78538 ZIP Code — Edcouch, TX

Hidalgo County, Texas

ZIP code 78538 is located in Edcouch, Texas, within Hidalgo County. It covers approximately 67.05 square miles and serves a population of 10,091 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 956.

About ZIP code 78538

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 2000s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $81,000. Owner-occupancy is high at 75%, well above the national average.

Median household income is $41,081. Poverty affects 34% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 42% of households reflects economic stress in the area. 31% 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 23 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 obesity (44%), diabetes (19%), smoking (21%) compared to national benchmarks. 27% of residents lack health insurance, above the national average.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 33% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 78538 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, high homeownership, a significant Social Security-dependent population, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

10,091

population

67.05

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

78538 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 78538

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 78538. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Edcouch	Acceptable
Edcouch	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

78593 Santa Rosa (8.9 mi) 78542 Edinburg (10 mi) 78599 Weslaco (10.5 mi) 78596 Weslaco (11.3 mi) 78539 Edinburg (11.7 mi) 78559 La Feria (11.8 mi) 78570 Mercedes (12 mi) 78516 Alamo (12.3 mi) 78537 Donna (12.4 mi) 78541 Edinburg (12.4 mi) 78552 Harlingen (14.5 mi) 78589 San Juan (15.8 mi)

Demographics updated 07/2026

Population
Total population	10,091
Population density	150 / sq mi
State FIPS	48
County FIPS	215

Geography
Land area	67.05 sq mi
Water area	3.75 sq mi
Latitude	26.3090
Longitude	-97.9592
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	956

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 07/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	64.4%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	22.7%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	10.9%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	2.1%	2.5%	7.8%

Demographics & statistics

10,091

Population

150

People per sq mi

33.1

Median age

$41,081

Median household income

$17,670

Per capita income

$81,000

Median home value

$495

Median monthly rent

75.2%

Home ownership

33.9%

Poverty rate

9.4%

Unemployment

2,729

Housing units

11.8%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

428

Under 5

417

365

5–9

355

340

10–14

332

705

15–19

688

426

20–24

415

480

25–34

467

658

35–44

642

620

45–54

604

281

55–59

274

229

60–64

223

370

65–74

361

172

75–84

168

85+

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	3,076	30.5%
18 and over	7,015	69.5%
65 and over	1,142	11.3%
Median age	33.1 years

Race & ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino 33.5%

White 32.9%

Two or more races 30.5%

Other race 3%

Group	Count	%
Hispanic or Latino	5,092	33.5%
White	4,999	32.9%
Two or more races	4,635	30.5%
Other race	457	3%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	64.4%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	22.7%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	10.9%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	2.1%	2.5%	7.8%

Under $10k 10.0%

$10k–$15k 6.5%

$15k–$25k 15.4%

$25k–$35k 12.6%

$35k–$50k 11.8%

$50k–$75k 16.4%

$75k–$100k 11.0%

$100k–$150k 12.5%

$150k–$200k 1.6%

$200k+ 2.2%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	10.0%
$10k–$15k	6.5%
$15k–$25k	15.4%
$25k–$35k	12.6%
$35k–$50k	11.8%
$50k–$75k	16.4%
$75k–$100k	11.0%
$100k–$150k	12.5%
$150k–$200k	1.6%
$200k+	2.2%
Median income	$41,081

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 31.9%

$50k–$100k 34.0%

$100k–$150k 7.9%

$150k–$200k 17.1%

$200k–$300k 5.1%

$300k–$500k 3.7%

$500k–$1M 0.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$81,000
Median rent / month	$495
Owner occupied	75.2%
Renter occupied	24.8%
Vacant	14.2%
Single-family detached	80.4%
Large apartment buildings	0.6%
Mobile homes	8.6%
Median rooms	4.9
Avg household size (owned)	3.65

