Hidalgo County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Hidalgo County, Texas has a population of 891,977 across 1,571 square miles, up 5.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $31.36 bn in 2024, 13,393 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 420 7(a) approvals worth $148.7 m.
128 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections
Hidalgo County
How many people live in Hidalgo County
- Population891,977
- Households270,210
- Average household size3.30
- Median household income$54,338
- Median age30.5
- Median gross rent$957 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$140,900
- Home value to household income2.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income21.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over516,001
- Population under 18276,245
- Share under 1831.0 percent
- Population 65 and over104,535
- Share 65 and over11.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64511,197
- Civilian labor force382,422
- Unemployment rate7.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.1 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties9th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents65th
Hidalgo County is the 9th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 2.6 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 31.0 percent against 11.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Hidalgo County
Is Hidalgo County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base5.06 percent
- Census 2020 base population870,790
- Births, 202414,494
- Deaths, 20245,286
- Natural change, 20249,208
- Net domestic migration, 2024-1,562
- Net international migration, 20244,679
- Total net migration, 20243,117
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-1,775
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents522nd
The county has grown 5.06 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Hidalgo County
Where people moving to Hidalgo County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving8,107
- People arriving, from those returns15,793
- Adjusted gross income arriving$409.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$50,502
- Largest single originHidalgo County Non-migrants (293,209 households)
- Largest single destination (293,209 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County Non-migrants | 293,209 | 673,425 | $13.98 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 2,680 | 5,281 | $142.1 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 1,083 | 2,098 | $56.2 m |
| Cameron County | 995 | 1,981 | $45.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 826 | 1,659 | $40.4 m |
| Bexar County | 575 | 1,029 | $26.9 m |
| Harris County | 560 | 1,181 | $26.1 m |
| Other flows - West | 543 | 1,063 | $28.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Hidalgo County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Hidalgo County
What the Hidalgo County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$31.36 bn
- County GDP, 2023$29.89 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.9 percent
- GDP change over five years34.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Texas counties13th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents189th
- GDP per resident$35,155
Output grew 4.9 percent in the latest year and 34.8 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Hidalgo County
Who employs people in Hidalgo County
- Covered employment, annual average291,901
- Establishments reporting14,062
- Average annual pay$42,905
- Average weekly wage$825
- Sector 62, employment82,594
- Sector 62, average annual pay$34,167
- Sector 44-45, employment37,013
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$35,093
- Sector 72, employment27,456
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,576
- Sector 56, employment15,838
- Sector 56, average annual pay$40,470
- Sector 42, employment8,825
- Sector 23, employment8,411
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 82,594 | 2,449 | $34,167 |
| Sector 44-45 | 37,013 | 2,149 | $35,093 |
| Sector 72 | 27,456 | 1,348 | $20,576 |
| Sector 56 | 15,838 | 518 | $40,470 |
| Sector 42 | 8,825 | 969 | $60,277 |
| Sector 23 | 8,411 | 830 | $53,038 |
| Sector 48-49 | 8,387 | 696 | $51,920 |
| Sector 54 | 7,370 | 1,272 | $58,303 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 82,594 jobs, 28.3 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Hidalgo County
What businesses operate in Hidalgo County
- Establishments, all industries13,393
- Employment at those establishments227,682
- Annual payroll$8.40 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents15.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Hidalgo County
What is being built in Hidalgo County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20247,292
- Declared construction value permitted$1.32 bn
- Single family units authorised4,336
- Multifamily units authorised2,956
- Multifamily share of units40.5 percent
- Average declared value per unit$180,493
- Units authorised per 1,000 households27.0
Multifamily is 40.5 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Hidalgo County
How much SBA lending happens in Hidalgo County
- 7(a) approvals recorded420
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$148.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$353,963
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,500
- 90th percentile approval$784,000
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)5,279
- Jobs per approval12.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active59
- Distinct industries receiving approvals161
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer15.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms66
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter334
- Franchise loans48
- Franchise share of approvals11.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countGeneral Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (20)
- Most active lenderLone Star National Bank (51)
- 504 approvals recorded72
- 504 gross approval dollars$76.1 m
- Average 504 approval$1,056,361
- Median 504 approval$823,000
- Distinct CDCs active9
- 504 jobs per approval17.8
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.8
- Most active CDCLiftFund, Inc. (30)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals85.4 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$224.7 m
The average approval of $353,963 sits well above the median of $150,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 15.7 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hidalgo County
Do SBA loans in Hidalgo County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded60
- Paid in full52
- Charged off8
- Charge off rate on resolved loans13.3 percent
- Status: Paid in full52
- Status: Charged off8
- Status: Exempt from disclosure282
- Status: Cancelled64
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed14
Of the 60 loans that have reached a final outcome, 13.3 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hidalgo County
Which parts of Hidalgo County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending23
- McAllen, approvals132
- EDINBURG, approvals87
- MISSION, approvals58
- PHARR, approvals32
- WESLACO, approvals26
- DONNA, approvals19
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| McAllen | 132 | $50,060,600 |
| EDINBURG | 87 | $24,354,300 |
| MISSION | 58 | $14,431,400 |
| PHARR | 32 | $6,845,200 |
| WESLACO | 26 | $11,699,900 |
| DONNA | 19 | $7,504,000 |
| MERCEDES | 17 | $11,816,800 |
| HIDALGO | 9 | $2,116,500 |
McAllen accounts for 132 approvals against 87 in EDINBURG. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hidalgo County
How big is Hidalgo County
- Land area1,571 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties15th of 254
- Width, east to west45 mi
- Height, north to south51.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land568
- Establishments per square mile8.53
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Hidalgo County
What hazards affect Hidalgo County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book20
- Of those, participating in the NFIP20
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
The EPA places the county in radon zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L.
US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001. FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Hidalgo County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Hidalgo County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population891,977
- Households270,210
- Average household size3.30
- Median household income$54,338
- Median age30.5
Common questions
Hidalgo County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Hidalgo County, Texas?
891,977, in 270,210 households, ranking 9th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Hidalgo County growing?
The population has grown 5.06 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 14,494 births against 5,286 deaths, with net migration of 3,117. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Hidalgo County?
$54,338. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $140,900, which is 2.6 times income, and median gross rent is $957 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Hidalgo County?
13,393 establishments, employing 227,682 people with an annual payroll of $8.40 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Hidalgo County?
Average annual pay is $42,905, or $825 a week, across 291,901 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Hidalgo County?
420 7(a) approvals totalling $148.7 m since FY2020, across 59 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 72 504 approvals worth $76.1 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Hidalgo County get paid back?
Of the 60 loans that have reached a final outcome, 52 were paid in full and 8 charged off, a charge off rate of 13.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Hidalgo County?
7,292 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.32 bn. Multifamily was 40.5 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Hidalgo County?
Zone 3, a predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Hidalgo County come from?
The largest single origin is Hidalgo County Non-migrants, with 293,209 households. Arriving households report an average income of $50,502 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Hidalgo County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Hidalgo County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.