Waelder, TX · standard
ZIP Code 78959
Gonzales County, Texas - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 1,837
- 5/sq mi Low-density area
- $60,472
- Median income Below-median income area
- 17.3%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Waelder pairs a below-median household income, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 30th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 5
- people per sq mi
- 76%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 78959 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 78959 covers 408.2 square miles in Waelder, Gonzales County, Texas (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 1,837 residents on file, a density of 5 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 78959 reports a modest median household income of $60,472 (20% below the average Texas ZIP), while per-capita income is $35,045. The poverty rate is 12.6%, with unemployment at 5.4%; those measures add context to the income figure. 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: 17.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 49.7, and the average commute is 29 minutes. No nearby ZIP peer set is available for this delivery area, so the Texas and national benchmarks above are the appropriate context for 78959.
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 →
Top industries in ZIP 78959
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Waelder, TX
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 78959.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
6 establishments
- Transportation and warehousing
Transportation and warehousing
4 establishments
- Wholesale trade
Wholesale trade
3 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 + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 78959, Waelder, 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
1,837
Population
408.2
Area (sq mi)
5
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 78959?
49.7
Median Age
51.1%
Male
48.9%
Female
15.7%
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?
$60,472
Median Household Income
-20% vs state ZIP avg
$35,045
Per Capita Income
12.6%
Poverty Rate
5.4%
Unemployment Rate
28.8 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 78959 ranks among Texas ZIPs
Waelder, 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)
$60,472 33rd percentile higher than 33% 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
705housing units
705
Total Housing Units
568
Occupied Units
137
Vacant Units
2.04
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$936
Median Rent
1992
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 23 business establishments in ZIP 78959, employing approximately 457 people with a combined annual payroll of $28,413,000.
23
Businesses
457
Employees
$28.4M
Annual Payroll
3
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 6 | 26.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 4 | 17.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 3 | 13.0% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 78959, both outside TX so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (1,837 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Gonzales County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 78959 in?
ZIP code 78959 (Waelder) is located in Gonzales County, Texas. Gonzales County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/gonzales-tx.
What is the population of ZIP code 78959?
ZIP code 78959 in Waelder, TX has a population of 1,837 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 78959?
The median household income in ZIP 78959 is $60,472, which is 21% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 78959?
The largest racial group in ZIP 78959 is White at 44.8%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 52.1% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 78959?
ZIP code 78959 has 23 business establishments employing approximately 457 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 78959?
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 78959 are: Retail trade (6), Transportation and warehousing (4), Wholesale trade (3). There are 3 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 78959?
In ZIP code 78959, 51.6% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 17.3% 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 78959?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 78959 is 28.8 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend more time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 78959?
In ZIP code 78959, approximately 76.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 23.8% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78959?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 78959 is 12.6% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
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- See how ZIP 78959 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
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ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.