What city is 78526 in?

78526 is a Brownsville, TX mailing address. By land area, 69% lies inside Brownsville and 1% lies inside Cameron Park; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.

What is the population of 78526?

About 60,012 people (±2,629), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 55,164.

What is the median household income in 78526?

$70,565 (±$5,855), 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 78526?

22 USPS carrier routes with 18,847 residential and 1,114 business mailboxes (19,919 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.

What ZIP codes are near 78526?

The closest, measured center to center: 78520 (6.5 mi, Brownsville), 78575 (6.7 mi, Brownsville), 78521 (9 mi, Brownsville), 78578 (9.6 mi, Brownsville), 78566 (10.5 mi, Brownsville) and 78586 (14.4 mi, San Benito).

78526 ZIP Code, Brownsville, TX

78526 is a ZIP code in Brownsville, Texas in Cameron County. It covers 47 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 78520, 78575 and 78521. 60,012 people live here in 17,516 households, more than in 9 of every 10 Texas ZIP codes. At about 1,266 people per square mile it has suburban density, and owners and renters are mixed (69% own). Median household income is $70,565, below the Texas median of $78,476; 48% of households have children under 18.

Quick facts

Mailing city: Brownsville, TX
County: Cameron County
Land area: 47 sq mi
Population: 60,012
Median household income: $70,565
Carrier routes: 22 (18,847 homes)

Key figures

Measure	Value
Residents	60,012
Households	17,516
Median household income	$70,565
Income per person	$26,600
Median age	29.7
Homeowners	69.2%
Median home value	$185,000
Median rent	$1,095
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.9%
Average commute (minutes)	21
Households with kids under 18	48.2%
Moved in the past year	10.6%
Below the poverty line	16.9%
Broadband internet	92.5%
Speak a non-English language at home	79.2%

Household income

% of households	Value
<$10K	4.6%
$10–15K	6.4%
$15–25K	7.4%
$25–35K	6.6%
$35–50K	11.3%
$50–75K	17.0%
$75–100K	12.5%
$100–150K	17.6%
$150–200K	11.4%
$200K+	5.1%

Age

% of all residents	Value
<10	17.7%
10–19	17.9%
20–24	7.3%
25–34	14.3%
35–44	13.8%
45–54	11.4%
55–64	8.0%
65–74	6.5%
75+	3.1%

Tenure

% of housing units	Value
Owned, with mortgage	34.7%
Owned outright	30.4%
Rented	28.9%
Vacant	6.0%

Type of building

% of housing units	Value
Detached house	74.7%
Townhome	2.6%
2–4 units	5.1%
5–19 units	3.9%
20+ units	9.4%
Mobile / other	4.2%

Businesses in 78526

769 business establishments with 12,611 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

Health Care and Social Assistance: 162
Retail Trade: 110
Accommodation and Food Services: 107
Other Services (except Public Administration): 53
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 51
Finance and Insurance: 48
Construction: 44
Wholesale Trade: 41

EDDM carrier routes

78526 has 22 USPS carrier routes with 18,847 residential and 1,114 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 78526

78526 has 22 USPS carrier routes (22 rural (R)) with 18,847 residential and 1,114 business mailboxes. Routes range from 400 homes (R025) to 1,260 homes (R018); the median route has 901 homes. The Census counted 17,516 households in 78526 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per route	Routes
1–249	0
250–499	1
500–749	5
750–999	13
1,000–1,499	3
1,500+	0

Best routes in 78526 for…

Highest income

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

Route R049 — Est. median household income $125,083, 728 homes
Route R029 — Est. median household income $121,429, 912 homes
Route R022 — Est. median household income $110,540, 733 homes
Route R033 — Est. median household income $98,259, 828 homes
Route R026 — Est. median household income $93,688, 786 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.

Route R033 — Est. families with children under 18 70.6%, 828 homes
Route R045 — Est. families with children under 18 68.6%, 964 homes
Route R029 — Est. families with children under 18 62.2%, 912 homes
Route R049 — Est. families with children under 18 60.0%, 728 homes
Route R032 — Est. families with children under 18 56.8%, 1,156 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.

