Census-designated place · Texas
La Paloma, Texas
La Paloma, census-designated place, in Cameron County, Texas. La Paloma had 3,218 residents in the 2020 Census, a full count; the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 2,797 (±847). GEOID 4841416.
Residents, 2020 Census
3,218
Census count or controlled total
ACS 2020-2024 estimate: 2,797 ±847
Median household income
$59,840
±$17,280 (90% margin)
Texas: $78,476
Median home value
$82,400
±$14,729 (90% margin)
Texas: $283,800
Median gross rent
$666
±$600 (90% margin)
Texas: $1,403
Where is La Paloma and what county is it in?
La Paloma is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for counting, with no city government of its own, in Cameron County, Texas. It covers 2.2 square miles of land, 1,494 residents per square mile in 2020.
La Paloma is in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metropolitan statistical area (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in La Paloma, and is it growing?
The 2020 Census counted 3,218 residents in La Paloma, a full count rather than a sample. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a sample, estimates 2,797 (±847).
The Census Bureau publishes yearly population estimates for incorporated places only; La Paloma is a census-designated place, so its figures come from the ACS and the 2020 Census.
| Measure | La Paloma | Cameron County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 2,797 ±847 | 426,120 | no clear change |
| Households | 770 ±215 | 138,433 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 3.63 ±0.52 | 3.05 | −1.17 |
| Housing units | 817 ±216 | 159,679 | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in La Paloma?
The median resident of La Paloma is 27.3 years old. The largest group is Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 99.2%, then non-Hispanic white residents at 0.8%. 25.0% of residents were born outside the United States.
| Measure | La Paloma | Cameron County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 27.3 ±6.6 | 32.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 36.5% ±8.0 pts | 28.7% | – |
| 65 years and over | 6.3% ±4.2 pts | 14.3% | – |
| Male | 53.3% ±7.8 pts | 49.4% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 99.2% ±1.4 pts | 89.3% | no clear change |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 0.8% ±1.4 pts | 8.7% | – |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.8 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.8 pts | 0.8% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.8 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.8 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.8 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.8 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 25.0% ±7.8 pts | 23.2% | no clear change |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 81.2% ±8.9 pts | 72.2% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 4.2% ±6.1 pts | 4.1% | – |
| With a disability | 7.2% ±5.2 pts | 12.3% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 28.7% ±10.1 pts | 25.8% | −15.2 pts |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 58.0% ±13.5 pts | 72.5% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 21.0% ±15.4 pts | 22.1% | – |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 4.7% ±5.4 pts | 7.0% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 88.8% ±10.3 pts | 91.5% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.0% ±1.8 pts | 0.7% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in La Paloma earn?
Half of La Paloma's 770 households earn less than $59,840 a year (±$17,280), against $52,601 in Cameron County and $78,476 in Texas. In 2015-2019 it was $59,764 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 24.8% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | La Paloma | Cameron County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,840 ±$17,280 | $52,601 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $75,122 ±$19,720 | $71,924 | – |
| Per capita income | $20,328 ±$5,212 | $24,089 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 24.8% ±16.0 pts | 24.8% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 21.3% ±21.0 pts | 35.6% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 37.8% ±16.9 pts | 24.8% | – |
| Households with a computer | 92.1% ±12.0 pts | 91.2% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 83.6% ±14.9 pts | 84.4% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in La Paloma?
Owners occupy 84.0% of La Paloma's occupied homes and renters 16.0%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $82,400 by its owner (±$14,729).
| Measure | La Paloma | Cameron County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $82,400 ±$14,729 | $136,500 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $666 ±$600 | $912 | – |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 68.8% ±42.4 pts | 40.0% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,390 ±$1,305 | $1,449 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 84.0% ±12.7 pts | 65.2% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 16.0% ±12.7 pts | 34.8% | – |
| Housing units | 817 ±216 | 159,679 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±7.4 pts | 1.4% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 17.4% ±27.6 pts | 5.5% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 64.5% ±14.8 pts | 64.7% | – |
| Mobile homes | 32.7% ±15.2 pts | 10.5% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±5.9 pts | 2.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 13.8% ±11.2 pts | 14.0% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 0.0% ±5.9 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 7.9% ±12.0 pts | 6.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in La Paloma work and get to work?
66.0% of La Paloma's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 29.0 minutes.
| Measure | La Paloma | Cameron County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 62.2% ±10.9 pts | 58.0% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 1.5% ±2.3 pts | 5.9% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 66.0% ±16.0 pts | 75.6% | – |
| Carpooled | 10.3% ±7.2 pts | 11.7% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±4.1 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Walked | 0.0% ±4.1 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Worked from home | 23.7% ±15.8 pts | 9.1% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 29.0 min ±6.0 | 21.3 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in La Paloma?
No census tract lies mostly in La Paloma; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 125.10Cameron County | 5,625 | $32,452 |
| Tract 121.06Cameron County | 1,960 | $53,811 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in La Paloma) · Census block assignment files
How does La Paloma compare with other places in Texas?
La Paloma ranks 590th of 933 places in Texas with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population (ACS 2020-2024) | 610th | 979 |
| Residents per square mile | 315th | 979 |
| Median household income | 590th | 933 |
| Per capita income | 885th | 978 |
| Median home value | 876th | 950 |
| Poverty rate | 137th | 716 |
| Median age | 929th | 973 |
| Owner-occupied share | 204th | 973 |
| Travel time to work | 328th | 976 |
La Paloma's figures with every place in Texas (CSV)
Every place in Texas, sortable · Compare La Paloma with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for La Paloma?
28 of the 57 figures for La Paloma on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for La Paloma are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.