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Zavala County, Texas

County in TX, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

9,412
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

30.8
years ∙ half population younger than 30.8, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
13.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

7.7%
foreign-born population
92.3%Native
7.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Zavala County is a county in Texas, United States.
Location
County in TX, US
Co-ordinates
DEC28.864652° N, 99.759830° W
DMS28° 51′ 52.75″ N, 99° 45′ 35.39″ W

Population Density & area

7.26/sq mi (2.8/km²)
Total Area
1,301 sq mi (3,371 km²)
Land Area
1,297 sq mi (3,360 km²) · 99.67%
Water Area
4 sq mi (11 km²) · 0.33%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

52.6% male
Male 52.6%
Female 47.4%
males per 100 females
Zavala County 110.8
Texas 99.6
United States 98

Nativity

7.7%
foreign-born population
92.3%Native
7.7% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Zavala County 7.7%
Texas 17.6%
United States 14.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

30.8
years ∙ half population younger than 30.8, half older
Zavala County
30.8
Texas
35.6
United States
38.9

Dependency ratio

Low High
81.8
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Zavala County 81.8
Texas 62.4
United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Zavala County Texas United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 29.3% 25% 22%
Working age (18-64) 55% 61.6% 60.8%
Senior (65+) 15.7% 13.4% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 81.8 62.4 64.4
Child dependency ratio 53.2 40.6 36.1
Old-age dependency ratio 28.5 21.8 28.3
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
6%
Black
0.8%
Asian
0.5%
Hispanic
92.6%
Other
0.1%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
13.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Zavala County 13.9%
Texas 67.1%
United States 61.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Zavala County population
Racial and ethnic composition — Zavala County vs Texas vs United States. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Zavala County Texas United States
Hispanic or Latino 92.6% 39.7% 19.3%
Mexican 88.6% 32.1% 11.3%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.8% 1.8%
Cuban 0% 0.5% 0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino 4% 6.3% 5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino 7.4% 60.3% 80.7%
One race 7.4% 57.2% 76.4%
White 6% 39.1% 57.4%
Black or African American 0.8% 11.9% 11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.1% 0.5%
Asian 0.5% 5.5% 5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0.1% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0% 0.4% 0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 0% 3.1% 4.3%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

76.2% family
Family 76.2%
Non family 23.8%
% family households
Zavala County 76.2%
Texas 67.7%
United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.86
persons per household
Zavala County
2.86
Texas
2.69
United States
2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Zavala County population
Zavala County Texas United States
Total households 3,271 10,992,816 129,227,496
Average houshold size 2.86 2.69 2.53
Family households 2,493 7,443,447 82,990,528
Average family size 3.23 3.3 3.14
Married couple family 1,355 5,376,819 60,637,388
Other families 1,138 2,066,628 22,353,140
Male householder 207 591,475 6,572,819
Female householder 931 1,475,153 15,780,321
Non-family households 778 3,549,369 46,236,968
One-person households 658 2,885,361 37,140,836
Male householder 360 1,366,738 16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone 106 338,159 5,225,110
Female householder 298 1,518,623 20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone 156 643,272 10,089,070
Other living arrangements 120 664,008 9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

3,946
housing units
Zavala County 3,946
Texas 12,128,515
United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

82.9% occupied
Occupied 82.9%
Vacant 17.1%
vacancy rate
Zavala County 17.1%
Texas 9.4%
United States 10.1%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

66.3%
Single family houses
Single family houses
66.3%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
11.1%
Mobile homes
22.5%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0.2%

Median Year Built

1982
Half of houses were built before 1982, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
10.1%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
26.9%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
44.6%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
18.3%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Zavala County Texas United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 4.8 5.4 5.5
1–3 rooms 16.9% 17.1% 15.1%
4–6 rooms 70.3% 52.8% 51.6%
7+ rooms 12.8% 30.1% 33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 2.9% 3% 2.9%
1 bedroom 6.5% 12.7% 10.9%
2 bedrooms 21.8% 21% 25%
3 bedrooms 52.9% 39.5% 38.7%
4+ bedrooms 15.8% 23.9% 22.4%
At a glance
Median year built 1982 1992 1981
Total housing units 3,946 12,128,515 143,775,355
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

69% owners
Renter-occupied 31%
Owner-occupied 69%
homeownership rate
Zavala County 69%
Texas 62.6%
United States 65.2%

