Housing data for Harlingen, TX

Harlingen, TX has an estimated 72,087 residents and 29,595 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).

It is a city in Cameron County.

43.9% of households rent.

The median gross rent is $928 a month.

Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+10.7%).

Figures last updated on .

Residents
72,087 (±50)
Housing units
29,595 (±812)
Households that rent
43.9%
Median gross rent
$928
Residents since 2015–2019
+10.7%

What stands out in Harlingen

Households that rent: 43.9% (±2.5 points) in Harlingen, higher than in Cameron County (34.8%).

Homes built before 1980: 36.2% (±2.8 points) in Harlingen, higher than in Cameron County (29.7%).

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 16.7% (±2.2 points) in Harlingen, higher than in Cameron County (13.8%).

Households that moved in since 2020: 27.6% (±2.6 points) in Harlingen, higher than in Cameron County (23.2%).

Housing in Harlingen at a glance

Harlingen against Cameron County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
HarlingenCameron CountyTexasUnited States
Residents72,087 (±50)426,120 (exact)30,188,424 (exact)334,922,499
Housing units29,595 (±812)159,679 (±95)12,128,515 (±1,574)143,775,355
Households that rent43.9% (±2.5 points)34.8% (±1.0 points)37.4% (±0.2 points)34.8%
Median gross rent$928 (±$40)$912 (±$25)$1,403 (±$4)$1,413
Median household income$53,645 (±$5,116)$52,601 (±$1,632)$78,476 (±$263)$80,734
Median home value$140,600 (±$10,004)$136,500 (±$3,909)$283,800 (±$738)$332,700
Median real estate taxes (a year)$2,059 (±$208)$2,042 (±$72)$4,232 (±$19)$3,119
Built before 198036.2% (±2.8 points)29.7% (±1.1 points)33.2% (±0.2 points)49.7%
Average commute17.9 minutes (±0.8)21.3 minutes (±0.4)26.7 minutes (±0.1)26.4 minutes
Households with broadband84.8% (±2.1 points)84.4% (±0.7 points)91.4% (±0.1 points)91.0%
Median age of residents33.4 years (±0.9)32.7 years (±0.2)35.6 years (±0.1)38.9 years

Harlingen covers 40.3 square miles of land, about 1,790 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).

How Harlingen has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
2015–20192020–2024Amount of changeVerdict
Residents65,129 (±55)72,087 (±50)+10.7%Measurable increase
Housing units25,231 (±727)29,595 (±812)+17.3%Measurable increase
Median gross rent$737 (±$21)$928 (±$40)+25.9%No measurable change after inflation
Median home value$87,500 (±$4,084)$140,600 (±$10,004)+60.7%Up after inflation
Median household income$39,752 (±$2,330)$53,645 (±$5,116)+34.9%No measurable change after inflation
Median owner cost with a mortgage$1,134 (±$41)$1,378 (±$52)+21.5%No measurable change after inflation
Median real estate taxes$1,471 (±$108)$2,059 (±$208)+40.0%Up after inflation
Households that rent44.5% (±2.2 points)43.9% (±2.5 points)−0.6 percentage pointsNot a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate7.4% (±2.1 points)4.4% (±1.7 points)−3.0 percentage pointsMeasurable decrease

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Crime reported to police in Harlingen

In 2025, the Harlingen Police Department reported 231 violent and 2,299 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.

Across Cameron County, the departments that report recorded 331 violent and 1,577 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.

ZIP codes in Harlingen

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas that cover this place (2020–2024 estimates)
ZIP codeShare of the ZIP’s land in this placeResidentsMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household income
7855229%42,332$1,113$169,300$69,811
7855026%53,335$900$131,100$49,007

A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.

Places near Harlingen

Nearest places with Census figures, by straight-line distance
PlaceDistanceMedian gross rentMedian home valueHouseholds that rent
Palm Valley3.6 mi$1,340$275,00019.5%
Primera4.0 mi$1,293$160,90024.5%
Combes4.2 mi$782$143,90011.3%
San Benito5.4 mi$839$85,30034.0%
Rio Hondo7.8 mi$691$104,00041.8%
La Feria8.3 mi$1,037$106,90029.2%
Santa Rosa9.1 mi$919$67,40049.2%
Palmer (community)9.4 mi——27.5%

Places in Texas most like Harlingen

PlaceMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household incomeHouseholds that rent
Brownsville$923$139,900$52,13038.3%
Eagle Pass$880$188,000$57,20739.7%
La Joya$884$108,000$53,52646.6%
Mount Pleasant$910$170,700$50,51542.0%
Nash$919$156,200$50,59233.2%
Lufkin$1,079$179,600$57,04848.4%

Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Texas.

HUD Fair Market Rent for Harlingen, fiscal year 2027

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA, dollars a month
Studio1 bedroom2 bedrooms3 bedrooms4 bedrooms
$827$884$1,042$1,393$1,496

HUD income limits for Harlingen, fiscal year 2026

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA, annual household income
Household sizeExtremely low (30%)Very low (50%)Low (80%)
1 person$17,600$29,300$46,900
2 people$21,640$33,500$53,600
3 people$27,320$37,700$60,300
4 people$33,000$41,850$66,950
5 people$38,680$45,200$72,350
6 people$44,360$48,550$77,700
7 people$50,040$51,900$83,050
8 people$55,250$55,250$88,400

These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $64,600.

A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Harlingen

What is the average rent in Harlingen, TX?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Harlingen is $928 (±$40) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Harlingen?

The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Harlingen, TX is $782 (±$55) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are renters in Harlingen rent-burdened?

47.2% of renting households in Harlingen pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many renters are there in Harlingen?

Harlingen has an estimated 11,421 (±651) renting households, 43.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the median household income in Harlingen?

The median household income in Harlingen is $53,645 (±$5,116) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average home value in Harlingen, TX?

The Census Bureau publishes the median: $140,600 (±$10,004) for owner-occupied homes in Harlingen (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is Harlingen growing?

In Harlingen, the number of residents went from 65,129 in 2015–2019 to 72,087 in 2020–2024 (+10.7%), a measurable increase.

What ZIP codes are in Harlingen?

The ZIP codes that cover Harlingen are 78552, 78550.

What is the median rent in ZIP code 78552?

The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 78552 is $1,113 (±$112) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Harlingen city, Texas (place:32372, in state:48).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.

Figures last updated on .

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