Donna, TX · standard
ZIP Code 78537
Hidalgo County, Texas — Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 39,454
- 244/sq mi
- $40,668
- Median income
- $81,900
- Median home value
- 10.4%
- Bachelor's or higher
The verdict
Donna pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a low-density, homeowner-dominated area.
- 6th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 5th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 244
- people per sq mi
- 74%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 78537 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 78537 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 161.8 square miles in Donna, Hidalgo County, Texas. The area is home to 39,454 residents, producing a population density of 244 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 78537 against Texas and the nation.
On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 78537 sits at $40,668 (46% below the Texas average), while per-capita income is $15,590. The poverty rate stands at 37.0% and the unemployment rate at 9.8%. On housing, the median home value is $81,900 (67% below the state average) with median rent at $763 per month, and 74.2% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 78537 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.
Education and household profile round out the picture: 10.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 26.6, and the average commute is 24 minutes. We also surface 9 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Hidalgo County, so you can benchmark 78537 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 78537
Top 5 sectors by establishment count
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 78537.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
75 establishments
- Health care and social assistance
Health care and social assistance
54 establishments
- Construction
Construction
32 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
30 establishments
- Wholesale trade 28
Wholesale trade
28 establishments
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 78537, Donna, TX · 2023 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
39,454
Population
161.8
Area (sq mi)
244
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 78537?
26.6
Median Age
51.3%
Male
48.7%
Female
27.3%
Foreign-Born
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?
$40,668
Median Household Income
-46% vs state
$15,590
Per Capita Income
37.0%
Poverty Rate
9.8%
Unemployment Rate
24.4 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 78537 ranks nationally
Household income vs. every US ZIP code
Median household income — the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked
$40,668 6th percentile higher than 6% 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?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
16,457
Total Housing Units
13,909
Occupied Units
2,548
Vacant Units
3.70
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$81,900
Median Home Value
-67% vs state
$763
Median Rent
1997
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 315 business establishments in ZIP 78537, employing approximately 6,219 people with a combined annual payroll of $176,127,000.
315
Businesses
6,219
Employees
$176.1M
Annual Payroll
12
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 75 | 23.8% |
| Health care and social assistance | 54 | 17.1% |
| Construction | 32 | 10.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 30 | 9.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 28 | 8.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 21 | 6.7% |
| Manufacturing | 16 | 5.1% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 15 | 4.8% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 13 | 4.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 12 | 3.8% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 7 | 2.2% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 5 | 1.6% |
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 78537 vs 78596 →
ZIP 78537 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 78577
Pharr (78577)
70,840 residents
- 78596
Weslaco (78596)
63,844 residents
- 78537
Donna (78537)
39,454 residents
- 78589
San Juan (78589)
38,004 residents
- 78516
Alamo (78516)
33,722 residents
- 78570
Mercedes (78570)
32,525 residents
- 78539
Edinburg (78539)
30,783 residents
- 78543 8,447
Elsa (78543)
8,447 residents
- 78579 4,580
Progreso (78579)
4,580 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 78537 ranks #3 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 78537 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 78539
Edinburg (78539)
$66,967 median income
- 78596
Weslaco (78596)
$58,411 median income
- 78558
La Blanca (78558)
$57,969 median income
- 78589
San Juan (78589)
$54,285 median income
- 78516
Alamo (78516)
$53,229 median income
- 78577
Pharr (78577)
$52,770 median income
- 78543
Elsa (78543)
$44,527 median income
- 78570
Mercedes (78570)
$41,965 median income
- 78537
Donna (78537)
$40,668 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 78537 ranks #9 of 9 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78596 | Weslaco, TX | 63,844 | 4.2 mi |
| 78516 | Alamo, TX | 33,722 | 4.0 mi |
| 78589 | San Juan, TX | 38,004 | 6.1 mi |
| 78577 | Pharr, TX | 70,840 | 8.4 mi |
| 78570 | Mercedes, TX | 32,525 | 9.1 mi |
| 78558 | La Blanca, TX | 882 | 9.6 mi |
| 78579 | Progreso, TX | 4,580 | 8.0 mi |
| 78543 | Elsa, TX | 8,447 | 10.0 mi |
| 78539 | Edinburg, TX | 30,783 | 11.3 mi |
More ZIP Codes in Hidalgo County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 78537 in? ▼
What is the population of ZIP code 78537? ▼
What is the median household income in ZIP 78537? ▼
What is the average home value in ZIP 78537? ▼
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 78537? ▼
How many businesses are in ZIP code 78537? ▼
What are the main industries in ZIP code 78537? ▼
What is the education level in ZIP code 78537? ▼
What is the average commute time in ZIP 78537? ▼
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 78537? ▼
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78537? ▼
ZIP Code Research Guides
Official Data Resources for Donna, TX
Verify and explore additional data for this area using these official government sources.
Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.