ZIP Code 79720 — Big Spring city, TX Demographics & Data

ZIP code 79720 covers Big Spring, TX in Howard County with a population of about 30,432.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 37.9 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 432; U.S. House district TX-19; the ODESSA - MIDLAND media market.

Big Spring, TX sits in a university / college context (near howard college (1.3 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 79720 is about $71,194 — about 5% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 15.3%; unemployment rate near 5.2%; 15.8% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 17.9 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Mining, and Education; about 3.9% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 11.3 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 $146,500 — about 58% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $812 (about 30% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 68.3% (about 2.8 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 79720 in Big Spring, TX, a household would need roughly $40,000 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 $941. That sits below the local median household income ($71,194), 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 Big Spring city, TX as Relatively Low (composite score 54.8), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (89.5) and flood (45.4). 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 Big Spring city, TX show little to no average snow and around 19.6 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,436 for ZIP 79720 (Big Spring 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.