Brownsville, TX · standard

ZIP Code 78526

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

42,460
372/sq mi: $70,565
Median income: $185,000
Median home value: 33.9%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Brownsville pairs a below-median household income with below-median home values, in a low-density, homeowner-dominated area.

48th pct
household income, US ZIPs: 39th pct
home value, US ZIPs: 372
people per sq mi: 69%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 78526 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 78526 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 114.3 square miles in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas. The area is home to 42,460 residents, producing a population density of 372 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 78526 against Texas and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 78526 sits at $70,565 (7% below the Texas average), while per-capita income is $26,600. The poverty rate stands at 16.9% and the unemployment rate at 5.1%. On housing, the median home value is $185,000 (25% below the state average) with median rent at $1,095 per month, and 69.2% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 78526 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 33.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 29.7, and the average commute is 21 minutes. We also surface 4 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Cameron County, so you can benchmark 78526 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 78526

Health care and social assistance

162
Retail trade

110
Accommodation and food services

107
Other services (except public administration)

53
Professional, scientific, and technical services

51

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 78526, 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

42,460

Population

114.3

Area (sq mi)

372

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 78526?

29.7

Median Age

49.8%

Male

50.2%

Female

24.4%

Foreign-Born

White 29.0%

African American 0.4%

Asian 1.7%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.3%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%

Two or More Ethnicities 59.5%

Hispanic or Latino 92.3%

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?

$70,565

Median Household Income

-7% vs state

$26,600

Per Capita Income

16.9%

Poverty Rate

5.1%

Unemployment Rate

21.0 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 78526 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

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

$70,565 48th percentile higher than 48% 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 55.3%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 33.9%

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

What does housing look like?

18,639

Total Housing Units

17,516

Occupied Units

1,123

Vacant Units

3.39

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 69.2%

Renter 30.8%

$185,000

Median Home Value

-25% vs state

$1,095

Median Rent

2003

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

+4.2%

YoY Change (2024)

237

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+137%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 78526 have increased 4.2% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +137% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+2.3%	153
2021	+15.1%	176
2022	+18.9%	210
2023	+8.6%	228
2024	+4.2%	237

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 769 business establishments in ZIP 78526, employing approximately 12,611 people with a combined annual payroll of $436,872,000.

769

Businesses

12,611

Employees

$436.9M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Health care and social assistance	162	21.1%
Retail trade	110	14.3%
Accommodation and food services	107	13.9%
Other services (except public administration)	53	6.9%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	51	6.6%
Finance and insurance	48	6.2%
Construction	44	5.7%
Wholesale trade	41	5.3%
Transportation and warehousing	41	5.3%
Real estate and rental and leasing	36	4.7%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	26	3.4%
Manufacturing	18	2.3%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	11	1.4%
Educational services	9	1.2%
Information	5	0.7%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	3	0.4%

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 78526 vs 78575 →

78521

93,818
78520

59,408
78526

42,460
78578

12,516
78575

8,056

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 78526 ranks #3 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.

78575

$71,765
78526

$70,565
78578

$51,880
78520

$50,116
78521

$44,509

What this shows By household income, ZIP 78526 ranks #2 of 5 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
78575	Olmito, TX	8,056	6.0 mi
78520	Brownsville, TX	59,408	7.1 mi
78521	Brownsville, TX	93,818	7.8 mi
78578	Port Isabel, TX	12,516	8.7 mi

More ZIP Codes in Cameron County

Cameron County Brownsville, TX Texas

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 78526 in? ▼

ZIP code 78526 (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 78526? ▼

ZIP code 78526 in Brownsville, TX has a population of 42,460 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 78526? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 78526 is $70,565, which is 8% below the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 78526? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 78526 is $185,000, which is 33% below the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 78526? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 78526 is Two or More Ethnicities at 59.5%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 92.3% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 78526? ▼

ZIP code 78526 has 769 business establishments employing approximately 12,611 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 78526? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 78526 are: Health care and social assistance (162), Retail trade (110), Accommodation and food services (107). There are 16 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 78526? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 78526 increased by 4.2% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 137%. 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 78526? ▼

In ZIP code 78526, 55.3% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 33.9% 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 78526? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 78526 is 21.0 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 78526? ▼

In ZIP code 78526, approximately 69.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 30.8% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78526? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 78526 is 16.9% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.