78516 ZIP Code — Alamo, TX

Hidalgo County, Texas

ZIP code 78516 is located in Alamo, Texas, within Hidalgo County. It covers approximately 37.82 square miles and serves a population of 34,469 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 956.

About ZIP code 78516

The housing stock consists of a higher-than-average concentration of mobile homes. Most homes were built in the 2000s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $82,800. Owner-occupancy is high at 76%, well above the national average.

Median household income is $50,282. Poverty affects 25% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 30% of households reflects economic stress in the area.

The dominant occupation class is service, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 24 minutes is near the national average.

College attainment at 12% is below the national average, consistent with a trades and production-oriented local economy.

Health indicators show elevated rates of diabetes (19%) compared to national benchmarks. 35% of residents lack health insurance, above the national average.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 29% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 78516 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, high homeownership, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

34,469

population

37.82

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

78516 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 78516

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 78516. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Alamo	Acceptable
Alamo	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

78537 Donna (3 mi) 78589 San Juan (3.5 mi) 78539 Edinburg (5.9 mi) 78577 Pharr (6.7 mi) 78596 Weslaco (7.4 mi) 78501 Mcallen (7.8 mi) 78599 Weslaco (8.2 mi) 78503 Mcallen (9 mi) 78504 Mcallen (9.5 mi) 78557 Hidalgo (10.5 mi) 78542 Edinburg (10.8 mi) 78538 Edcouch (12.3 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	34,469
Population density	911 / sq mi
State FIPS	48
County FIPS	215

Geography
Land area	37.82 sq mi
Water area	0.31 sq mi
Latitude	26.1984
Longitude	-98.1152
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	956

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	61.9%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	25.2%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	12.0%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	0.9%	2.5%	7.8%

Demographics & statistics

34,469

Population

911

People per sq mi

30.5

Median age

$50,282

Median household income

$19,748

Per capita income

$82,800

Median home value

$720

Median monthly rent

75.5%

Home ownership

24.8%

Poverty rate

8.8%

Unemployment

9,874

Housing units

12.3%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

1,249

Under 5

1,340

1,547

5–9

1,659

1,592

10–14

1,709

1,396

15–19

1,498

1,435

20–24

1,540

1,974

25–34

2,119

1,931

35–44

2,071

1,921

45–54

2,061

809

55–59

869

737

60–64

791

1,133

65–74

1,216

709

75–84

761

194

85+

208

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	10,689	31.0%
18 and over	23,780	69.0%
65 and over	4,221	12.2%
Median age	30.5 years

Race & ethnicity

White 47.2%

Hispanic or Latino 26.3%

Two or more races 21.7%

Other race 4.6%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%

Group	Count	%
White	22,067	47.2%
Hispanic or Latino	12,278	26.3%
Two or more races	10,152	21.7%
Other race	2,155	4.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	81	0.2%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	61.9%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	25.2%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	12.0%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	0.9%	2.5%	7.8%

Under $10k 9.9%

$10k–$15k 6.5%

$15k–$25k 10.2%

$25k–$35k 10.8%

$35k–$50k 12.2%

$50k–$75k 20.2%

$75k–$100k 9.9%

$100k–$150k 12.2%

$150k–$200k 4.6%

$200k+ 3.6%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	9.9%
$10k–$15k	6.5%
$15k–$25k	10.2%
$25k–$35k	10.8%
$35k–$50k	12.2%
$50k–$75k	20.2%
$75k–$100k	9.9%
$100k–$150k	12.2%
$150k–$200k	4.6%
$200k+	3.6%
Median income	$50,282

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 28.2%

$50k–$100k 28.5%

$100k–$150k 17.3%

$150k–$200k 12.9%

$200k–$300k 9.1%

$300k–$500k 3.6%

$500k–$1M 0.3%

$1M+ 0.1%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$82,800
Median rent / month	$720
Owner occupied	75.5%
Renter occupied	24.5%
Vacant	17.7%
Single-family detached	58.0%
Large apartment buildings	0.6%
Mobile homes	30.4%
Median rooms	4.5
Avg household size (owned)	3.47

