Rio Grande City, Texas

Area Profile

15,396 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Rio Grande City, in Starr County.

49out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 18% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 13 sources
Opportunity3,692nd of 4,199 cities measured36
Schools2,234th of 4,162 cities measured47
Growth3,701st of 4,224 cities measured28
Housing affordabilityTop 41% of 4,218 cities measured70
Climate2,487th of 4,225 cities measured68
Physical resilienceTop 49% of 4,226 cities measured58
Access4,035th of 4,226 cities measured54
Economic stability4,045th of 4,226 cities measured23
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 9.9% and the Opportunity signal places Rio Grande City in the bottom 12%. The unemployment rate is published for Starr County, TX, which contains Rio Grande City, rather than for Rio Grande City alone.

In the public schools here, 50% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 14.3 students for every teacher.

Rent takes 32% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.0 times what its owners earn.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
15,396
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$44,577
Bottom 15% nationally
Density
1,356/sq mi
11.4 sq mi of land
Median age
29.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Texas
Nearest major airport
HRL
73 mi · Valley Intl
Median home value
$113,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Starr County, TX, which contains Rio Grande City, is 9.9% — higher than in all but 1% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment across Starr County, TX, which contains Rio Grande City, grew 0.1% over the past year, to 22,977 employed residents.

Median household income of $44,577 is lower than in 85% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsStarr County, TX’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$36,7461st percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftStarr County, TX’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$39,7471st percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$7,1942024 ACS 5-Year$44,577Bottom 15%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,3472024 ACS 5-Year$19,539Bottom 8%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year28.4%Bottom 11%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±2.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year22.0 minTop 26%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year18.8%Bottom 45%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year79.7%59th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentStarr County, TX’s figureJuly 202622,977Bottom 27%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Starr County, TX’s figureJuly 2026+2.5%Top 16%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Starr County, TX’s figureJuly 2026+0.1%Top 33%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceStarr County, TX’s figureJuly 202625,51029th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year69.7%Bottom 26%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Starr County, TX’s figureJuly 20260.0%Bottom 45%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateStarr County, TX’s figureJuly 20269.9%Bottom 1%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year7.3%48th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202445k41k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $44,577 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Starr County, TX, which contains this city.

50% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 41% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 14.3 students for every full-time teacher across 16 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
16
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
14.3
across all schools here
Math proficiency
50.0%
Top 48% in Texas
Reading proficiency
40.9%
Bottom 29% in Texas
The 12 largest of 16 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Rio Grande City H SRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD1,67013.740%33%
Veterans MiddleRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD73413.145%37%
Idea Rio Grande City Academy · charterIDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS71721.755%45%
Grulla H SRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD71613.358%28%
General Ricardo Sanchez ElRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD71217.857%50%
Idea Rio Grande City College Preparatory · charterIDEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS69515.832%32%
Ringgold MiddleRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD63911.042%29%
Roque Guerra JR ElRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD60415.548%42%
Alto Bonito ElRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD58817.859%46%
Ramiro Barrera MiddleROMA ISD56410.647%31%
Dr Mario E Ramirez ElRIO GRANDE CITY GRULLA ISD49314.541%43%
Delia Gonzalez Garcia ElROMA ISD48713.571%70%

94.9% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Texas’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Texas is up 44% over five years, and up 2.9% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,404 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.24% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $973, some 27% above the $767 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $973 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $38,900 a year, about 87% of the median household income here of $44,577.

The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $767 a month.

A median home at $113,200 costs 2.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $56,190, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
31.5%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.0×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$973
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$767
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$113,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Rio Grande City’s median household income of $44,577, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Texas’s figure2026 Q2+2.9%47th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Texas’s figure2026 Q2+43.8%53rd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Texas’s figure2026 Q2+97.6%57th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.32024 ACS 5-Year2.0Top 33%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year69.4%36th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3302024 ACS 5-Year5,16889th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$742Top 3%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,353Top 10%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$973Top 5%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$632024 ACS 5-Year$767Top 24%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$11,0892024 ACS 5-Year$113,20025th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1262024 ACS 5-Year$1,40439th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$7,2792024 ACS 5-Year$56,190Bottom 18%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.16%2024 ACS 5-Year1.24%65th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year31.5%Bottom 34%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1052024 ACS 5-Year15492nd percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year3.0%74th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year9.5%61st percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±1902024 ACS 5-Year64392nd percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

28/ 100
Ranks 3,701 of 4,224 published city profiles

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 15,526 in 2024.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 15,526 residents in 2024, up 0.5% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

Federal tax returns show Starr County, which contains Rio Grande City, lost about 0.5% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $36,746, below the $39,747 of households that moved out.

At 0.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities. The permit rate is published for Starr County, TX, which contains Rio Grande City, rather than for Rio Grande City alone.

Units permitted
0
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
0.0
Bottom 1% nationally
Year over year
—
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
—
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202416k15k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 2 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.5%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
19%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$36,746
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$39,747
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Hidalgo County, TX 527 people · 41% of arrivals
  2. Harris County, TX 108 people · 8.5% of arrivals
  3. Bexar County, TX 44 people · 3.4% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Hidalgo County, TX 735 people · 47% of departures
  2. Harris County, TX 82 people · 5.3% of departures
  3. Bexar County, TX 65 people · 4.2% of departures
  4. Travis County, TX 21 people · 1.3% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Starr County, TX. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey lists only jurisdictions that issue their own permits, and Rio Grande City, TX is not one. This is the figure for Starr County, TX, which contains this city.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 99°F and January a low of 45°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 22.5 inches.

30°50°70°90°110°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station RIO GRANDE CITY, 0.7 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND5.1"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals22.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals0.1"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals45°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals99°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals29°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

58 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, inland flooding and heat wave, with cold wave alone responsible for 63% of it. Cold wave and heat wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

WildfireModerate
HurricaneModerate
Inland floodingModerate
LandslideModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, heat wave, drought, hail, ice storm, winter weather, tornado, earthquake, strong wind, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
167
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
1,682
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Rio Grande City's police department reported 167 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,682.

Starr County has a modeled homicide rate of about 5.9 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at about 8.6 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at about 4.5 per 100,000 residents in Starr County.

Homicide
5.9
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
8.6
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Drug overdose
4.5
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Suicide
8.4
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Rio Grande City’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Rio Grande City (Starr County) rather than Rio Grande City itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Valley Intl at 73 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year85.3%Bottom 32%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle73 miBottom 5%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle2Bottom 8%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year13.4%Bottom 26%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Valley IntlHRL73 mi9,400 ft
Laredo IntlLRD90 mi8,743 ft
Victoria RgnlVCT207 mi9,111 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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49
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Other cities in Rio Grande City-Roma, TX

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
RomaStarr County11,54550Roma vs Rio Grande City

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Rio Grande City side by side with a similar place.

Rio Grande City vs Phenix CityRio Grande City vs El Dorado

Moving to Rio Grande City from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Rio Grande City

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Rio Grande City with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Rio Grande City closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
7858244,741$42,626$102,800—