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	2.1%
2010–2019	11.8%
2000–2009	28.5%
1990–1999	21.3%
1980–1989	10.7%
1970–1979	8.5%
1960–1969	5.5%
1950–1959	5.7%
1940–1949	1.8%
1939 or earlier	4.1%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	3.1%
1 bedroom	11.3%
2 bedrooms	23.1%
3 bedrooms	47.0%
4 bedrooms	13.3%
5+ bedrooms	2.3%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.0%
1 vehicle	37.5%
2 vehicles	34.4%
3 or more	23.0%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	3.1%
Electricity	93.7%
Propane / LP gas	3.0%
No fuel used	0.2%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	1,507	50.7%
Cohabiting couple	124	4.2%
Male householder, no spouse	576	19.4%
Female householder, no spouse	766	25.8%
Households with children under 18	1,424	47.9%
Households with seniors (65+)	815	27.4%
Average household size	3.39

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	40.1%	39.3%
Married	45.9%	42.4%
Separated	3.1%	2.2%
Widowed	3.3%	9.2%
Divorced	7.5%	6.9%

Education

Less than 9th grade 26.9%

Some HS, no diploma 10.8%

HS graduate 32.7%

Some college, no degree 11.7%

Associate's degree 6.0%

Bachelor's degree 8.5%

Graduate / professional 3.3%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	62.2%
Bachelor's or higher	11.8%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	95	3.2%
Kindergarten	166	5.7%
Elementary school	1,022	34.8%
High school	1,283	43.7%
College / grad school	372	12.7%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 34.6%

Arts, food & hospitality 9.1%

Transportation & utilities 8.8%

Retail trade 8.0%

Professional & management 7.9%

Agriculture & mining 7.4%

Public administration 6.0%

Construction 5.6%

Manufacturing 5.1%

Other services 3.4%

Finance & real estate 2.3%

Information 1.5%

Wholesale trade 0.4%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	22.9%
Service	27.7%
Sales & office	16.6%
Natural resources & construction	17.1%
Production & transportation	15.7%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	67.4%
Government	23.9%
Self-employed	8.6%
Unpaid family workers	0.1%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	73.2%
Carpool	7.1%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	1.2%
Work from home	6.6%
Other means	11.9%
Avg commute (minutes)	22.6

Poverty

All people 33.9%

Under 18 years 46.3%

18 and over 28.5%

Married-couple families 26.2%

Female-led households 40.6%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	30.7%
Retirement income	14.4%
Supplemental Security	13.4%
Cash public assistance	0.2%
Food stamps / SNAP	41.9%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	44.3%
High blood pressure	34.7%
High cholesterol	31.9%
Diabetes	19.4%
Heart disease	7.0%
Stroke	3.6%
Asthma	9.6%
Arthritis	18.8%
Kidney disease	4.1%
Pulmonary disease	7.1%
Cancer	3.8%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	21.1%
Binge drinking	17.5%
No physical activity	37.8%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	35.0%
Depression	22.2%
Fair or poor health	33.3%
Poor mental health	18.0%
Poor physical health	16.9%
No health insurance	56.0%
Visited doctor (checkup)	67.4%
Visited dentist	42.5%
Cholesterol screening	81.9%
Teeth loss	21.5%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	193	2.8%

Disability	%
Any disability	11.4%
Under 18	5.5%
18–64 years	9.7%
65 and over	35.5%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	31.6%
Public insurance	44.6%
No insurance	26.9%
Uninsured under 19	6.3%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	9,246	91.6%
Spanish	3,049	33.0%
Other Indo-European	3,049	33.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	7,831	77.6%
Born in same state	7,707	76.4%
Born in different state	6,795	67.3%
Foreign born	124	1.2%
Naturalized citizen	2,260	22.4%
Not a US citizen	722	31.9%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	87	0.9%

Ancestry	Count	%
French	25	0.2%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	29.5%
Internet access	82.2%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 78538

What city is ZIP code 78538 in?

ZIP code 78538 is primarily assigned to Edcouch, Texas.

What county is ZIP code 78538 in?

ZIP code 78538 falls within Hidalgo County, Texas.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78538?

34% of residents in ZIP code 78538 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 78538?

Approximately 33% of households in ZIP code 78538 speak Spanish as a primary language.

Is ZIP code 78538 family-oriented?

31% of residents in ZIP code 78538 are under 18, reflecting a younger, family-oriented community.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 78538?

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 78538 in?

ZIP code 78538 observes the CST timezone.