County · Texas

Cameron County, Texas

Cameron County, Texas. Cameron County had 433,946 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 3.0% since 2020, slower than Texas (+8.8%). It holds 53 places (18 cities, villages and boroughs and 35 census-designated) and 122 census tracts. GEOID 48061.

Cameron County is the county of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

433,946

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 421,017 · ACS 2020-2024: 426,120

Median household income

$52,601

±$1,632 (90% margin)
Texas: $78,476

Median home value

$136,500

±$3,909 (90% margin)
Texas: $283,800

Median gross rent

$912

±$25 (90% margin)
Texas: $1,403

How many people live in Cameron County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 421,017 residents in Cameron County. The Census Bureau estimates 433,946 for July 1, 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, slower than Texas (+8.8%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 426,120 over 892 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +1,131 (422,635)
2021→2022 +3,206 (425,841)
2022→2023 +3,065 (428,906)
2023→2024 +4,046 (432,952)
2024→2025 +994 (433,946)

Cameron County in Texas. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Cameron County	Texas	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	426,120	30,188,424	+4,454
Households	138,433±877	10,992,816	+13,828
Average household size	3.05±0.02	2.69	−0.31
Housing units	159,679±95	12,128,515	+8,583

Cameron County's population since 2000

From 335,227 in 2000 to 433,946 in 2025: up 29.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 335,227
2005 (estimate) 373,429
2010 Census 406,220
2015 (estimate) 419,062
2020 Census 421,017
2025 (estimate) 433,946

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Cameron County?

Cameron County holds 53 places: 18 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 35 census-designated places. The largest is Brownsville with 192,957 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Cameron County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Brownsville	city	186,738	189,177±60	$52,130	$139,900	23.7%	100%
Harlingen	city	71,829	72,087±50	$53,645	$140,600	25.1%	100%
San Benito	city	24,861	24,709±31	$43,639	$85,300	29.7%	100%
Los Fresnos, Cameron County	city	8,114	8,291±31	$61,938	$152,200	34.7%	100%
La Feria	city	6,817	6,891±24	$45,081	$106,900	25.0%	100%
Cameron Park	CDP	6,099	5,955±977	$36,089	$74,800	44.6%	100%
Primera	town	5,257	5,344±21	$80,116	$160,900	13.1%	100%
Port Isabel	city	5,028	5,111±17	$32,222	$182,600	34.2%	100%
Laureles	CDP	4,111	4,224±1,206	$34,771	$152,400	35.4%	100%
Laguna Vista	town	3,520	3,673±20	$63,632	$255,900	21.8%	100%
La Paloma	CDP	3,218	2,797±847	$59,840	$82,400	24.8%	100%
Combes	town	2,999	3,178±54	$45,504	$143,900	27.2%	100%
Rancho Viejo, Cameron County	town	2,838	2,849±19	$90,714	$264,500	6.4%	100%
Santa Rosa, Cameron County	town	2,450	3,215±662	$36,780	$67,400	39.4%	100%
South Padre Island	town	2,066	2,891±555	$70,472	$516,900	16.0%	100%
Rio Hondo	city	2,021	1,865±528	$35,682	$104,000	26.3%	100%
Encantada-Ranchito-El CalabozGEOID 4824223	CDP	1,981	2,552±1,009	$45,505	$68,800	25.3%	100%
Palm Valley	city	1,413	2,155±446	$99,438	$275,000	2.6%	100%
Palmer, Cameron CountyGEOID 4854748	CDP	1,082	1,435±716	$18,675	not published	76.2%	100%
OlmitoGEOID 4853964	CDP	1,021	887±480	not published	not published	67.3%	100%
South PointGEOID 4869194	CDP	1,014	1,054±322	$49,779	$86,300	13.7%	100%
Los Indios	town	1,008	948±285	$45,179	$63,500	19.4%	100%
Laguna HeightsGEOID 4840300	CDP	962	357±314	not published	$77,200	35.5%	100%
Las Palmas IIGEOID 4841580	CDP	891	808±504	$45,893	$147,300	32.1%	100%
Indian Lake	town	839	962±342	$25,982	$65,400	49.7%	100%
Arroyo Colorado EstatesGEOID 4804174	CDP	833	856±538	$34,250	not published	49.3%	100%
Rice TractsGEOID 4861766	CDP	733	1,384±419	$133,472	$241,000	5.7%	100%
SolisGEOID 4868678	CDP	722	663±516	not published	$172,500	28.8%	100%
La Tina RanchGEOID 4841660	CDP	687	405±249	$39,178	$107,100	37.8%	100%
Reid Hope KingGEOID 4861466	CDP	667	932±575	not published	$108,200	25.3%	100%
Green Valley FarmsGEOID 4830890	CDP	655	371±195	$73,333	$60,000	18.6%	100%
Santa MariaGEOID 4865744	CDP	651	669±270	not published	$76,800	37.2%	100%
JuarezGEOID 4838168	CDP	642	196±202	$21,474	not published	84.7%	100%
BluetownGEOID 4808908	CDP	491	271±192	not published	$59,400	62.7%	100%
Bayview	town	475	887±350	$135,685	$313,100	2.3%	100%
Villa PanchoGEOID 4875614	CDP	467	294±162	$49,432	not published	0.0%	100%
San PedroGEOID 4865620	CDP	442	446±260	not published	$43,000	55.2%	100%
Arroyo GardensGEOID 4804176	CDP	420	335±201	$32,250	$140,600	16.7%	100%
Iglesia AntiguaGEOID 4835754	CDP	415	211±136	not published	$54,300	58.8%	100%
BixbyGEOID 4808410	CDP	352	294±198	$86,447	$105,000	1.1%	100%
Chula Vista (Cameron County)GEOID 4814880	CDP	257	284±279	$19,628	not published	87.3%	100%
RangervilleGEOID 4860644	village	255	112±137	$39,010	not published	57.1%	100%
La Feria NorthGEOID 4840210	CDP	225	134±99	not published	not published	19.4%	100%
RatamosaGEOID 4860686	CDP	197	465±227	not published	$222,800	0.0%	100%
El Camino AngostoGEOID 4822858	CDP	186	95±102	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Tierra BonitaGEOID 4872948	CDP	179	405±423	$49,847	not published	0.0%	100%
LozanoGEOID 4844344	CDP	174	149±199	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
LagoGEOID 4840258	CDP	161	85±138	not published	not published	100.0%	100%
Villa del SolGEOID 4875554	CDP	153	31±50	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
YznagaGEOID 4880686	CDP	108	47±72	not published	not published	100.0%	100%
LasanaGEOID 4841542	CDP	104	54±67	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
OrasonGEOID 4854186	CDP	88	424±481	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Del Mar HeightsGEOID 4819714	CDP	78	0±15	not published	not published	–	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Cameron County?

