Brownsville, TX · standard

ZIP Code 78521

Cameron County, Texas — Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

Reviewed by PlainZIP Editorial Team, ZIP Code Data Editors · June 15, 2026

93,818
389/sq mi: $44,509
Median income: $99,700
Median home value: 16.7%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Brownsville pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a low-density, homeowner-dominated and unusually populous area.

9th pct
household income, US ZIPs: 10th pct
home value, US ZIPs: 389
people per sq mi: 60%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 78521 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 78521 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 241.2 square miles in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas. The area is home to 93,818 residents, producing a population density of 389 people per square mile, and falls within the Chicago time zone. These USPS and Census boundary values drive every downstream statistic on this page, including the benchmarks that compare 78521 against Texas and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 78521 sits at $44,509 (41% below the Texas average), while per-capita income is $19,594. The poverty rate stands at 30.2% and the unemployment rate at 6.9%. On housing, the median home value is $99,700 (60% below the state average) with median rent at $889 per month, and 60.3% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 78521 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 16.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 31.3, and the average commute is 22 minutes. We also surface 2 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Cameron County, so you can benchmark 78521 against its immediate geography rather than a national average alone. Every figure is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, HUD Fair Market Rents, and FHFA Home Price Index data, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with HUD →

Top industries in ZIP 78521

Retail trade

217
Health care and social assistance

187
Accommodation and food services

153
Transportation and warehousing

129
Wholesale trade

110

What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + HUD FMR + FHFA HPI ACS demographics, ZBP business establishments, HUD Fair Market Rents, FHFA HPI for ZIP 78521, Brownsville, TX · 2023 Accessed 2026-06-15 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; HUD FMR + FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.

Quick Facts

93,818

Population

241.2

Area (sq mi)

389

People / sq mi

Chicago

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard

Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.

View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 78521?

31.3

Median Age

47.9%

Male

52.1%

Female

30.4%

Foreign-Born

White 32.4%

African American 0.0%

Asian 0.4%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.6%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%

Two or More Ethnicities 55.6%

Hispanic or Latino 96.1%

Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How much do residents earn?

$44,509

Median Household Income

-41% vs state

$19,594

Per Capita Income

30.2%

Poverty Rate

6.9%

Unemployment Rate

22.4 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 78521 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income — the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$44,509 9th percentile higher than 9% of 30,318 US ZIPs

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What is the education profile here?

High School Graduate or Higher 42.9%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 16.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

29,741

Total Housing Units

27,731

Occupied Units

2,010

Vacant Units

3.14

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 60.3%

Renter 39.7%

$99,700

Median Home Value

-60% vs state

$889

Median Rent

1989

Median Year Built

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How have home values changed over time?

FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals

+5.7%

YoY Change (2024)

263

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+163%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 78521 have increased 5.7% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +163% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+6.3%	163
2021	+12.5%	183
2022	+18.5%	217
2023	+14.7%	249
2024	+5.7%	263

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 1,384 business establishments in ZIP 78521, employing approximately 28,048 people with a combined annual payroll of $1,209,154,000.

1,384

Businesses

28,048

Employees

$1.2B

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Retail trade	217	15.7%
Health care and social assistance	187	13.5%
Accommodation and food services	153	11.1%
Transportation and warehousing	129	9.3%
Wholesale trade	110	8.0%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	102	7.4%
Finance and insurance	94	6.8%
Other services (except public administration)	92	6.7%
Construction	82	5.9%
Manufacturing	63	4.5%
Real estate and rental and leasing	61	4.4%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	37	2.7%
Information	21	1.5%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	12	0.9%
Educational services	9	0.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	6	0.4%
Management of companies and enterprises	5	0.4%
Industries not classified	3	0.2%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.

Nearby ZIP Codes

Want a side-by-side? Compare 78521 vs 78578 →

78521

93,818
78526

42,460
78578

12,516

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 78521 ranks the most populous — useful context the national average alone can't give.

78526

$70,565
78578

$51,880
78521

$44,509

What this shows By household income, ZIP 78521 ranks #3 of 3 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
78578	Port Isabel, TX	12,516	7.1 mi
78526	Brownsville, TX	42,460	7.8 mi

More ZIP Codes in Cameron County

Cameron County Brownsville, TX Texas

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 78521 in? ▼

ZIP code 78521 (Brownsville) is located in Cameron County, Texas. Cameron County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/cameron-tx.

What is the population of ZIP code 78521? ▼

ZIP code 78521 in Brownsville, TX has a population of 93,818 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 78521? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 78521 is $44,509, which is 42% below the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 78521? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 78521 is $99,700, which is 64% below the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 78521? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 78521 is Two or More Ethnicities at 55.6%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 96.1% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 78521? ▼

ZIP code 78521 has 1,384 business establishments employing approximately 28,048 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 78521? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 78521 are: Retail trade (217), Health care and social assistance (187), Accommodation and food services (153). There are 18 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 78521? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 78521 increased by 5.7% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 163%. This is a developmental index based on repeat sales and appraisal data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

What is the education level in ZIP code 78521? ▼

In ZIP code 78521, 42.9% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 16.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).

What is the average commute time in ZIP 78521? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 78521 is 22.4 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.

What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 78521? ▼

In ZIP code 78521, approximately 60.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 39.7% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78521? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 78521 is 30.2% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.