78503 ZIP Code — Mcallen, TX

Hidalgo County, Texas

ZIP code 78503 is located in Mcallen, Texas, within Hidalgo County. It covers approximately 19.21 square miles and serves a population of 21,799 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 956.

About ZIP code 78503

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 2000s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $124,600. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 59%.

The gap between median ($44,879) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. Poverty affects 32% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 24% of households reflects economic stress in the area.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 20 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 26% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of diabetes (18%) compared to national benchmarks. 36% of residents lack health insurance, above the national average.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 40% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 78503 reflects a community defined by economic challenges above the national average and elevated reliance on food assistance.

21,799

population

19.21

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

78503 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 78503

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 78503. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Mcallen	Acceptable
Mcallen	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

78577 Pharr (2.5 mi) 78557 Hidalgo (2.6 mi) 78501 Mcallen (4.4 mi) 78589 San Juan (5.8 mi) 78504 Mcallen (8.9 mi) 78516 Alamo (9 mi) 78537 Donna (10.5 mi) 78573 Mission (10.7 mi) 78539 Edinburg (11 mi) 78574 Mission (12.5 mi) 78560 La Joya (14.3 mi) 78572 Mission (14.7 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	21,799
Population density	1,135 / sq mi
State FIPS	48
County FIPS	215

Geography
Land area	19.21 sq mi
Water area	0.17 sq mi
Latitude	26.1511
Longitude	-98.2501
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	62.8%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	22.7%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	11.5%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	2.9%	2.5%	7.8%

Demographics & statistics

21,799

Population

1,135

People per sq mi

30.9

Median age

$44,879

Median household income

$23,768

Per capita income

$124,600

Median home value

$1,055

Median monthly rent

58.9%

Home ownership

31.8%

Poverty rate

4.5%

Unemployment

5,096

Housing units

26.2%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

922

Under 5

909

808

5–9

797

926

10–14

913

975

15–19

961

816

20–24

804

1,973

25–34

1,943

1,113

35–44

1,097

1,049

45–54

1,033

559

55–59

551

394

60–64

388

827

65–74

814

505

75–84

497

113

85+

112

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	6,510	29.9%
18 and over	15,289	70.1%
65 and over	2,868	13.2%
Median age	30.9 years

Race & ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino 35.2%

White 28.2%

Other race 22.4%

Two or more races 13.1%

Asian 0.6%

Black or African American 0.4%

Group	Count	%
Hispanic or Latino	11,845	35.2%
White	9,483	28.2%
Other race	7,551	22.4%
Two or more races	4,405	13.1%
Asian	216	0.6%
Black or African American	141	0.4%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	62.8%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	22.7%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	11.5%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	2.9%	2.5%	7.8%

Under $10k 10.7%

$10k–$15k 4.4%

$15k–$25k 13.6%

$25k–$35k 13.2%

$35k–$50k 16.2%

$50k–$75k 8.0%

$75k–$100k 11.1%

$100k–$150k 11.5%

$150k–$200k 4.8%

$200k+ 6.6%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	10.7%
$10k–$15k	4.4%
$15k–$25k	13.6%
$25k–$35k	13.2%
$35k–$50k	16.2%
$50k–$75k	8.0%
$75k–$100k	11.1%
$100k–$150k	11.5%
$150k–$200k	4.8%
$200k+	6.6%
Median income	$44,879

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 9.7%

$50k–$100k 27.5%

$100k–$150k 24.9%

$150k–$200k 9.7%

$200k–$300k 11.8%

$300k–$500k 13.7%

$500k–$1M 2.4%

$1M+ 0.4%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$124,600
Median rent / month	$1,055
Owner occupied	58.9%
Renter occupied	41.1%
Vacant	16.8%
Single-family detached	67.0%
Large apartment buildings	4.4%
Mobile homes	0.0%
Median rooms	4.7
Avg household size (owned)	3.45