Route R033 — Est. owner-occupied homes 96.3%, 828 homes
Route R013 — Est. owner-occupied homes 89.8%, 825 homes
Route R029 — Est. owner-occupied homes 85.4%, 912 homes
Route R007 — Est. owner-occupied homes 83.9%, 977 homes
Route R026 — Est. owner-occupied homes 83.9%, 786 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.

Route R003 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 32.0%, 992 homes
Route R026 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 17.8%, 786 homes
Route R034 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 15.9%, 890 homes
Route R044 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 14.1%, 917 homes
Route R013 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 12.8%, 825 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.

Route R026 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 83.3%, 786 homes
Route R039 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 58.9%, 949 homes
Route R018 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 49.7%, 1,260 homes
Route R045 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 47.7%, 964 homes
Route R047 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 40.6%, 572 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Most businesses

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

Route R025 — USPS business mailboxes 203, 400 homes
Route R038 — USPS business mailboxes 140, 602 homes
Route R044 — USPS business mailboxes 127, 917 homes
Route R034 — USPS business mailboxes 122, 890 homes
Route R020 — USPS business mailboxes 103, 1,046 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 78526

Route	Type	Homes	Businesses	Est. median income	Est. owners	Est. families with kids	Est. moved in past year
R003	Rural	992	1	$53,603	69.9%	50.7%	32.0%
R004	Rural	982	16	$38,806	56.6%	47.7%	6.3%
R005	Rural	952	2	$86,145	74.3%	35.7%	5.9%
R007	Rural	977	1	$65,737	83.9%	40.5%	0.8%
R013	Rural	825	5	$77,781	89.8%	51.3%	12.8%
R016	Rural	575	99	$76,643	65.9%	44.4%	11.5%
R017	Rural	801	0	$89,297	74.0%	40.5%	11.3%
R018	Rural	1,260	37	$71,979	48.6%	29.8%	11.3%
R020	Rural	1,046	103	$36,406	53.8%	47.2%	7.6%
R022	Rural	733	20	$110,540	66.8%	51.9%	7.4%
R025	Rural	400	203	$49,022	68.2%	47.1%	3.4%
R026	Rural	786	0	$93,688	83.9%	53.0%	17.8%
R029	Rural	912	1	$121,429	85.4%	62.2%	11.7%
R032	Rural	1,156	75	$77,167	75.5%	56.8%	6.6%
R033	Rural	828	10	$98,259	96.3%	70.6%	7.6%
R034	Rural	890	122	$55,437	45.8%	45.5%	15.9%
R038	Rural	602	140	$51,237	77.1%	43.7%	2.6%
R039	Rural	949	17	$48,823	58.6%	50.6%	9.3%
R044	Rural	917	127	$56,663	45.6%	32.0%	14.1%
R045	Rural	964	43	$88,229	79.0%	68.6%	6.6%
R047	Rural	572	43	$55,434	72.6%	42.9%	8.7%
R049	Rural	728	49	$125,083	80.3%	60.0%	8.6%

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 78526 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

78520 — Brownsville city, TX (6.5 mi)
78575 — Brownsville city, TX (6.7 mi)
78521 — Brownsville city, TX (9 mi)
78578 — Brownsville city, TX (9.6 mi)
78566 — Brownsville city, TX (10.5 mi)
78586 — San Benito city, TX (14.4 mi)
78567 — Los Indios town, TX (18.2 mi)
78583 — La Tina Ranch CDP, TX (20.1 mi)

Areas that include 78526

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 78526

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) 78526, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 78526 in?: 78526 is a Brownsville, TX mailing address. By land area, 69% lies inside Brownsville and 1% lies inside Cameron Park; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 78526 in?: 78526 is in Cameron County.
What is the population of 78526?: About 60,012 people (±2,629), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 55,164.
What is the median household income in 78526?: $70,565 (±$5,855), 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 78526?: 22 USPS carrier routes with 18,847 residential and 1,114 business mailboxes (19,919 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 78526?: The closest, measured center to center: 78520 (6.5 mi, Brownsville), 78575 (6.7 mi, Brownsville), 78521 (9 mi, Brownsville), 78578 (9.6 mi, Brownsville), 78566 (10.5 mi, Brownsville) and 78586 (14.4 mi, San Benito).

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