Starr County, TX

County

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2024 Population

66,067

US Senator

John Cornyn

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Cruz

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

29.4

1.03% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

33.5%

0.0553% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$37,639

1.42% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$95,100

1.93% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

23,958

0.556% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Starr County, TX reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

81.8% of the residents in Starr County, TX are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Starr County, TX was $95,100, and the homeownership rate was 69.5%.

Most people in Starr County, TX drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Starr County, TX was 2 cars per household.

Starr County, TX borders Brooks County, TX, Hidalgo County, TX, Jim Hogg County, TX, and Zapata County, TX.

United States Texas Rio Grande City, TX

Population & Diversity

Starr County, TX is home to a population of 66.1k people, from which 81.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 27.2% of Starr County, TX residents were born outside of the country (18k people).

In 2024, there were 1.73 times more Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents (34.9k people) in Starr County, TX than any other race or ethnicity. There were 20.2k White (Hispanic) and 8.91k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

81.8%

2024 Citizenship

80.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 81.8% of Starr County, TX residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Starr County, TX was 80.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Starr County, TX

Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
34.9k ± 2.17k
White (Hispanic)
20.2k ± 2.09k
Other (Hispanic)
8.91k ± 1.54k

97.2%

Hispanic Population

64.2k people

97.2% of the people in Starr County, TX are hispanic (64.2k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
2,397,739 ± 36,447 people
India
325,248 ± 13,925 people
El Salvador
221,729 ± 11,517 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Texas was Mexico, the natal country of 2,397,739 Texas residents, followed by India with 325,248 and El Salvador with 221,729.

Foreign-Born Population

27.2%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

18k people

27.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

18.1k people

As of 2024, 27.2% of Starr County, TX residents (18k 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 Starr County, TX was 27.5%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
358 ± 190
Vietnam
297 ± 160
Gulf War (1990s)
30 ± 50

Starr County, TX has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.21 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Starr County, TX.

Economy

The economy of Starr County, TX employs 24k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Starr County, TX were Health Care & Social Assistance (4,681 people), Educational Services (4,043 people), and Construction (2,913 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($80,372), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($71,500), and Manufacturing ($44,953).

Employment

Occupations

24k

2024 Value

± 1,390

−0.556%

1 Year decline

± 8.25%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Starr County, TX declined at a rate of −0.556%, from 24.1k employees to 24k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Starr County, TX, are Construction & Extraction Occupations (2,758 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (2,708 people), and Healthcare Support Occupations (2,667 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Starr County, 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

24k

2024 Value

± 1,390

−0.556%

1 Year decline

± 8.25%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Starr County, TX declined at a rate of −0.556%, from 24.1k employees to 24k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Starr County, TX, are Health Care & Social Assistance (4,681 people), Educational Services (4,043 people), and Construction (2,913 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Starr County, TX, though some of these residents may live in Starr County, TX and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$32,130

Median earning men ± $4,139

$22,704

Median earning women ± $2,320

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($72,901), Manufacturing ($46,389), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($42,477).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($35,000), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($24,714), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($23,250).

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
42
Finance and Insurance
42
Retail Trade

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

$95.9k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$49.2k
Retail Trade
$14.2k
Accommodation and Food Services

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing the state of Texas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Texas is currently represented by 38 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Starr County, TX. Showing the available data for Texas.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (56.1%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Jill Stein (0.726%)
Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Texas went to Donald J. Trump with 56.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Jill Stein (0.726%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Texas for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Texas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Texas.

John Cornyn

Senator from Texas

Assumed office on December 2, 2002
Phil Gramm resigned (effective November 30, 2002) a few weeks before the expiration of his term in hopes that his successor, fellow Republican John Cornyn, could gain seniority over other newly elected senators. However, Cornyn did not gain additional seniority due to a 1980 Rules Committee policy.

Ted Cruz

Senator from Texas

Assumed office on January 3, 2013

John Cornyn and Ted Cruz are the senators currently representing Texas.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Texas over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Starr County, TX was $95,100 in 2024, which is 0.286 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $93,300 to $95,100, a 1.93% increase. The homeownership rate in Starr County, TX is 69.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Starr County, TX have an average commute time of 22.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Starr County, TX is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 21.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Starr County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.52%.

Housing

Property

$95,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,540

$13,320

Median Property Taxes

±$912

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 Starr County, TX the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

69.5%

Homeownership

2024

66%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.5% of the housing units in Starr County, TX were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 71.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Starr County, 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.

$37,639

Median Household Income

± $4,431

19.2k

Number of Households

± 1,146

In 2024, the median household income of the 19.2k households in Starr County, TX declined from $37,639 from the previous year's value of $38,182.

The following chart displays the households in Starr County, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Starr County, TX is from Texas.

0.475

2023 Wage GINI in Texas

0.476

2022 Wage GINI in Texas

In 2023, the income inequality in Texas was 0.475 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.208% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Texas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more 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 (71.9%)
Carpooled (12.8%)
Worked At Home (9.33%)

In 2024, 71.9% of workers in Starr County, TX drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.8%) and those who worked at home (9.33%).

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

22.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Starr County, TX have a shorter commute time (22.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.21% of the workforce in Starr County, TX have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 21.3% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Starr County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.52%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

33.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Starr County, TX (22k out of 65.6k 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 6 - 11, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Starr County, TX is Hispanic, followed by Two Or More 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 37% of the children was living in poverty in Starr County, TX. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 15.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 263 in Starr County, TX. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 9.61 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

71.1% of the population of Starr County, TX has health coverage, with 19% on employee plans, 34.9% on Medicaid, 5.53% on Medicare, 11.1% on non-group plans, and 0.586% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Starr County, TX see 3,885 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,885 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 6573 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 3140 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

3,885 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Starr County, TX

Primary care physicians in Starr County, TX see an average of 3,885 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,885 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Starr County, TX in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 34.1% under 18 years, 23.2% between 18 and 34 years, 31.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 11.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

28.9%

Uninsured

19%

Employer Coverage

34.9%

Medicaid

5.53%

Medicare

11.1%

Non-Group

0.586%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Starr County, TX declined by 7.73% from 31.3% to 28.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Starr County, TX changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 46.2 in Starr County, TX.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Starr County, TX.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 47.8% in Starr County, TX.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Starr County, TX.