Average household size

3.05
Owner-occupied
2.44
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Zavala County 3.05
Texas 2.87
United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Zavala County Texas United States
Total occupied units 3,271 10,992,816 129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later 18.6% 30.1% 24.8%
2010 to 2019 36.3% 40.4% 39.6%
2000 to 2009 15.3% 15.4% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 29.7% 14.1% 19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 95% 95.2% 96.6%
1.01 to 1.50 1.9% 3.2% 2.2%
1.51 or more 3% 1.6% 1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 8% 5.4% 8.4%
1 vehicle 33.9% 33% 33.1%
2 vehicles 33.1% 39.3% 36.6%
3 or more vehicles 24.9% 22.3% 21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas 12.8% 37.4% 51.4%
Electricity 87.2% 61.2% 41.3%
Solar 0% 0.3% 0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.1% 3.9%
All other fuels 0% 0.4% 2%
No fuel used 0% 0.6% 1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.5% 0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen 1% 0.8% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0.4% 0.9% 0.9%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$98,800
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Zavala County
$98,800
Texas
$283,800
United States
$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

68.3%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
68.3%
Owners without a mortgage
10.5%
Renters
44.3%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Zavala County Texas United States
Property value
Median Value $98,800 $283,800 $332,700
Under $100,000 51.2% 13.3% 11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000 26.2% 17.9% 15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000 15.4% 22.1% 17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000 6.9% 28% 26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 14.9% 20.9%
$1,000,000 and more 0.3% 3.7% 7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 33.5% 56% 60.6%
Without a mortgage 66.5% 44% 39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,333 $2,106 $1,963
Without a mortgage $441 $678 $638
Gross rent
Median rent $548 $1,403 $1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

11.1%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Zavala County 11.1%
Texas 33.8%
United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

29.6%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Zavala County 29.6%
Texas 14.1%
United States 10.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

2,887
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
9.7%
K–12
75.2%
College / Undergraduate
13.7%
Graduate / Professional
1.4%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

36.2%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Zavala County
36.2%
Texas
36.3%
United States
40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Zavala County Texas United States
Total enrolled (age 3+) 2,887 7,886,029 80,089,790
Nursery / preschool 9.7% 5.6% 5.7%
K–12 75.2% 70.6% 67.6%
Kindergarten 0.7% 5.4% 5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 18.6% 21.1% 19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 28.9% 21.8% 21%
High School: Grades 9–12 27% 22.3% 21.7%
College or graduate school 15.1% 23.9% 26.7%
College, undergraduate 13.7% 18.9% 21%
Graduate, professional school 1.4% 5% 5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 36.2% 36.3% 40.9%
School type
Public school 97.9% 86.9% 82%
Private school 2.1% 13.1% 18%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

5,790
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
16.5%
9th-12th, no diploma
13.1%
HS graduate
32.1%
Some college no degree
22%
Associates degree
5.1%
Bachelors degree
10.2%
Graduate or professional degree
0.9%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
46.1% · 53.9%
9th-12th, no diploma
63.4% · 36.6%
HS graduate
42.7% · 57.3%
Some college no degree
70.4% · 29.6%
Associates degree
23.5% · 76.5%
Bachelors degree
45.9% · 54.1%
Graduate or professional degree
35.2% · 64.8%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Zavala County Texas United States
Population (25+) 5,790 19,717,474 230,807,303
Less than 9th grade 16.5% 7.3% 4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 13.1% 6.8% 5.7%
High school diploma or GED 32.1% 24.3% 26%
Some college, no degree 22% 20.1% 19.1%
Associate's degree 5.1% 7.7% 8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 11.1% 33.8% 35.7%
Bachelor's degree 10.2% 21.5% 21.6%
Graduate or professional 0.9% 12.3% 14.1%
High School or higher 70.3% 86% 89.6%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$27,149
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$31,738
HS graduate
$24,206
Some college or associates
$19,359
Bachelors degree
$65,158
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

3.2%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
18.5%
HS graduate
33.9%
Some college or associates
32.9%
Bachelors degree or higher
3.2%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Zavala County Texas United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $27,149 $51,033 $52,696
Less than high school graduate $31,738 $30,970 $32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $24,206 $37,956 $40,153
Some college or associate's degree $19,359 $46,890 $47,260
Bachelor's degree $65,158 $70,006 $70,044
Graduate or professional degree $— $87,663 $90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 18.5% 24.3% 24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 33.9% 14.8% 14.4%
Some college or associate's degree 32.9% 9.6% 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3.2% 4.5% 4.5%

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