Population 85,895 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Harlingen
Household size in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.04 | 2.87 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.21 | 2.93 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.07 | 2.95 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.92 | 2.83 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.12 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
Households in Harlingen are large by national standards, averaging 2.92 people against 2.65 for the U.S. That usually means more families with children at home. Household size has dropped from 3.04 in 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.2 | 34.7 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 34.0 | 35.4 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 33.1 | 36.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 34.5 | 36.7 | 40.1 |
| Change | +0.4 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 34.5, Harlingen is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children. The median age has crept up from 34.2 in 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. The youngest areas are in the east, the oldest in the west.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.8% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 17.6% | 13.7% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 18.0% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 18.2% | 12.9% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.4 pts | −0.8 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in six households in Harlingen (18.2%), well above the national share of 11.6%. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has edged up 1.4 points, even as the national share fell. Harlingen has a higher share of single-parent households than the great majority of Texas cities.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Harlingen
Renters in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.2% | 35.2% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 35.6% | 37.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 40.1% | 38.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 41.8% | 37.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +8.6 pts | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over four in ten households in Harlingen rent their homes (41.8%), above the national share of 34.8%. About six in ten owners (60.4%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the east; owners are most common in the west. The renter share is up 8.6 points from 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.5% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.7% | 10.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 14.3% | 10.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 12.8% | 9.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −5.7 pts | −2.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
More homes sit empty in Harlingen than nationally: 12.8%, against 9.6%. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones. Vacancy is down 5.7 points from 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1979 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1980 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1983 | 1987 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1987 | 1992 | 1980 |
| Change | +8 | +8 | +6 |
The housing in Harlingen is younger than the country's: half of it was built after 1987, against 1980 nationally. Even so, homes here are older than in Texas as a whole, where the median home dates to 1992. The median year built has moved up from 1979 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the west, the oldest in the center.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $683 | $921 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $698 | $1,005 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $749 | $1,178 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $998 | $1,560 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$315 | +$639 | +$606 |
The median renter in Harlingen pays $998 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $315 a month since 2006–10, up 46%, a slower climb than the nation's. The typical renter here spends 29.0% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. The priciest rents are in the northwest; the most affordable are in the center.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Harlingen
Bachelor's degrees in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.0% | 27.0% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.9% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 17.1% | 30.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 20.7% | 34.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +2.7 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Harlingen: 20.7% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 2.7 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the northeast and least in the south.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 71.5% | 80.7% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 72.2% | 82.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 73.4% | 83.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 78.0% | 85.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +6.5 pts | +5.1 pts | +4.3 pts |
More than one in five adults in Harlingen never finished high school, well above the national share: only 78.0% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. The share with a diploma is up 6.5 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. Harlingen has a lower share of high school graduates than at least four in five Texas cities.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Harlingen
| Period | Harlingen | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.3% | 7.0% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.0% | 7.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 6.4% | 5.1% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.1% | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little harder to find in Harlingen than nationally: unemployment was 6.1%, against 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Harlingen compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen | 2.92 | 34.5 | 18.2% | 41.8% | 12.8% | 1987 | $998 | 20.7% | 78.0% | 6.1% |
| Palm Valley | 2.75 | 39.8 | 8.4% | 18.4% | 9.4% | 1981 | $1,328 | 41.4% | 89.3% | 4.2% |
| Primera | 3.37 | 33.0 | 17.6% | 22.9% | 18.2% | 2003 | $1,240 | 24.1% | 78.3% | 4.2% |
| Combes | 3.09 | 37.7 | 19.5% | 13.5% | 12.0% | 1997 | $1,080 | 18.2% | 76.6% | 3.5% |
| Stuart Place | 3.94 | 22.3 | 27.4% | 25.3% | 14.8% | 1989 | $835 | 19.0% | 73.1% | 9.1% |
| Rangerville | 3.38 | 35.7 | 13.4% | 8.9% | 9.3% | 1996 | $870 | 19.9% | 74.6% | 2.3% |
| La Feria | 2.88 | 39.3 | 17.1% | 26.7% | 17.5% | 1993 | $1,152 | 14.9% | 74.2% | 6.0% |
| San Benito | 3.37 | 33.7 | 20.9% | 26.1% | 10.2% | 1991 | $892 | 14.0% | 66.8% | 6.5% |
| Santa Rosa | 3.59 | 29.0 | 17.9% | 35.5% | 8.5% | 1992 | $988 | 16.5% | 74.1% | 10.2% |
| Solis | 3.26 | 30.5 | 20.6% | 36.6% | 22.0% | 1995 | $938 | 11.3% | 72.4% | 17.8% |
| Landrum | 3.67 | 39.0 | 20.1% | 10.6% | 3.4% | 1998 | $757 | 6.6% | 53.5% | 2.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Frisco, TX · Garden Grove, CA · Dearborn, MI · Dayton, OH · Daly City, CA · Cypress, TX · Cumming, GA · Conroe, TX · Columbus, GA · Daytona Beach, FL
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Harlingen. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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