2024 Value

± 704

−1.99%

1 Year decline

± 19.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Port Lavaca, TX declined at a rate of −1.99%, from 5.43k employees to 5.32k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Port Lavaca, TX, are Manufacturing (1,364 people), Retail Trade (688 people), and Educational Services (592 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Port Lavaca, TX, though some of these residents may live in Port Lavaca, TX and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$64,464

Median earning men ± $2,924

$26,027

Median earning women ± $4,195

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($82,451), Construction ($81,645), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,176).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($94,082), Retail Trade ($56,250), and Construction ($48,250).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Port Lavaca, TX was $128,200 in 2024, which is 0.385 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $121,000 to $128,200, a 5.95% increase. The homeownership rate in Port Lavaca, TX is 70.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Port Lavaca, TX have an average commute time of 18.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Port Lavaca, TX is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$128,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$31,162

$3,498

Median Property Taxes

±$510

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 Port Lavaca, TX the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

70.3%

Homeownership

2024

64.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 70.3% of the housing units in Port Lavaca, TX were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Port Lavaca, 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.

$70,123

Median Household Income

± $12,068

4.98k

Number of Households

± 755

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.98k households in Port Lavaca, TX grew to $70,123 from the previous year's value of $65,395.

The following chart displays the households in Port Lavaca, 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 Port Lavaca, 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 (85.2%)
Carpooled (10.9%)
Worked At Home (3.17%)

In 2024, 85.2% of workers in Port Lavaca, TX drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.9%) and those who worked at home (3.17%).

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

18.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Port Lavaca, TX have a shorter commute time (18.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.27% of the workforce in Port Lavaca, TX have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Port Lavaca, TX (1.14k out of 11.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Males 12 - 14 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Port Lavaca, TX is Hispanic, followed by Other and White.

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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