78542 ZIP Code — Edinburg, TX

Hidalgo County, Texas

ZIP code 78542 is located in Edinburg, Texas, within Hidalgo County. It covers approximately 175.96 square miles and serves a population of 83,925 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 956.

About ZIP code 78542

The housing stock consists of a higher-than-average concentration of mobile homes. Much of the housing stock is relatively new, reflecting recent development activity. Median home value is $102,400. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 75%.

Median household income is $51,979. Poverty affects 30% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 33% of households reflects economic stress in the area.

The dominant occupation class is sales and office, 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 (16%) compared to national benchmarks. 34% of residents lack health insurance, above the national average.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 35% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 78542 reflects a community defined by a trades-oriented workforce, economic challenges above the national average, and elevated reliance on food assistance.

83,925

population

175.96

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

78542 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 78542

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 78542. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Edinburg	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

78541 Edinburg (2.5 mi) 78539 Edinburg (5.6 mi) 78504 Mcallen (9.4 mi) 78538 Edcouch (10 mi) 78516 Alamo (10.8 mi) 78573 Mission (12.1 mi) 78501 Mcallen (12.5 mi) 78574 Mission (13 mi) 78537 Donna (13.1 mi) 78589 San Juan (13.5 mi) 78577 Pharr (15.2 mi) 78599 Weslaco (15.5 mi)

Demographics updated 07/2026

Population
Total population	83,925
Population density	477 / sq mi
State FIPS	48
County FIPS	215

Geography
Land area	175.96 sq mi
Water area	0.12 sq mi
Latitude	26.3547
Longitude	-98.1120
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	52.5%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	27.7%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	18.4%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	1.4%	2.5%	7.8%

Demographics & statistics

83,925

Population

477

People per sq mi

27.0

Median age

$51,979

Median household income

$17,954

Per capita income

$102,400

Median home value

$837

Median monthly rent

74.8%

Home ownership

30.1%

Poverty rate

9.2%

Unemployment

18,733

Housing units

13.5%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

3,808

Under 5

3,409

4,127

5–9

3,695

5,091

10–14

4,557

3,913

15–19

3,504

3,884

20–24

3,477

6,696

25–34

5,994

5,978

35–44

5,352

4,749

45–54

4,252

1,733

55–59

1,551

1,318

60–64

1,180

1,793

65–74

1,605

867

75–84

776

325

85+

291

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	29,220	34.8%
18 and over	54,705	65.2%
65 and over	5,657	6.7%
Median age	27.0 years

Race & ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino 33.9%

White 31.2%

Two or more races 29.9%

Other race 4.1%

Black or African American 0.5%

Asian 0.2%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%

Group	Count	%
Hispanic or Latino	43,066	33.9%
White	39,574	31.2%
Two or more races	38,031	29.9%
Other race	5,236	4.1%
Black or African American	691	0.5%
Asian	228	0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	86	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	79	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	52.5%	56.8%	39.5%
$50k – $100k	27.7%	26.0%	30.1%
$100k – $200k	18.4%	14.6%	22.6%
Over $200k	1.4%	2.5%	7.8%

Under $10k 6.9%

$10k–$15k 7.3%

$15k–$25k 12.3%

$25k–$35k 10.1%

$35k–$50k 12.1%

$50k–$75k 18.4%

$75k–$100k 10.9%

$100k–$150k 14.5%

$150k–$200k 5.6%

$200k+ 1.9%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	6.9%
$10k–$15k	7.3%
$15k–$25k	12.3%
$25k–$35k	10.1%
$35k–$50k	12.1%
$50k–$75k	18.4%
$75k–$100k	10.9%
$100k–$150k	14.5%
$150k–$200k	5.6%
$200k+	1.9%
Median income	$51,979

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 14.6%

$50k–$100k 34.8%

$100k–$150k 14.5%

$150k–$200k 18.5%

$200k–$300k 12.6%

$300k–$500k 3.6%

$500k–$1M 0.9%

$1M+ 0.6%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$102,400
Median rent / month	$837
Owner occupied	74.8%
Renter occupied	25.2%
Vacant	10.1%
Single-family detached	69.2%
Large apartment buildings	0.8%
Mobile homes	18.8%
Median rooms	5.0
Avg household size (owned)	3.78