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.7%
2010–2019	12.9%
2000–2009	28.8%
1990–1999	20.0%
1980–1989	18.5%
1970–1979	9.0%
1960–1969	4.4%
1950–1959	2.5%
1940–1949	0.7%
1939 or earlier	2.6%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.3%
1 bedroom	15.2%
2 bedrooms	33.4%
3 bedrooms	35.5%
4 bedrooms	11.1%
5+ bedrooms	2.4%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	3.6%
1 vehicle	39.5%
2 vehicles	31.0%
3 or more	26.0%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	8.6%
Electricity	77.4%
Propane / LP gas	13.5%
No fuel used	0.5%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	5,511	54.2%
Cohabiting couple	452	4.4%
Male householder, no spouse	1,398	13.7%
Female householder, no spouse	2,814	27.7%
Households with children under 18	4,523	44.5%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,951	29.0%
Average household size	3.38

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	33.8%	34.8%
Married	56.0%	48.0%
Separated	1.8%	2.4%
Widowed	2.4%	8.7%
Divorced	5.9%	6.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 19.3%

Some HS, no diploma 21.7%

HS graduate 25.6%

Some college, no degree 15.8%

Associate's degree 5.2%

Bachelor's degree 9.7%

Graduate / professional 2.6%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	59.0%
Bachelor's or higher	12.3%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	403	3.8%
Kindergarten	941	8.9%
Elementary school	5,089	47.9%
High school	2,350	22.1%
College / grad school	1,836	17.3%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 28.5%

Retail trade 13.9%

Construction 12.2%

Arts, food & hospitality 7.9%

Professional & management 6.5%

Other services 6.2%

Manufacturing 6.1%

Public administration 5.5%

Transportation & utilities 5.3%

Finance & real estate 2.8%

Agriculture & mining 2.7%

Wholesale trade 1.9%

Information 0.6%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	23.5%
Service	25.8%
Sales & office	17.3%
Natural resources & construction	20.8%
Production & transportation	12.6%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	70.0%
Government	20.4%
Self-employed	9.5%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	83.4%
Carpool	7.3%
Public transit	0.1%
Walk	0.4%
Work from home	7.1%
Other means	1.6%
Avg commute (minutes)	23.7

Poverty

All people 24.8%

Under 18 years 30.5%

18 and over 22.2%

Married-couple families 15.2%

Female-led households 42.1%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	27.7%
Retirement income	14.8%
Supplemental Security	10.6%
Cash public assistance	0.9%
Food stamps / SNAP	30.1%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	42.3%
High blood pressure	35.6%
High cholesterol	30.8%
Diabetes	18.5%
Heart disease	7.7%
Stroke	3.9%
Asthma	9.2%
Arthritis	20.3%
Kidney disease	4.1%
Pulmonary disease	7.7%
Cancer	4.8%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	19.5%
Binge drinking	17.4%
No physical activity	35.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	34.0%
Depression	21.5%
Fair or poor health	30.4%
Poor mental health	17.0%
Poor physical health	16.0%
No health insurance	54.3%
Visited doctor (checkup)	68.4%
Visited dentist	46.1%
Cholesterol screening	83.5%
Teeth loss	21.9%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	817	3.4%

Disability	%
Any disability	10.8%
Under 18	4.9%
18–64 years	7.4%
65 and over	41.7%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	34.9%
Public insurance	37.4%
No insurance	34.5%
Uninsured under 19	16.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	31,880	92.5%
Spanish	9,329	29.3%
Other Indo-European	9,329	29.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	24,989	72.5%
Born in same state	24,664	71.6%
Born in different state	20,862	60.5%
Foreign born	325	0.9%
Naturalized citizen	9,480	27.5%
Not a US citizen	2,785	29.4%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
French	409	1.2%
Arab	301	0.9%
Italian	291	0.8%
Polish	160	0.5%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	55	0.2%
Dutch	17	0%
Norwegian	8	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	29.5%
Internet access	88.1%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 78516

What city is ZIP code 78516 in?

ZIP code 78516 is primarily assigned to Alamo, Texas.

What county is ZIP code 78516 in?

ZIP code 78516 falls within Hidalgo County, Texas.

Is ZIP code 78516 family-oriented?

31% of residents in ZIP code 78516 are under 18, reflecting a younger, family-oriented community.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 78516?

Approximately 29% of households in ZIP code 78516 speak Spanish as a primary language.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78516?

25% of residents in ZIP code 78516 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 78516?

12% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — below the national average of ~33%, consistent with a trades-oriented local economy.

What timezone is ZIP code 78516 in?

ZIP code 78516 observes the CST timezone.