Cameron County, Texas

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1276 sqmi, of which 891 sqmi are land and 386 sqmi (30%) are covered by water. To the east, the county borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-2 (TX).svg|20px]] Interstate 2
• [[Image:I-69E (TX).svg|25px]] [[Image:US 77.svg|20px]] Interstate 69E/U.S. Highway 77
• [[Image:I-169 (TX).svg|25px]] [[Image:Toll Texas 550.svg|20px]] Interstate 169/State Highway 550
• [[Image:US 83.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 83
• [[Image:US 281.svg|25px]] U.S. Highway 281
• [[Image:Texas 4.svg|20px]] State Highway 4
• [[Image:Texas 48.svg|20px]] State Highway 48
• [[Image:Texas 100.svg|20px]] State Highway 100
• [[Image:Texas 107.svg|20px]] State Highway 107
• [[Image:Texas 345.svg|20px]] State Highway 345

Adjacent counties and municipalities

• Willacy County (north)
• Gulf of Mexico (east)
• Matamoros Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)
• Hidalgo County (west)

National protected areas

• Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–2010 2010 2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 421,017. The median age was 34.0 years. 28.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 38.6% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian,

82.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 17.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 132,507 households in the county, of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.0% were married-couple households, 15.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 154,905 housing units, of which 14.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 64.3% were owner-occupied and 35.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.0%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 406,220 people, 119,631 households, and 96,579 families were residing in the county. The population density was 370 /mi2. The 141,924 housing units averaged 132 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 9.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. About 88.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 119,631 households, 50.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were not families. About 16.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36, and the average family size was 3.80.

In the county, the age distribution was 33.0% under the age of18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,264, and for a family was $33,770. Males had a median income of $21,410 versus $15,597 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,695. About 30.0% of families and 34.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.8% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.

A 2000 Texas A&M study stated that of the residents of Cameron County, 43% do not have basic literacy skills.

Within the 2010s decade, a noticeable trend in the county population showed that growth among the county's northern cities (defined as major towns whose city limits lie entirely north or east of U.S. Highway 83 in the county) on average has been greater than those cities on U.S. Highway 83 in the county, suggesting a possible desire among both locals and new residents from outside the Rio Grande Valley to move away from the population centers of the county. This trend has also been shared by nearby Hidalgo County. Los Fresnos, for example, grew by 42.2% from 2010 to 2018. Other major cities, such as Indian Lake, Primera, and Rio Hondo, all grew by more than 15% in the same period. In contrast, the cities of Harlingen, La Feria, and San Benito, all cities along U.S. Highway 83, have seen growths less than 1% in the same period. The city that grew the most among the Highway 83 cities in the county was Brownsville, which grew by 4.4% from 2010 to 2019.

Government and infrastructure

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operates the Port Isabel Service Processing Center, located in an unincorporated area adjacent to the Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport, which is itself owned and operated by the county. The airport has four runways and offers fuel and other general aviation services.

U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen stated in 2013 that the corruption in the county judiciary and legal system was so pervasive that most people would not believe it "unless they heard it themselves."

Politics

Cameron County has historically leaned toward the Democratic Party in presidential elections, supporting the party in all but three between 1960 and 2020. Republican candidate George W. Bush carried the county in the 2004 election, but no Republican would do so again until Donald Trump won in 2024. Many voters supported Trump while voting for down-ballot Democratic politicians. Trump outperformed Ted Cruz in the area in the 2024 election. Trump's 2016 showing of 32.0% was the lowest received by a Republican candidate in the county since Alf Landon in 1936. Four years later, however, Trump's performance of 43% in 2020 was the best for a Republican in the county since 2004, while in 2024, Trump won the county with a majority of 52.51% as part of the continued Republican trend in the Rio Grande Valley. The New York Times stated that Elon Musk placed significant economic development in the county, opposed illegal immigration, and did considerable campaigning for Trump in Cameron County, so "Mr. Trump didn't have to campaign very hard in Cameron."

In the Texas House of Representatives, Cameron County is covered by districts 35, 37, and 38.

