78520 ZIP Code, Brownsville, TX

78520 is a ZIP code in Brownsville, Texas in Cameron County. It covers 40 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 78575, 78526 and 78586. 64,740 people live here in 20,847 households, more than in 9 of every 10 Texas ZIP codes. At about 1,628 people per square mile it has suburban density, and owners and renters are mixed (60% own). Median household income is $50,116, well below the Texas median of $78,476.

Quick facts

Key figures

MeasureValue
Residents64,740
Households20,847
Median household income$50,116
Income per person$21,364
Median age31.9
Homeowners60.2%
Median home value$146,000
Median rent$865
Bachelor's degree or higher23.9%
Average commute (minutes)22.5
Households with kids under 1839.9%
Moved in the past year9.6%
Below the poverty line23.2%
Broadband internet83.6%
Speak a non-English language at home82.5%

Household income

% of householdsValue
<$10K9.1%
$10–15K9.2%
$15–25K9.8%
$25–35K9.8%
$35–50K12.1%
$50–75K18.6%
$75–100K12.7%
$100–150K11.7%
$150–200K4.2%
$200K+2.8%

Age

% of all residentsValue
<1015.8%
10–1915.6%
20–248.5%
25–3413.6%
35–4412.5%
45–5411.5%
55–648.6%
65–748.0%
75+5.8%

Tenure

% of housing unitsValue
Owned, with mortgage23.1%
Owned outright31.4%
Rented35.7%
Vacant9.9%

Type of building

% of housing unitsValue
Detached house68.1%
Townhome3.0%
2–4 units10.3%
5–19 units5.2%
20+ units8.4%
Mobile / other5.0%

Businesses in 78520

1,169 business establishments with 20,609 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

EDDM carrier routes

78520 has 32 USPS carrier routes with 22,917 residential and 2,164 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 78520

78520 has 32 USPS carrier routes (21 city (C), 11 rural (R)) with 22,917 residential and 2,164 business mailboxes. Routes range from 321 homes (C018) to 1,314 homes (C015); the median route has 730 homes. The Census counted 20,847 households in 78520 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per routeRoutes
1–2490
250–4998
500–7499
750–99911
1,000–1,4994
1,500+0

Best routes in 78520 for…

Highest income

For bigger-ticket offers: remodeling, pools, financial planning, private schools.

  1. Route R010 — Est. median household income $102,445, 935 homes
  2. Route R028 — Est. median household income $88,526, 819 homes
  3. Route R043 — Est. median household income $77,410, 766 homes
  4. Route C009 — Est. median household income $76,694, 481 homes
  5. Route R041 — Est. median household income $71,453, 765 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Often mailed by: Home services EDDM, Real estate EDDM postcards, Landscaping and lawn care mailers

Most families with kids

For tutoring, youth sports, pediatric dental, child care and family dining.

  1. Route R028 — Est. families with children under 18 61.4%, 819 homes
  2. Route R002 — Est. families with children under 18 53.8%, 1,098 homes
  3. Route R010 — Est. families with children under 18 53.2%, 935 homes
  4. Route R041 — Est. families with children under 18 52.4%, 765 homes
  5. Route C021 — Est. families with children under 18 51.5%, 1,165 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Often mailed by: Dental practice EDDM, Healthcare and clinic mailers

Most homeowners

Owners decide on roofs, HVAC, lawns, solar and insurance; renters usually can't.

  1. Route R010 — Est. owner-occupied homes 97.0%, 935 homes
  2. Route R028 — Est. owner-occupied homes 90.9%, 819 homes
  3. Route R008 — Est. owner-occupied homes 83.8%, 920 homes
  4. Route R043 — Est. owner-occupied homes 82.9%, 766 homes
  5. Route C017 — Est. owner-occupied homes 82.0%, 420 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Often mailed by: Roofing direct mail, HVAC postcards

Most new movers

New residents are still choosing a dentist, a gym and a lawn service.

