ZIP Code 78501 — McAllen city, TX Demographics & Data

ZIP code 78501 covers McAllen, TX in Hidalgo County with a population of about 59,095.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 36.8 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 956; U.S. House district TX-15; the HARLINGEN - WSLCO - BRNSVL - MCA media market.

McAllen, TX sits in a university / college context (near south texas college (0.9 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 78501 is about $49,451 — about 34% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 25.3%; unemployment rate near 5.2%; 26.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 7.1 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Healthcare, and Education; about 12.1% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 3.1 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 $149,000 — about 57% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $768 (about 34% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 50.1% (about 15.3 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 78501 in McAllen, TX, a household would need roughly $41,000 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 $957. That sits below the local median household income ($49,451), 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 McAllen city, TX as Relatively High (composite score 99.0), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (99.5) and flood (96.4). 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 McAllen city, TX show little to no average snow and around 18.7 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 2,788 for ZIP 78501 (McAllen 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.