Hidalgo County, in South Texas, is bordered by Cameron County on the east, Brooks County on the north, Starr County on the west, and Mexico on the south. The county seat is Edinburg. Other communities of note in Hidalgo County are McAllen, Weslaco, Mission, Peņitas, and San Juan. Recreation facilities in the county include the Hidalgo County Historical Corridor which spans the southern portion of the county and various parks and wildlife refuges, including Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge and the Las Palomas Wildlife Management area. Special events include the Citrus Fiesta, the Weslaco Sugarfest, and the Rio Grande Valley Stock Show. Fishing and hunting are also available throughout the year. The county has several museums and historic homes. La Lomita Mission is located in Mission, and the Virgen de San Juan del Valle Shrine is in San Juan. Hidalgo County, FIPSCODE 48215, is the 7th largest of the 254 counties in Texas, with an estimated population of 569,463 in 2000.
The county consists of 1583 square miles with a 2000 population density of 362.8 residents per square mile. The average density in Texas is 79.6 persons per square mile which is the same as the national average. Rainfall in Hidalgo County averages 23.4 inches per year as compared to the Texas average of 28.1 inches per year.
FARMING
The average growing season in Hidalgo County is 327 days with the first freeze generally occurring around December 8. Texas is so climatically diverse that statewide averages are irrelevant as a means of comparison.
Farming
1987
1997
Number of Farms
1,929
1,373
Acres of Farmland
762,442
635,884
Average Size of Farm (acres)
395
463
POPULATION
According to the Census, Hidalgo County's population changed 48 percent from 1990 to 2000. The county's population was 383,545 in 1990 and 569,463 in 2000, an increase of 185,918. In 2000, the median age was 27.2 years versus a statewide average of 32.3 years and a national average of 35.3 years. The Texas Department of Human Services reported there were 15,359 births and 2,724 deaths in Hidalgo County in 2000.
The 2000 Census estimates for Texas show a population composition as follows:
Age Breakdown
Hidalgo County
Texas
Under 18
35.3%
28.2%
18-24
11.3%
10.5%
25-44
27.6%
31.1%
45-64
16.0%
20.2%
65+
9.7%
9.9%
The 2000 Census Bureau's race/ethnic distribution estimates are as follows:
Group
Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County (Percent)
Texas
Texas (Percent)
White
442,525
78%
14,799,505
71.0%
Black
2,807
0%
2,404,566
11.5%
Hispanic
503,100
88%
6,669,666
32.0%
Asian
3,375
1%
562,319
2.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native
2,402
0%
118,362
0.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
131
0%
14,434
0.1%
"Numbers may add up to more than the total population and more than 100 percent
because individuals may report more than one race."
HOUSEHOLDS
The county had approximately 156,824 households in 2000 according to the Census. This represents an average of 3.60 persons per household. The housing per square mile rate was 11.2 percent and the county's homeowner rate was 73.1 percent.
The mean travel time to work was 20.9 minutes compared to a state average of 25.4 minutes. The number of people over 16 who commuted to work was 176,308 while the number that worked at home was 3,870. The commuting to work breakdown was as follows: drove alone (129,940), carpooled (33,671), public transportation (567), walked (3,313), and other means (4,947).
EDUCATION
According to the Census, 188,181 people in Hidalgo County were enrolled in school in 2000. Countywide, 50.5 percent had a high school diploma or higher and 12.9 percent had a bachelor's degree or higher. The equivalent statewide figures for a high school diploma or higher and a bachelor's degree or higher were 75.7 percent and 23.2 percent, respectively.
SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Population 3 years and over enrolled in school
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Population 25 years and over
Nursery school, preschool
12,206
Less than 9th grade
102,952
Kindergarten
12,949
9th to 12th grade, no diploma
48,009
Elementary school (grades 1-8)
92,277
High school graduate
61,598
High school (grades 9-12)
43,703
Some college, no degree
44,068
College or graduate school
27,046
Associate degree
8,710
Bachelor's degree
25,507
Graduate or professional degree
13,826
Total
188,181
304,670
FISCAL INFORMATION
In 1999, the Health and Human Services Commission's poverty estimates for Hidalgo County was 199,175 or 37.70 percent of the non-institutional population. Approximately 3,307,787 Texans or 16.54 percent of the total population fell beneath the poverty line in 1999; this exceeded the U.S. poverty rate of 11.8 percent. There were 148,539 people enrolled in Medicaid in April 2002 with 100,715 of those being under the age of 18.
The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts reported total state expenditures of $1,744,678,750 for Hidalgo County in their "State Expenditures by County 2000" report. The State spent $674,685,216 on public assistance and $46,599,288 on highway construction and maintenance in Hidalgo County. During the third quarter of 2001, gross sales for all industries totaled $1,952,743,582. Comparing the third quarter of 2000 to the third quarter of 2001, gross sales changed 9 percent (from $1,791,141,710). The county had 97 bank offices in 2001, as reported by the FDIC, with total deposits of $4,988 million. This represents 2.05 percent of total deposits in Texas ($243,390 billion).
LABOR FORCE
The county civilian labor force was 216,027 in March 2002 reflecting an increase from the March 2001 level of 211,110. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, total unemployment in March 2002 was 26,190 contrasted to the March 2001 total of 28,946. The Hidalgo County unemployment rate for March 2002 was 12.1 percent compared to the March 2001 rate of 13.7 percent. The statewide unemployment rate was 5.6 percent in March 2002 and 4.2 percent in March 2001.
In the first quarter of 2001, Hidalgo County had 167,733 employed persons and an average weekly wage of $415.
Industry
Jobs
Percentage
Natural Resources & Mining
8,628
7%
Construction
8,902
5%
Manufacturing
12,285
7%
Trade, Transportation & Utilities
35,337
21%
Information
1,772
1%
Financial Activities
5,854
4%
Professional & Business Services
8,586
6%
Education & Health Services
25,335
15%
Leisure & Hospitality
14,642
9%
Other Services
3,722
2%
Nonclassifiable
81
0%
Federal Government
2,595
2%
State Government
5,094
3%
Local Government
34,900
21%
Distances from the county seat of Edinburg (Miles)
Austin
279
Amarillo
653
Brownsville
50
Dallas
457
El Paso
630
Houston
294
Cities
- Alamo, City of
- Alton, City of
- Donna, City of
- Edcouch, City of
- Edinburg, City of
- Elsa, City of
- Granjeno, City of
- Hidalgo, City of
- La Joya, City of
- La Villa, City of
- McAllen, City of
- Mercedes, City of
- Mission, City of
- Palmhurst, City of
- Palmview, City of
- Penitas, City of
- Pharr, City of
- Progreso Lakes, City of
- Progreso, City of
- San Juan, City of
- Sullivan City, City of
- Weslaco, City of
CONVERGYS INC
DONNA ISD
EDCOUCH-ELSA ISD
EDINBURG CONSOLIDATED ISD
H E BUTT GROCERY CO
KNAPP MEDICAL CENTER
LA JOYA ISD
MCALLEN HOSPITALS
MCALLEN ISD
MERCEDES ISD
MISSION CONSOLIDATED ISD
PHARR-SAN JUAN-ALAMO ISD
RIO GRANDE REGIONAL HOSPITAL INC
SOUTH TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES
TEXAS VISITING NURSE SERVICE
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS - PAN AMERICAN
WAL-MART ASSOCIATES INC
WESLACO ISD
WILLIAMSON-DICKIE MFG CO
Employers are listed alphabetically with no ranking intended.
Resources
For more Texas county data visit
The Texas Association of Counties - http://www.county.org