Education

Cameron County is served by several school districts. They include:

• Brownsville Independent School District
• Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
• La Feria Independent School District
• Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District
• Lyford Consolidated Independent School District (partially)
• Point Isabel Independent School District
• Rio Hondo Independent School District
• San Benito Consolidated Independent School District
• Santa Maria Independent School District
• Santa Rosa Independent School District

In addition, residents are eligible to apply to South Texas Independent School District's magnet schools.

All of the county is in the service area of Texas Southmost College.

Economy

Cameron County has been considered one of the poorest urban counties in the US.

The FAA approved a SpaceX private spaceport east of Brownsville on the Gulf Coast. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414180555/http://www.themonitor.com/articles/space-60007-brownsville-south.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 14, 2012 |access-date=May 12, 2012

The SpaceX South Texas Launch Site was originally projected to employ 75–100 full-time workers in the early years with up to 150 full-time employees/contractors by 2019. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207085028/http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/spacex_texas_launch_site_environmental_impact_statement/media/SpaceX_Texas_Launch_Site_Draft_EIS_V1.pdf |archive-date=December 7, 2013 File:SpaceX Starbase launch facility (51438071556).jpg|View of SpaceX's launch pad at Starbase File:USA - Texas - Boca Chica - Starbase (51286054441).jpg|SN15 and SN16 File:USA - Texas - Boca Chica - Starbase (51285307187).jpg|Starship and SuperHeavy production site

The southern cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus) is invasive here. Populations here have also become highly permethrin resistant. In 2014 the problem had become so severe that spread to neighboring counties was feared, and a Temporary Preventative Quarantine Area was established to preserve efficacy in those counties. All quarantine efforts have been somewhat unsuccessful, due at least in part to the ticks' infestation of wildlife including whitetail (Odocoileus virginianus). | |

Media

Radio stations

• KFRQ 94.5FM
• KKPS 99.5FM
• KNVO 101.1FM
• KVLY 107.9FM
• KVMV 96.9FM

Newspapers

• The Brownsville Herald (A Freedom Communications, Inc. newspaper based in Brownsville, TX)
• Valley Morning Star (A Freedom Communications, Inc. newspaper based in Harlingen, TX)
• El Nuevo Heraldo (AIM Media Texas newspaper based in Brownsville, TX)

Communities

Cities

• Brownsville (county seat)
• Harlingen
• La Feria
• Los Fresnos
• Palm Valley
• Port Isabel
• Rio Hondo
• San Benito
• Starbase

Towns

• Bayview
• Combes
• Indian Lake
• Laguna Vista
• Los Indios
• Primera
• Rancho Viejo
• Santa Rosa
• South Padre Island

Village

• Rangerville

Census-designated places

• Arroyo Colorado Estates
• Arroyo Gardens
• Bixby
• Bluetown
• Cameron Park
• Chula Vista
• Del Mar Heights
• El Camino Angosto
• Encantada-Ranchito-El Calaboz
• Green Valley Farms
• Iglesia Antigua
• Juarez
• La Feria North
• La Paloma
• La Tina Ranch
• Lago
• Laguna Heights
• Las Palmas II
• Lasana
• Laureles
• Lozano
• Olmito
• Orason
• Palmer
• Ratamosa
• Reid Hope King
• Rice Tracts
• San Pedro
• Santa Maria
• Solis
• South Point
• Tierra Bonita
• Villa del Sol
• Villa Pancho
• Yznaga

Former census-designated places

• Arroyo Gardens-La Tina Ranch (split into the Arroyo Gardens and La Tina Ranch CDPs)
• Bluetown-Iglesia Antigua
• Chula Vista-Orason
• Grand Acres
• Las Palmas-Juarez

Other unincorporated communities

• Adams Gardens
• Arroyo Alto
• Arroyo City
• Buena Vista
• Carricitos
• Cavazos
• Holly Beach
• La Penusca
• Landrum
• Lantana
• Las Yescas
• Los Cuates
• Monte Grande
• Russelltown
• Villa Nueva

Ghost towns

• Del Mar
• La Leona
• Las Rusias
• Santa Rita
• Stuart Place

References

References

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2. "Cameron County, Texas".
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