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	1.6%
2010–2019	27.5%
2000–2009	27.4%
1990–1999	21.8%
1980–1989	12.1%
1970–1979	4.7%
1960–1969	2.5%
1950–1959	1.7%
1940–1949	0.7%
1939 or earlier	0.1%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	3.6%
1 bedroom	5.9%
2 bedrooms	26.4%
3 bedrooms	47.2%
4 bedrooms	14.5%
5+ bedrooms	2.3%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	3.9%
1 vehicle	28.0%
2 vehicles	42.0%
3 or more	26.1%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	2.3%
Electricity	93.4%
Propane / LP gas	2.5%
Solar	0.6%
No fuel used	0.7%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	12,354	56.7%
Cohabiting couple	1,678	7.7%
Male householder, no spouse	2,615	12.0%
Female householder, no spouse	5,132	23.6%
Households with children under 18	11,728	53.9%
Households with seniors (65+)	3,865	17.7%
Average household size	3.68

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	44.2%	33.5%
Married	47.5%	47.5%
Separated	2.4%	3.7%
Widowed	0.9%	6.9%
Divorced	5.0%	8.4%

Education

Less than 9th grade 21.2%

Some HS, no diploma 14.3%

HS graduate 29.5%

Some college, no degree 17.5%

Associate's degree 4.0%

Bachelor's degree 10.3%

Graduate / professional 3.2%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	64.5%
Bachelor's or higher	13.5%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	1,783	6.4%
Kindergarten	1,711	6.1%
Elementary school	14,350	51.3%
High school	6,456	23.1%
College / grad school	3,682	13.2%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 24.4%

Construction 13.6%

Retail trade 13.3%

Professional & management 8.7%

Arts, food & hospitality 7.7%

Public administration 6.7%

Other services 5.3%

Transportation & utilities 4.8%

Manufacturing 4.7%

Agriculture & mining 4.5%

Finance & real estate 2.9%

Wholesale trade 1.8%

Information 1.8%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	20.0%
Service	23.8%
Sales & office	24.8%
Natural resources & construction	17.8%
Production & transportation	13.6%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	68.7%
Government	18.2%
Self-employed	12.9%
Unpaid family workers	0.2%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	77.3%
Carpool	7.2%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	0.4%
Work from home	9.1%
Other means	6.0%
Avg commute (minutes)	22.0

Poverty

All people 30.1%

Under 18 years 43.1%

18 and over 22.8%

Married-couple families 20.1%

Female-led households 43.9%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	20.2%
Retirement income	11.3%
Supplemental Security	6.6%
Cash public assistance	2.0%
Food stamps / SNAP	32.6%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	43.0%
High blood pressure	30.5%
High cholesterol	28.3%
Diabetes	15.7%
Heart disease	5.3%
Stroke	2.7%
Asthma	9.0%
Arthritis	15.2%
Kidney disease	3.2%
Pulmonary disease	5.4%
Cancer	3.1%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	20.0%
Binge drinking	19.6%
No physical activity	33.8%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	35.1%
Depression	21.3%
Fair or poor health	28.3%
Poor mental health	17.5%
Poor physical health	14.4%
No health insurance	53.8%
Visited doctor (checkup)	65.4%
Visited dentist	45.4%
Cholesterol screening	81.4%
Teeth loss	18.9%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	1,286	2.4%

Disability	%
Any disability	9.0%
Under 18	5.5%
18–64 years	6.6%
65 and over	47.0%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	30.7%
Public insurance	37.8%
No insurance	33.9%
Uninsured under 19	17.2%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	76,708	91.4%
Spanish	26,607	34.7%
Other Indo-European	26,407	34.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander	170	0.2%
Other languages	0	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	62,330	74.3%
Born in same state	61,854	73.7%
Born in different state	57,059	68.0%
Foreign born	476	0.6%
Naturalized citizen	21,595	25.7%
Not a US citizen	4,731	21.9%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	723	0.9%
Italian	692	0.8%
French	202	0.2%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	159	0.2%
Polish	98	0.1%
Norwegian	6	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	26.0%
Internet access	88.6%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 78542

What part of Edinburg is ZIP code 78542?

ZIP code 78542 covers a portion of Edinburg, Texas, within Hidalgo County.

What county is ZIP code 78542 in?

ZIP code 78542 falls within Hidalgo County, Texas.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 78542?

Approximately 35% of households in ZIP code 78542 speak Spanish as a primary language.

Is ZIP code 78542 family-oriented?

35% of residents in ZIP code 78542 are under 18, reflecting a younger, family-oriented community.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 78542?

30% of residents in ZIP code 78542 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 78542?

14% 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 78542 in?

ZIP code 78542 observes the CST timezone.