ZIP Code 78597 — South Padre Island town, TX Demographics & Data

ZIP code 78597 covers South Padre Island, TX in Cameron County with a population of about 2,881.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 59.2 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.

South Padre Island, TX fits a retirement-oriented profile (older median age or known retirement-community context). Residents and relocators commonly research healthcare access, everyday amenities (dining, personal services), and housing costs rather than tech or campus life.

Median household income in ZIP 78597 is about $61,357 — about 18% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 13.8%; unemployment rate near 6.5%; 53.1% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 19.4 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Food services, Professional services, and Education; about 18.0% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 2.8 points above 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 $508,800 — about 46% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,326 (about 14% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 66.8% (about 1.4 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 78597 in South Padre Island, TX, a household would need roughly $140,000 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 $3,268. That is about 128% above the local median household income ($61,357), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. 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 South Padre Island town, 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 South Padre Island town, TX show little to no average snow and around 23.3 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 136 for ZIP 78597 (South Padre Island town, 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.