Cameron County, Texas

Major highways

• Interstate 2
• Interstate 69E/U.S. Highway 77
• Interstate 169/State Highway 550
• U.S. Highway 83
• U.S. Highway 281
• State Highway 4
• State Highway 48
• State Highway 100
• State Highway 107
• State Highway 345

Adjacent counties and municipalities

• Willacy County (north)
• Gulf of Mexico (east)
• Matamoros Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)
• Hidalgo County (west)

National protected areas

• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 421,017. The median age was 34.0 years. 28.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.^[20][21]

The racial makeup of the county was 38.6% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 19.0% from some other race, and 40.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 89.5% of the population.^[21]

82.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 17.6% lived in rural areas.^[22]

There were 132,507 households in the county, of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.0% were married-couple households, 15.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[20]

There were 154,905 housing units, of which 14.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.3% were owner-occupied and 35.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.^[20]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 406,220 people, 119,631 households, and 96,579 families were residing in the county. The population density was 370 people per square mile (140 people/km²). The 141,924 housing units averaged 132 per square mile (51/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 9.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. About 88.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[23]

Of the 119,631 households, 50.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were not families. About 16.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36, and the average family size was 3.80.

In the county, the age distribution was 33.0% under the age of18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,264, and for a family was $33,770. Males had a median income of $21,410 versus $15,597 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,695. About 30.0% of families and 34.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.8% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.

A 2000 Texas A&M study stated that of the residents of Cameron County, 43% do not have basic literacy skills.^[24]

Within the 2010s decade, a noticeable trend in the county population showed that growth among the county's northern cities (defined as major towns whose city limits lie entirely north or east of U.S. Highway 83 in the county) on average has been greater than those cities on U.S. Highway 83 in the county, suggesting a possible desire among both locals and new residents from outside the Rio Grande Valley to move away from the population centers of the county. This trend has also been shared by nearby Hidalgo County. Los Fresnos, for example, grew by 42.2% from 2010 to 2018. Other major cities, such as Indian Lake, Primera, and Rio Hondo, all grew by more than 15% in the same period. In contrast, the cities of Harlingen, La Feria, and San Benito, all cities along U.S. Highway 83, have seen growths less than 1% in the same period. The city that grew the most among the Highway 83 cities in the county was Brownsville, which grew by 4.4% from 2010 to 2019.

County government

Radio stations

• KFRQ 94.5FM^[43]
• KKPS 99.5FM^[44]
• KNVO 101.1FM^[45]
• KVLY 107.9FM^[46]
• KVMV 96.9FM^[47]

Newspapers

• The Brownsville Herald (A Freedom Communications, Inc. newspaper based in Brownsville, TX)^[48]
• Valley Morning Star (A Freedom Communications, Inc. newspaper based in Harlingen, TX)^[49]
• El Nuevo Heraldo (AIM Media Texas newspaper based in Brownsville, TX)^[50]

Cities

Towns

Village

• Rangerville

Census-designated places

Former census-designated places

• Arroyo Gardens-La Tina Ranch (split into the Arroyo Gardens and La Tina Ranch CDPs)
• Bluetown-Iglesia Antigua
• Chula Vista-Orason
• Grand Acres
• Las Palmas-Juarez

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

• Del Mar
• La Leona
• Las Rusias
• Santa Rita
• Stuart Place