78521 ZIP Code — Brownsville, TX

Cameron County, Texas

ZIP code 78521 is located in Brownsville, Texas, within Cameron County. It covers approximately 93.75 square miles and serves a population of 87,040 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 956.

About ZIP code 78521

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 1970s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $84,300. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 59%.

Median household income is $38,633. Poverty affects 31% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 34% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 35% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is service, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 22 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 14% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of diabetes (18%), smoking (20%) compared to national benchmarks. 34% of residents lack health insurance, above the national average.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 32% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 78521 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

87,040

population

93.75

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

78521 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 78521

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 78521. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Brownsville	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

78526 Brownsville (6.3 mi) 78520 Brownsville (8.9 mi) 78575 Olmito (11.4 mi) 78578 Port Isabel (11.7 mi) 78566 Los Fresnos (15.1 mi) 78586 San Benito (18.8 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	87,040
Population density	928 / sq mi
State FIPS	48
County FIPS	061

Geography
Land area	93.75 sq mi
Water area	27.75 sq mi
Latitude	25.9042
Longitude	-97.4229
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	956

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 06/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	65.7%	57.0%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	25.2%	28.1%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	8.3%	12.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	0.8%	2.3%	7.8%

Demographics & statistics

87,040

Population

928

People per sq mi

30.9

Median age

$38,633

Median household income

$16,849

Per capita income

$84,300

Median home value

$831

Median monthly rent

58.6%

Home ownership

31.3%

Poverty rate

7.4%

Unemployment

17,949

Housing units

14.3%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

2,945

Under 5

3,036

3,657

5–9

3,770

3,438

10–14

3,544

3,862

15–19

3,981

4,079

20–24

4,205

5,354

25–34

5,519

4,850

35–44

5,001

4,744

45–54

4,891

2,187

55–59

2,255

1,839

60–64

1,895

3,717

65–74

3,831

1,587

75–84

1,636

599

85+

618

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	25,211	29.0%
18 and over	61,829	71.0%
65 and over	11,988	13.8%
Median age	30.9 years

Race & ethnicity

White 42.9%

Hispanic or Latino 28.2%

Two or more races 23.7%

Other race 4.8%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Asian 0.1%

Group	Count	%
White	52,061	42.9%
Hispanic or Latino	34,195	28.2%
Two or more races	28,682	23.7%
Other race	5,837	4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	284	0.2%
Asian	113	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	65.7%	57.0%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	25.2%	28.1%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	8.3%	12.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	0.8%	2.3%	7.8%

Under $10k 8.3%

$10k–$15k 9.5%

$15k–$25k 16.0%

$25k–$35k 12.6%

$35k–$50k 14.9%

$50k–$75k 16.3%

$75k–$100k 9.8%

$100k–$150k 8.3%

$150k–$200k 2.6%

$200k+ 1.7%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	8.3%
$10k–$15k	9.5%
$15k–$25k	16.0%
$25k–$35k	12.6%
$35k–$50k	14.9%
$50k–$75k	16.3%
$75k–$100k	9.8%
$100k–$150k	8.3%
$150k–$200k	2.6%
$200k+	1.7%
Median income	$38,633

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 20.2%

$50k–$100k 43.7%

$100k–$150k 20.7%

$150k–$200k 7.7%

$200k–$300k 5.0%

$300k–$500k 1.6%

$500k–$1M 1.1%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$84,300
Median rent / month	$831
Owner occupied	58.6%
Renter occupied	41.4%
Vacant	8.2%
Single-family detached	62.4%
Large apartment buildings	8.4%
Mobile homes	9.0%
Median rooms	4.6
Avg household size (owned)	3.29

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.4%
2010–2019	10.0%
2000–2009	20.8%
1990–1999	16.4%
1980–1989	17.7%
1970–1979	21.5%
1960–1969	5.4%
1950–1959	3.5%
1940–1949	3.2%
1939 or earlier	1.2%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.6%
1 bedroom	9.9%
2 bedrooms	28.3%
3 bedrooms	45.7%
4 bedrooms	11.7%
5+ bedrooms	1.9%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	7.8%
1 vehicle	40.5%
2 vehicles	31.8%
3 or more	19.8%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	8.2%
Electricity	89.3%
Propane / LP gas	0.9%
Wood	0.1%
No fuel used	1.4%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	12,412	46.6%
Cohabiting couple	945	3.6%
Male householder, no spouse	3,806	14.3%
Female householder, no spouse	9,454	35.5%
Households with children under 18	12,156	45.7%
Households with seniors (65+)	9,090	34.2%
Average household size	3.26

