Big Spring, TX · standard
ZIP Code 79720
Howard County, Texas - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 33,640
- 14/sq mi
- $68,785
- Median income
- $152,500
- Median home value
- 15.7%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Big Spring pairs a below-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 45th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 26th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 14
- people per sq mi
- 69%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 79720 against every reporting US ZIP.
FHFA HPI release change
What changed in the latest House Price Index year
- FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 79720 (Big Spring, TX) rose +1.3% from 2023 to 2024. The all-transactions index moved from 320.1 in 2023 to 324.1 in 2024 (2000 = 100).
ZIP code 79720 is a densely settled ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Big Spring, Howard County, Texas, with 33,640 residents across 2352.4 square miles, a density of 14 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 79720 reports a modest median household income of $68,785 (9% below the average Texas ZIP), while per-capita income is $34,930. The poverty rate is 14.6%, with unemployment at 5.4%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $152,500 (38% below the average Texas ZIP), and median rent is $1,032; owner occupancy is 69.2%.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 15.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 37.3, and the average commute is 22 minutes. No nearby ZIP peer set is available for this delivery area, so the Texas and national benchmarks above are the appropriate context for 79720.
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 79720
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Big Spring, TX
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 79720.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
103 establishments
- Accommodation and food services
Accommodation and food services
85 establishments
- Health care and social assistance
Health care and social assistance
65 establishments
- Other services (except public administration)
Other services (except public administration)
58 establishments
- Finance and insurance
Finance and insurance
50 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 79720, Big Spring, 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
33,640
Population
2352.4
Area (sq mi)
14
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 79720?
37.3
Median Age
55.6%
Male
44.4%
Female
9.7%
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?
$68,785
Median Household Income
-9% vs state ZIP avg
$34,930
Per Capita Income
14.6%
Poverty Rate
5.4%
Unemployment Rate
21.8 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 79720 ranks nationally
Big Spring, TX household income vs. every US ZIP code
Median household income, the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked
$68,785 45th percentile higher than 45% 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?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
13,360housing units
13,360
Total Housing Units
11,578
Occupied Units
1,782
Vacant Units
2.34
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$152,500
Median Home Value
-38% vs state ZIP avg
$1,032
Median Rent
1966
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How have home values changed over time?
FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals
+1.3%
YoY Change (2024)
324
HPI Index (2000 = 100)
+224%
Total Change Since 2000
Home values in ZIP 79720 have increased 1.3% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +224% cumulative appreciation.
| Year | Annual Change | HPI Index |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +8.2% | 266 |
| 2021 | +4.6% | 279 |
| 2022 | +9.2% | 304 |
| 2023 | +5.2% | 320 |
| 2024 | +1.3% | 324 |
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 665 business establishments in ZIP 79720, employing approximately 8,603 people with a combined annual payroll of $515,209,000.
665
Businesses
8,603
Employees
$515.2M
Annual Payroll
17
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 103 | 15.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 85 | 12.8% |
| Health care and social assistance | 65 | 9.8% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 58 | 8.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 50 | 7.5% |
| Construction | 46 | 6.9% |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 43 | 6.5% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 41 | 6.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 34 | 5.1% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 34 | 5.1% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 34 | 5.1% |
| Manufacturing | 20 | 3.0% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 20 | 3.0% |
| Information | 15 | 2.3% |
| Utilities | 8 | 1.2% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 5 | 0.8% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 3 | 0.5% |
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 79720, 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 (33,640 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.