78550 ZIP Code, Harlingen, TX
78550 is a ZIP code in Harlingen, Texas in Cameron County. It covers 94 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 78535, 78552 and 78569. 53,335 people live here in 19,733 households, more than in 9 of every 10 Texas ZIP codes. With about 566 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and owners and renters are mixed (51% own). Median household income is $49,007, well below the Texas median of $78,476.
Quick facts
- Mailing city: Harlingen, TX
- County: Cameron County
- Land area: 94 sq mi
- Population: 53,335
- Median household income: $49,007
- Carrier routes: 28 (21,652 homes)
Key figures
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Residents | 53,335 |
| Households | 19,733 |
| Median household income | $49,007 |
| Income per person | $25,915 |
| Median age | 33.6 |
| Homeowners | 50.5% |
| Median home value | $131,100 |
| Median rent | $900 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.0% |
| Average commute (minutes) | 18 |
| Households with kids under 18 | 33.3% |
| Moved in the past year | 10.1% |
| Below the poverty line | 24.4% |
| Broadband internet | 81.7% |
| Speak a non-English language at home | 53.7% |
Household income
| % of households | Value |
|---|---|
| <$10K | 5.2% |
| $10–15K | 7.6% |
| $15–25K | 12.2% |
| $25–35K | 11.0% |
| $35–50K | 15.2% |
| $50–75K | 15.7% |
| $75–100K | 12.4% |
| $100–150K | 13.4% |
| $150–200K | 4.2% |
| $200K+ | 3.2% |
Age
| % of all residents | Value |
|---|---|
| <10 | 13.9% |
| 10–19 | 16.0% |
| 20–24 | 5.8% |
| 25–34 | 16.0% |
| 35–44 | 10.7% |
| 45–54 | 11.4% |
| 55–64 | 10.2% |
| 65–74 | 9.2% |
| 75+ | 6.8% |
Tenure
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Owned, with mortgage | 16.9% |
| Owned outright | 27.5% |
| Rented | 43.4% |
| Vacant | 12.2% |
Type of building
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Detached house | 57.2% |
| Townhome | 2.4% |
| 2–4 units | 14.9% |
| 5–19 units | 13.2% |
| 20+ units | 6.7% |
| Mobile / other | 5.6% |
Businesses in 78550
1,406 business establishments with 31,846 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).
- Health Care and Social Assistance: 337
- Retail Trade: 183
- Accommodation and Food Services: 144
- Finance and Insurance: 124
- Other Services (except Public Administration): 119
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 108
- Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 83
- Construction: 69
EDDM carrier routes
78550 has 28 USPS carrier routes with 21,652 residential and 2,465 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.
Carrier routes in 78550
78550 has 28 USPS carrier routes (25 city (C), 3 rural (R)) with 21,652 residential and 2,465 business mailboxes. Routes range from 255 homes (C090) to 1,276 homes (C088); the median route has 784 homes. The Census counted 19,733 households in 78550 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.
| Homes per route | Routes |
|---|---|
| 1–249 | 0 |
| 250–499 | 6 |
| 500–749 | 7 |
| 750–999 | 8 |
| 1,000–1,499 | 7 |
| 1,500+ | 0 |
Best routes in 78550 for…
Highest income
For bigger-ticket offers: remodeling, pools, financial planning, private schools.
- Route C051 — Est. median household income $94,907, 749 homes
- Route C065 — Est. median household income $90,663, 1,003 homes
- Route C086 — Est. median household income $72,377, 440 homes
- Route C088 — Est. median household income $69,878, 1,276 homes
- Route C057 — Est. median household income $57,973, 641 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 R013 — Est. families with children under 18 50.2%, 653 homes
- Route C079 — Est. families with children under 18 47.1%, 403 homes
- Route C050 — Est. families with children under 18 44.4%, 777 homes
- Route C077 — Est. families with children under 18 43.3%, 1,107 homes
- Route C060 — Est. families with children under 18 42.1%, 1,003 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 C065 — Est. owner-occupied homes 82.8%, 1,003 homes
- Route R002 — Est. owner-occupied homes 81.4%, 916 homes
- Route C062 — Est. owner-occupied homes 71.1%, 808 homes
- Route R013 — Est. owner-occupied homes 68.7%, 653 homes
- Route C088 — Est. owner-occupied homes 65.1%, 1,276 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 R015 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 22.3%, 491 homes
- Route C052 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 20.0%, 516 homes
- Route C073 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 19.4%, 866 homes
- Route C070 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 15.7%, 1,214 homes
- Route C066 — Est. residents who moved in the past year 15.2%, 872 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 R002 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 19.2%, 916 homes
- Route R013 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 13.6%, 653 homes
- Route C077 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 12.3%, 1,107 homes
- Route C088 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 12.1%, 1,276 homes
- Route C059 — Est. homes built 2010 or later 8.8%, 741 homes
Select these 5 routes on the route map
Most businesses
For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.
