Prairie Lea, TX · standard
ZIP Code 78661
Caldwell County, Texas - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 335
- 51/sq mi Moderate-density area
- $82,896
- Median income Near-median income area
- $209,700
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 9.0%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Prairie Lea pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 35%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 46th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 51
- people per sq mi
- 91%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 78661 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 78661 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Prairie Lea, Caldwell County, Texas, home to just 335 residents across 6.5 square miles, a density of 51 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 78661 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $82,896 (10% above the average Texas ZIP), while per-capita income is $26,002. The poverty rate is 29.2%, so the area-level income figures should not be treated as typical household experience. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $209,700 (15% below the average Texas ZIP); owner occupancy is 91.4%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 9.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 27.1, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 6 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Caldwell County, so 78661 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 78661, Prairie Lea, 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
335
Population
6.5
Area (sq mi)
51
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 78661?
27.1
Median Age
53.1%
Male
46.9%
Female
1.8%
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?
$82,896
Median Household Income
+10% vs state ZIP avg
$26,002
Per Capita Income
29.2%
Poverty Rate
4.3%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 78661 ranks among Texas ZIPs
Prairie Lea, 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)
$82,896 Top 31% higher than 69% 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
241housing units
241
Total Housing Units
233
Occupied Units
8
Vacant Units
3.58
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$209,700
Median Home Value
-15% vs state ZIP avg
1991
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 8 business establishments in ZIP 78661, employing approximately 38 people with a combined annual payroll of $2,752,000.
8
Businesses
38
Employees
$2.8M
Annual Payroll
0
Industry Sectors
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 78661 vs 78622 →
ZIP 78661 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 78644
Lockhart (78644)
17,081 residents
- 78648
Luling (78648)
7,683 residents
- 78655 2,739
Martindale (78655)
2,739 residents
- 78638 2,005
Kingsbury (78638)
2,005 residents
- 78661 335
Prairie Lea (78661)
335 residents
- 78622 296
Fentress (78622)
296 residents
- 78670 168
Staples (78670)
168 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 78661 ranks #5 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 78661 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 78661
Prairie Lea (78661)
$82,896 median income
- 78670
Staples (78670)
$78,625 median income
- 78644
Lockhart (78644)
$74,709 median income
- 78638
Kingsbury (78638)
$69,250 median income
- 78648
Luling (78648)
$57,621 median income
- 78655
Martindale (78655)
$55,952 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 78661 ranks the highest of 6 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 78661, 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 Caldwell County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 78661 in?
ZIP code 78661 (Prairie Lea) is located in Caldwell County, Texas. Caldwell County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/caldwell-tx.
What is the population of ZIP code 78661?
ZIP code 78661 in Prairie Lea, TX has a population of 335 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 78661?
The median household income in ZIP 78661 is $82,896, which is 9% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 78661?
The median home value in ZIP 78661 is $209,700, which is 25% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 78661?
The largest racial group in ZIP 78661 is White at 59.0%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 70.8% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 78661?
ZIP code 78661 has 8 business establishments employing approximately 38 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 78661?
In ZIP code 78661, 70.9% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 9.0% 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 78661?
In ZIP code 78661, approximately 91.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 8.6% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78661?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 78661 is 29.2% 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 78661's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 78661 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Prairie Lea, 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.