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	1.1%
2010–2019	12.2%
2000–2009	30.3%
1990–1999	17.1%
1980–1989	21.6%
1970–1979	11.6%
1960–1969	2.1%
1950–1959	2.4%
1940–1949	0.1%
1939 or earlier	1.4%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.9%
1 bedroom	5.3%
2 bedrooms	26.8%
3 bedrooms	48.0%
4 bedrooms	13.4%
5+ bedrooms	3.6%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.0%
1 vehicle	39.2%
2 vehicles	32.5%
3 or more	23.3%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	8.1%
Electricity	87.4%
Propane / LP gas	0.6%
No fuel used	3.9%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	3,128	48.6%
Cohabiting couple	283	4.4%
Male householder, no spouse	770	12.0%
Female householder, no spouse	2,260	35.1%
Households with children under 18	3,152	48.9%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,811	28.1%
Average household size	3.33

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	44.0%	33.0%
Married	50.8%	44.4%
Separated	1.0%	3.7%
Widowed	1.2%	12.8%
Divorced	3.1%	6.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 18.9%

Some HS, no diploma 14.4%

HS graduate 17.5%

Some college, no degree 17.6%

Associate's degree 5.4%

Bachelor's degree 16.6%

Graduate / professional 9.6%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	66.7%
Bachelor's or higher	26.2%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	277	4.1%
Kindergarten	386	5.8%
Elementary school	2,715	40.6%
High school	1,779	26.6%
College / grad school	1,536	22.9%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 27.4%

Retail trade 15.5%

Manufacturing 11.6%

Arts, food & hospitality 9.1%

Professional & management 7.2%

Transportation & utilities 7.0%

Construction 6.3%

Other services 4.1%

Wholesale trade 3.7%

Finance & real estate 3.7%

Public administration 1.9%

Agriculture & mining 1.6%

Information 0.9%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	28.8%
Service	18.7%
Sales & office	20.1%
Natural resources & construction	12.9%
Production & transportation	19.5%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	76.9%
Government	10.8%
Self-employed	11.5%
Unpaid family workers	0.8%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	78.2%
Carpool	6.4%
Public transit	0.1%
Walk	0.1%
Work from home	9.1%
Other means	6.1%
Avg commute (minutes)	19.7

Poverty

All people 31.8%

Under 18 years 45.7%

18 and over 25.8%

Married-couple families 26.4%

Female-led households 46.6%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	28.1%
Retirement income	12.0%
Supplemental Security	6.4%
Cash public assistance	0.9%
Food stamps / SNAP	24.3%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	40.7%
High blood pressure	33.7%
High cholesterol	30.7%
Diabetes	17.9%
Heart disease	6.7%
Stroke	3.3%
Asthma	8.7%
Arthritis	18.3%
Kidney disease	3.8%
Pulmonary disease	5.9%
Cancer	4.4%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	16.5%
Binge drinking	17.3%
No physical activity	32.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	32.6%
Depression	20.1%
Fair or poor health	27.6%
Poor mental health	15.7%
Poor physical health	14.3%
No health insurance	48.8%
Visited doctor (checkup)	68.7%
Visited dentist	50.7%
Cholesterol screening	85.2%
Teeth loss	15.8%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	275	1.8%

Disability	%
Any disability	11.8%
Under 18	5.4%
18–64 years	7.8%
65 and over	47.6%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	36.5%
Public insurance	32.5%
No insurance	36.2%
Uninsured under 19	26.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	19,968	91.6%
Spanish	8,005	40.1%
Other Indo-European	7,980	40.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	25	0.1%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	15,123	69.4%
Born in same state	14,822	68.0%
Born in different state	13,449	61.7%
Foreign born	301	1.4%
Naturalized citizen	6,676	30.6%
Not a US citizen	2,010	30.1%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	1,282	5.9%
French	220	1%

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	67	0.3%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	29.5%
Internet access	96.1%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 78503

What city is ZIP code 78503 in?

ZIP code 78503 is primarily assigned to Mcallen, Texas.

What county is ZIP code 78503 in?

ZIP code 78503 falls within Hidalgo County, Texas.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 78503?

Approximately 40% of households in ZIP code 78503 speak Spanish as a primary language.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78503?

32% of residents in ZIP code 78503 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 78503?

The median home value in ZIP code 78503 is $124,600.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 78503?

The median household income in ZIP code 78503 is $44,879, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 78503 in?

ZIP code 78503 observes the CST timezone.