The median resident of Cameron County is 32.7 years old; 28.7% are under 18 and 14.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 89.3%, then non-Hispanic white residents at 8.7%. 23.2% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Cameron County	Texas	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	32.7±0.2	35.6	+1.0
Under 18 years	28.7%±0.1 pts	25.0%	–
65 years and over	14.3%±0.1 pts	13.4%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	89.3%	39.7%	−0.4 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	8.7%±0.1 pts	39.1%	−0.3 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.1 pts	11.9%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.8%±0.1 pts	5.5%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.1 pts	3.1%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	23.2%±0.6 pts	17.6%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	72.2%±0.8 pts	35.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	4.1%±0.3 pts	6.2%	–
With a disability	12.3%±0.5 pts	12.3%	–
No health insurance coverage	25.8%±0.9 pts	17.1%	−2.6 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	72.5%±0.9 pts	86.0%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	22.1%±0.8 pts	33.8%	+4.8 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	7.0%±0.4 pts	12.3%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	0.7%±0.1 pts	2.0%	–

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 Cameron County earn?

Half of Cameron County's 138,433 households earn less than $52,601 a year (±$1,632), against $78,476 in Texas. In 2015-2019 the median was $47,699 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $4,902 after inflation. 24.8% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cameron County	Texas	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$52,601±$1,632	$78,476	+$4,902
Mean household income	$71,924±$1,834	$109,933	–
Per capita income	$24,089±$545	$40,752	+$2,638
People below the poverty line	24.8%±1.0 pts	13.8%	−4.1 pts
Children under 18 below the poverty line	35.6%±2.2 pts	18.7%	−5.5 pts
Households receiving SNAP	24.8%±1.0 pts	11.4%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	84.4%±0.7 pts	91.4%	–

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 Cameron County?

Owners occupy 65.2% of Cameron County's occupied homes and renters 34.8%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $136,500 by its owner (±$3,909). The median renter pays $912 a month including utilities, and 40.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cameron County	Texas	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$136,500±$3,909	$283,800	+$30,906
Median gross rent	$912±$25	$1,403	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	40.0%±2.4 pts	42.3%	−4.1 pts
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,449±$31	$2,106	–
Owner-occupied homes	65.2%±1.0 pts	62.6%	no clear change
Housing units	159,679±95	12,128,515	+8,583
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.4%±0.3 pts	1.1%	–
Rental vacancy rate	5.5%±0.9 pts	7.7%	–
Single-family detached homes	64.7%±1.0 pts	64.4%	–
Mobile homes	10.5%±0.7 pts	6.4%	–
Built 2020 or later	2.4%±0.3 pts	4.0%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	2.1%±0.3 pts	3.1%	–

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 many new homes is Cameron County building?

Builders took permits for 2,702 new housing units across Cameron County in 2025 (1,838 single-family), 6.2 per 1,000 residents.

2019 1,817 units
2020 1,904 units
2021 2,052 units
2022 2,506 units
2023 1,952 units
2024 2,347 units
2025 2,702 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Cameron County get to work?

75.6% of Cameron County's workers drive alone and 9.1% work from home. The average trip to work takes 21.3 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Cameron County	Texas	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	58.0%±0.6 pts	65.3%	–
Unemployment rate	5.9%±0.5 pts	5.3%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	75.6%±1.1 pts	71.4%	–
Carpooled	11.7%±0.8 pts	10.0%	–
Public transportation	0.4%±0.1 pts	0.9%	–
Walked	1.6%±0.3 pts	1.5%	–
Worked from home	9.1%±0.6 pts	14.4%	+5.5 pts
Mean travel time to work	21.3 min±0.4	26.7 min	+1.4 min

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 are Cameron County's census tracts?

Cameron County is divided into 122 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $13,359 (Tract 140.01) to $117,416 (Tract 144.02).

All 122 census tracts of Cameron County, with their figures

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Cameron County compare with Texas's other counties?

Cameron County's rank among Texas's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	13th of 253
Growth 2020-2025	114th of 254
Residents per square mile	15th of 254
Median household income	215th of 253
Median home value	167th of 247
Median gross rent	148th of 245
Poverty rate	13th of 240
Bachelor's degree or higher	103rd of 252
Median age	227th of 254

Every county in Texas

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Cameron County 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.