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	39.1%	30.6%
Married	50.5%	42.3%
Separated	2.7%	6.6%
Widowed	2.2%	11.2%
Divorced	5.5%	9.3%

Education

Less than 9th grade 23.5%

Some HS, no diploma 16.3%

HS graduate 25.2%

Some college, no degree 15.5%

Associate's degree 5.2%

Bachelor's degree 10.7%

Graduate / professional 3.6%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	60.2%
Bachelor's or higher	14.3%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	1,853	7.1%
Kindergarten	1,468	5.6%
Elementary school	11,525	44.3%
High school	6,166	23.7%
College / grad school	4,982	19.2%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 29.0%

Retail trade 11.6%

Arts, food & hospitality 9.6%

Professional & management 8.3%

Construction 7.8%

Manufacturing 7.4%

Other services 6.9%

Transportation & utilities 5.6%

Public administration 4.9%

Finance & real estate 4.2%

Wholesale trade 1.9%

Agriculture & mining 1.7%

Information 1.1%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	22.8%
Service	29.7%
Sales & office	20.8%
Natural resources & construction	11.6%
Production & transportation	15.1%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	73.4%
Government	16.9%
Self-employed	9.5%
Unpaid family workers	0.2%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	78.9%
Carpool	10.2%
Public transit	1.5%
Walk	2.0%
Work from home	6.3%
Other means	1.1%
Avg commute (minutes)	21.7

Poverty

All people 31.3%

Under 18 years 45.0%

18 and over 25.8%

Married-couple families 23.1%

Female-led households 41.2%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	35.4%
Retirement income	10.9%
Supplemental Security	9.1%
Cash public assistance	3.1%
Food stamps / SNAP	34.0%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	43.9%
High blood pressure	33.3%
High cholesterol	33.4%
Diabetes	18.1%
Heart disease	6.9%
Stroke	3.7%
Asthma	9.2%
Arthritis	18.6%
Kidney disease	4.1%
Pulmonary disease	6.8%
Cancer	4.0%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	20.1%
Binge drinking	16.1%
No physical activity	37.3%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	33.4%
Depression	21.3%
Fair or poor health	33.2%
Poor mental health	17.8%
Poor physical health	17.4%
No health insurance	53.7%
Visited doctor (checkup)	69.2%
Visited dentist	41.0%
Cholesterol screening	83.4%
Teeth loss	20.5%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,173	1.9%

Disability	%
Any disability	11.6%
Under 18	3.3%
18–64 years	9.3%
65 and over	39.1%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	28.2%
Public insurance	41.9%
No insurance	33.5%
Uninsured under 19	15.4%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	81,059	93.1%
Spanish	25,560	31.5%
Other Indo-European	25,481	31.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander	47	0.1%
Other languages	32	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	60,921	70.0%
Born in same state	59,505	68.4%
Born in different state	54,495	62.6%
Foreign born	1,416	1.6%
Naturalized citizen	26,119	30.0%
Not a US citizen	8,623	33.0%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	1,012	1.2%
French	535	0.6%
Italian	324	0.4%
English	150	0.2%

Ancestry	Count	%
Irish	120	0.1%
Polish	95	0.1%
German	29	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	30.6%
Internet access	84.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 78521

What part of Brownsville is ZIP code 78521?

ZIP code 78521 covers a portion of Brownsville, Texas, within Cameron County.

What county is ZIP code 78521 in?

ZIP code 78521 falls within Cameron County, Texas.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 78521?

Approximately 32% of households in ZIP code 78521 speak Spanish as a primary language.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78521?

31% of residents in ZIP code 78521 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 78521?

14% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 78521?

The median home value in ZIP code 78521 is $84,300.

What timezone is ZIP code 78521 in?

ZIP code 78521 observes the CST timezone.