  1. Route R027 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 35.2%, 882 homes
  2. Route C015 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 23.0%, 1,314 homes
  3. Route C004 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 15.8%, 345 homes
  4. Route C018 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 15.2%, 321 homes
  5. Route R048 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 14.8%, 908 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Often mailed by: Restaurant EDDM menus and offers, Gym and fitness mailers

Newest homes

Newer subdivisions: landscaping, window treatments, fencing, security, home warranties.

  1. Route R028 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 53.4%, 819 homes
  2. Route R010 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 49.7%, 935 homes
  3. Route R015 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 31.5%, 759 homes
  4. Route R037 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 30.0%, 940 homes
  5. Route R048 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 25.7%, 908 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Most businesses

For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.

  1. Route C018 — USPS business mailboxes 253, 321 homes
  2. Route C023 — USPS business mailboxes 217, 509 homes
  3. Route C004 — USPS business mailboxes 190, 345 homes
  4. Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 148, 832 homes
  5. Route C022 — USPS business mailboxes 145, 602 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 78520

RouteTypeHomesBusinessesEst. median incomeEst. ownersEst. families with kidsEst. moved in past year
C001City832148$23,18033.0%28.3%10.7%
C002City62610$44,37246.2%18.6%6.5%
C003City44783$44,27159.3%32.0%11.3%
C004City345190$37,68434.9%34.6%15.8%
C005City57547$29,05252.9%33.5%8.9%
C006City7229$39,63344.6%28.1%8.4%
C007City53099$23,54529.3%34.4%12.6%
C009City4819$76,69476.9%24.5%7.5%
C010City1,20649$42,40967.0%42.9%4.6%
C011City73795$35,01230.6%31.5%11.5%
C015City1,31487$39,35229.2%31.8%23.0%
C016City53060$29,71031.2%27.8%9.7%
C017City42037$56,64982.0%24.8%7.3%
C018City321253$17,90226.1%20.0%15.2%
C019City499106$23,40728.8%31.3%10.2%
C021City1,16538$34,18258.7%51.5%9.2%
C022City602145$33,21844.4%41.7%8.3%
C023City509217$33,90843.9%27.0%10.5%
C027City69636$52,98161.4%24.6%6.4%
C028City36370$39,11661.3%27.4%10.0%
C032City3694$63,76969.3%29.6%7.6%
R002Rural1,0986$53,87363.4%53.8%1.0%
R008Rural92036$47,85983.8%32.9%6.2%
R010Rural9350$102,44597.0%53.2%1.5%
R015Rural75985$63,40579.1%51.1%1.6%
R027Rural8820$68,39455.0%44.2%35.2%
R028Rural8194$88,52690.9%61.4%6.6%
R031Rural83690$55,12578.9%37.1%5.9%
R037Rural94021$64,00974.5%38.0%10.2%
R041Rural76530$71,45368.4%52.4%7.8%
R043Rural76676$77,41082.9%47.7%2.0%
R048Rural90824$46,50777.1%43.8%14.8%

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 78520 on the EDDM route map.

How route demographics are estimated

Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates

The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).

How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method

We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.

Margins of error

Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.

Different years

USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.

Why some routes show identical figures

Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.

Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Nearby ZIP codes

Areas that include 78520

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 78520

Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.

EDDM guides

ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 78520, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 78520 in?
78520 is a Brownsville, TX mailing address. By land area, 65% lies inside Brownsville and 3% lies inside San Pedro; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 78520 in?
78520 is in Cameron County.
What is the population of 78520?
About 64,740 people (±2,291), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 64,949.
What is the median household income in 78520?
$50,116 (±$4,105), compared with $78,476 for Texas as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 78520?
32 USPS carrier routes with 22,917 residential and 2,164 business mailboxes (25,081 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 78520?
The closest, measured center to center: 78575 (5 mi, Brownsville), 78526 (6.5 mi, Brownsville), 78586 (11.9 mi, San Benito), 78567 (13.1 mi, Los Indios), 78521 (14.4 mi, Brownsville) and 78566 (15.7 mi, Brownsville).

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