- Route C054 — USPS business mailboxes 277, 420 homes
- Route C079 — USPS business mailboxes 211, 403 homes
- Route C090 — USPS business mailboxes 204, 255 homes
- Route C055 — USPS business mailboxes 191, 473 homes
- Route C060 — USPS business mailboxes 185, 1,003 homes
Select these 5 routes on the route map
Every carrier route in 78550
| Route | Type | Homes | Businesses | Est. median income | Est. owners | Est. families with kids | Est. moved in past year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C050 | City | 777 | 19 | $39,997 | 46.9% | 44.4% | 4.2% |
| C051 | City | 749 | 3 | $94,907 | 60.3% | 34.4% | 9.8% |
| C052 | City | 516 | 127 | $35,487 | 17.7% | 21.8% | 20.0% |
| C053 | City | 1,082 | 51 | $56,502 | 32.1% | 30.5% | 10.7% |
| C054 | City | 420 | 277 | $32,617 | 39.1% | 33.1% | 7.4% |
| C055 | City | 473 | 191 | $40,923 | 46.0% | 42.0% | 5.3% |
| C057 | City | 641 | 40 | $57,973 | 63.1% | 35.1% | 5.3% |
| C059 | City | 741 | 154 | $45,556 | 41.8% | 21.5% | 8.4% |
| C060 | City | 1,003 | 185 | $34,101 | 34.3% | 42.1% | 15.1% |
| C061 | City | 791 | 67 | $42,200 | 50.7% | 30.3% | 8.1% |
| C062 | City | 808 | 6 | $45,410 | 71.1% | 32.4% | 4.4% |
| C064 | City | 701 | 70 | $35,529 | 49.6% | 30.2% | 8.9% |
| C065 | City | 1,003 | 5 | $90,663 | 82.8% | 27.2% | 7.7% |
| C066 | City | 872 | 5 | $47,524 | 57.0% | 30.1% | 15.2% |
| C067 | City | 807 | 125 | $48,786 | 58.5% | 29.5% | 7.7% |
| C068 | City | 1,154 | 138 | $49,119 | 60.9% | 36.0% | 8.1% |
| C069 | City | 848 | 92 | $51,786 | 54.2% | 30.6% | 2.8% |
| C070 | City | 1,214 | 20 | $46,481 | 36.8% | 33.7% | 15.7% |
| C073 | City | 866 | 141 | $37,049 | 16.9% | 26.9% | 19.4% |
| C075 | City | 645 | 98 | $37,256 | 51.9% | 27.1% | 4.9% |
| C077 | City | 1,107 | 22 | $56,174 | 55.5% | 43.3% | 8.4% |
| C079 | City | 403 | 211 | $47,852 | 57.2% | 47.1% | 6.9% |
| C086 | City | 440 | 37 | $72,377 | 52.3% | 39.6% | 7.7% |
| C088 | City | 1,276 | 46 | $69,878 | 65.1% | 36.5% | 11.9% |
| C090 | City | 255 | 204 | $28,755 | 27.4% | 25.6% | 13.5% |
| R002 | Rural | 916 | 11 | $57,759 | 81.4% | 27.3% | 8.3% |
| R013 | Rural | 653 | 19 | $51,528 | 68.7% | 50.2% | 5.9% |
| R015 | Rural | 491 | 101 | $41,727 | 61.2% | 39.9% | 22.3% |
Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 78550 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
- 78535 — Combes town, TX (4.2 mi)
- 78552 — Harlingen city, TX (6.9 mi)
- 78569 — Yznaga CDP, TX (9.9 mi)
- 78593 — Yznaga CDP, TX (10 mi)
- 78586 — San Benito city, TX (10.1 mi)
- 78594 — Sebastian CDP, TX (10.8 mi)
- 78583 — La Tina Ranch CDP, TX (12.1 mi)
- 78559 — La Feria city, TX (12.6 mi)
Areas that include 78550
- Harlingen, TX ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
- Combes, TX ZIP codes — 3 ZIP codes
- Rio Hondo, TX ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
- Lasana, TX ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
- Cameron County ZIP codes — 16 ZIP codes
- Texas ZIP code data
Where it ranks
Mail every home in 78550
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) 78550, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
Frequently asked questions
- What city is 78550 in?
- 78550 is a Harlingen, TX mailing address. By land area, 26% lies inside Harlingen and 2% lies inside Combes; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
- What county is 78550 in?
- 78550 is in Cameron County.
- What is the population of 78550?
- About 53,335 people (±1,907), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 56,038.
- What is the median household income in 78550?
- $49,007 (±$2,670), 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 78550?
- 28 USPS carrier routes with 21,652 residential and 2,465 business mailboxes (24,118 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
- What ZIP codes are near 78550?
- The closest, measured center to center: 78535 (4.2 mi, Combes), 78552 (6.9 mi, Harlingen), 78569 (9.9 mi, Yznaga), 78593 (10 mi, Yznaga), 78586 (10.1 mi, San Benito) and 78594 (10.8 mi, Sebastian).
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.