ZIP Code 78521 — Brownsville city, TX Demographics & Data

ZIP code 78521 covers Brownsville, TX in Cameron County with a population of about 87,860.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 31.5 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 956; U.S. House district TX-34; the HARLINGEN - WSLCO - BRNSVL - MCA media market.

Median household income in ZIP 78521 is about $41,276 — about 45% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 30.6%; unemployment rate near 6.7%; 14.8% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 18.9 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Education; about 7.6% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 7.6 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $90,500 — about 74% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $682 (about 41% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 59.4% (about 6.0 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 78521 in Brownsville, TX, a household would need roughly $25,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $581. That sits below the local median household income ($41,276), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Brownsville city, TX as Relatively High (composite score 97.3), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (99.0) and flood (92.8). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Brownsville city, TX show little to no average snow and around 26.8 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 4,144 for ZIP 78521 (Brownsville city, TX) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.