Zapata County, Texas: commercial real estate data.
Zapata County, Texas has a population of 13,841 across 998 square miles, down 0.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $668.4 m in 2024, 143 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 2 7(a) approvals worth $65,000.
99 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections
Zapata County
How many people live in Zapata County
- Population13,841
- Households4,565
- Average household size3.03
- Median household income$39,239
- Median age32.3
- Median gross rent$617 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$97,100
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over8,090
- Population under 184,379
- Share under 1831.6 percent
- Population 65 and over1,950
- Share 65 and over14.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 647,512
- Civilian labor force5,293
- Unemployment rate7.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over55.9 percent
- Rank by population among Texas counties145th of 254
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2234th
Zapata County is the 145th largest of 254 Texas counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 31.6 percent against 14.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Zapata County
Is Zapata County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.50 percent
- Census 2020 base population13,888
- Births, 2024171
- Deaths, 2024111
- Natural change, 202460
- Net domestic migration, 2024-119
- Net international migration, 202496
- Total net migration, 2024-23
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-489
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2021st
The county has lost 0.50 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Zapata County
Where people moving to Zapata County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving96
- People arriving, from those returns174
- Adjusted gross income arriving$3.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$38,885
- Largest single originZapata County Non-migrants (4,430 households)
- Largest single destination (4,430 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata County Non-migrants | 4,430 | 10,450 | $163.5 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 62 | 111 | $2.5 m |
| Webb County | 34 | 63 | $1.2 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Zapata 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.
Zapata County
What the Zapata County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$668.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$731.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-8.6 percent
- GDP change over five years35.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among Texas counties175th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2189th
- GDP per resident$48,290
Output grew -8.6 percent in the latest year and 35.7 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.
Zapata County
Who employs people in Zapata County
- Covered employment, annual average2,819
- Establishments reporting166
- Average annual pay$41,400
- Average weekly wage$796
- Sector 62, employment698
- Sector 62, average annual pay$21,637
- Sector 44-45, employment317
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$21,490
- Sector 21, employment112
- Sector 21, average annual pay$61,506
- Sector 23, employment104
- Sector 23, average annual pay$54,150
- Sector 81, employment31
- Sector 31-33, employment21
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 698 | 23 | $21,637 |
| Sector 44-45 | 317 | 34 | $21,490 |
| Sector 21 | 112 | 13 | $61,506 |
| Sector 23 | 104 | 7 | $54,150 |
| Sector 81 | 31 | 4 | $20,594 |
| Sector 31-33 | 21 | 6 | $74,434 |
| Sector 11 | 9 | 5 | $24,245 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 698 jobs, 24.8 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Zapata County
What businesses operate in Zapata County
- Establishments, all industries143
- Employment at those establishments1,758
- Annual payroll$54.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents10.3
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.
Zapata County
How much SBA lending happens in Zapata County
- 7(a) approvals recorded2
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$65,000
- Average 7(a) approval$32,500
- Median 7(a) approval$50,000
- 10th percentile approval$15,000
- 90th percentile approval$50,000
- Largest single approval$50,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1
- Jobs per approval0.5
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals2
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer0.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms0
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (1)
- Most active lenderReadycap Lending, LLC (1)
The average approval of $32,500 sits close to the median of $50,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. Only 0.0 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.
Zapata County
Do SBA loans in Zapata County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Zapata County
How big is Zapata County
- Land area998 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Texas counties73rd of 254
- Width, east to west30.8 mi
- Height, north to south51.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land14
- Establishments per square mile0.14
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.
Zapata County
What hazards affect Zapata County
- EPA radon zone predicted average indoor radon screening level less than 2 pCi/LZone 3
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book1
- Of those, participating in the NFIP1
- 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.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- The Building Permits Survey does not carry a 2024 record for this county.
- 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 Zapata 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 Zapata County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population13,841
- Households4,565
- Average household size3.03
- Median household income$39,239
- Median age32.3
Common questions
Zapata County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Zapata County, Texas?
13,841, in 4,565 households, ranking 145th of 254 Texas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Zapata County growing?
The population has fallen 0.50 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 171 births against 111 deaths, with net migration of -23. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Zapata County?
$39,239. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $97,100, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $617 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Zapata County?
143 establishments, employing 1,758 people with an annual payroll of $54.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Zapata County?
Average annual pay is $41,400, or $796 a week, across 2,819 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Zapata County?
2 7(a) approvals totalling $65,000 since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $50,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is the radon zone for Zapata 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 Zapata County come from?
The largest single origin is Zapata County Non-migrants, with 4,430 households. Arriving households report an average income of $38,885 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 Zapata 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 Zapata 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.