Santa Elena, TX · standard
ZIP Code 78591
Starr County, Texas - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 265
- 1/sq mi Low-density area
- $35,750
- Median income Below-median income area
- 20.0%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Santa Elena pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 4th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 1
- people per sq mi
- 90%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 78591 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 78591 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Santa Elena, Starr County, Texas, home to just 265 residents across 331.3 square miles, a density of 1 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 78591 sits on the lower end of the income spectrum: median household income is $35,750 (53% below the average Texas ZIP), while per-capita income is $31,329. The poverty rate is 28.5%, so the area-level income figures should not be treated as typical household experience. The ACS does not report a median home value for this ZIP, so housing cost context is limited to the available tenure and rent fields.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 20.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 56.1, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 1 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Starr County, so 78591 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 78591, Santa Elena, TX · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
265
Population
331.3
Area (sq mi)
1
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 78591?
56.1
Median Age
52.5%
Male
47.5%
Female
24.7%
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?
$35,750
Median Household Income
-53% vs state ZIP avg
$31,329
Per Capita Income
28.5%
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 78591 ranks among Texas ZIPs
Santa Elena, TX household income vs. every Texas ZIP code
Median household income among 1,737 reporting Texas ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$35,750 3rd percentile higher than 3% of 1,737 Texas ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Texas 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?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
205housing units
205
Total Housing Units
76
Occupied Units
129
Vacant Units
2.08
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
1979
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 78591 vs 78536 →
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78536 | Delmita, TX | 451 | 6.1 mi |
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 78591, both outside TX so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Starr County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 78591 in?
ZIP code 78591 (Santa Elena) is located in Starr County, Texas. Starr County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/starr-tx.
What is the population of ZIP code 78591?
ZIP code 78591 in Santa Elena, TX has a population of 265 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 78591?
The median household income in ZIP 78591 is $35,750, which is 53% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 78591?
The largest racial group in ZIP 78591 is Two or More Ethnicities at 75.3%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 96.8% of the population.
What is the education level in ZIP code 78591?
In ZIP code 78591, 66.7% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 20.0% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 78591?
In ZIP code 78591, approximately 89.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 10.5% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78591?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 78591 is 28.5% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 78591's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 78591 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Santa Elena, TX ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.