Cotton Center, TX · standard
ZIP Code 79021
Hale County, Texas - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 138
- 3/sq mi Low-density area
- $51,094
- Median income Below-median income area
- 3.3%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Cotton Center pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country, in a rural, renter-heavy area.
- 15th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 3
- people per sq mi
- 24%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 79021 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 79021 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Cotton Center, Hale County, Texas, home to just 138 residents across 44.5 square miles, a density of 3 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 79021 reports a modest median household income of $51,094 (32% below the average Texas ZIP), while per-capita income is $29,476. The poverty rate is 43.5%, 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.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 3.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 29.8, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 3 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 5 more in Hale County, so 79021 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 79021, Cotton Center, 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
138
Population
44.5
Area (sq mi)
3
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 79021?
29.8
Median Age
52.2%
Male
47.8%
Female
6.5%
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?
$51,094
Median Household Income
-32% vs state ZIP avg
$29,476
Per Capita Income
43.5%
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 79021 ranks among Texas ZIPs
Cotton Center, 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)
$51,094 16th percentile higher than 16% 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
30housing units
30
Total Housing Units
17
Occupied Units
13
Vacant Units
2.71
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$625
Median Rent
1971
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 3 business establishments in ZIP 79021, employing approximately 15 people with a combined annual payroll of $449,000.
3
Businesses
15
Employees
$449K
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 79021 vs 79369 →
ZIP 79021 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 79311
Abernathy (79311)
3,445 residents
- 79041
Hale Center (79041)
3,194 residents
- 79021 138
Cotton Center (79021)
138 residents
- 79369 88
Spade (79369)
88 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 79021 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 79021 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 79311
Abernathy (79311)
$81,985 median income
- 79041
Hale Center (79041)
$61,832 median income
- 79021
Cotton Center (79021)
$51,094 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 79021 ranks #3 of 3 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 79021, 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 Hale County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 79021 in?
ZIP code 79021 (Cotton Center) is located in Hale County, Texas. Hale County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/hale-tx.
What is the population of ZIP code 79021?
ZIP code 79021 in Cotton Center, TX has a population of 138 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 79021?
The median household income in ZIP 79021 is $51,094, which is 33% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 79021?
The largest racial group in ZIP 79021 is White at 93.5%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 13.0% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 79021?
ZIP code 79021 has 3 business establishments employing approximately 15 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 79021?
In ZIP code 79021, 46.7% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 3.3% 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 79021?
In ZIP code 79021, approximately 23.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 76.5% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 79021?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 79021 is 43.5% 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 79021's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 79021 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Cotton Center, 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.