What city is 78597 in?

78597 is a South Padre Island, TX mailing address. By land area, 30% lies inside South Padre Island; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.

What is the population of 78597?

About 2,935 people (±548), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 2,479.

What is the median household income in 78597?

$68,421 (±$18,605), 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 78597?

2 USPS carrier routes with 613 residential and 277 business mailboxes (891 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.

What ZIP codes are near 78597?

The closest, measured center to center: 78566 (11.7 mi, Brownsville), 78583 (12.1 mi, La Tina Ranch), 78578 (16 mi, Brownsville), 78598 (20.6 mi, Port Mansfield), 78526 (22 mi, Brownsville) and 78521 (22.9 mi, Brownsville).

78597 ZIP Code, South Padre Island, TX

78597 is a ZIP code in South Padre Island, Texas in Cameron County. It covers 8.8 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 78566, 78583 and 78578. 2,935 people live here in 1,642 households. With about 332 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and most homes are owner-occupied (71%). Median household income is $68,421, below the Texas median of $78,476; the median age is 61.0, older than most ZIP codes.

Quick facts

Mailing city: South Padre Island, TX
County: Cameron County
Land area: 8.8 sq mi
Population: 2,935
Median household income: $68,421
Carrier routes: 2 (613 homes)

Key figures

Measure	Value
Residents	2,935
Households	1,642
Median household income	$68,421
Income per person	$76,832
Median age	61
Homeowners	70.6%
Median home value	$527,200
Median rent	$1,521
Bachelor's degree or higher	53.6%
Average commute (minutes)	12.7
Households with kids under 18	3.1%
Moved in the past year	12.2%
Below the poverty line	15.8%
Broadband internet	84.5%
Speak a non-English language at home	16.3%

Household income

% of households	Value
<$10K	6.5%
$10–15K	0.0%
$15–25K	3.9%
$25–35K	0.6%
$35–50K	12.1%
$50–75K	30.9%
$75–100K	20.9%
$100–150K	4.8%
$150–200K	1.2%
$200K+	19.1%

Age

% of all residents	Value
<10	7.3%
10–19	3.5%
20–24	8.8%
25–34	4.8%
35–44	2.5%
45–54	3.0%
55–64	29.3%
65–74	29.3%
75+	11.7%

Tenure

% of housing units	Value
Owned, with mortgage	6.2%
Owned outright	14.5%
Rented	8.6%
Vacant	70.7%

Type of building

% of housing units	Value
Detached house	12.4%
Townhome	2.6%
2–4 units	11.2%
5–19 units	8.0%
20+ units	65.4%
Mobile / other	0.4%

Businesses in 78597

334 business establishments with 4,045 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

Accommodation and Food Services: 108
Other Services (except Public Administration): 68
Retail Trade: 57
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 40
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 14
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation: 9
Finance and Insurance: 8
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services: 7

EDDM carrier routes

78597 has 2 USPS carrier routes with 613 residential and 277 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 78597

78597 has 2 USPS carrier routes (2 city (C)) with 613 residential and 277 business mailboxes. Routes range from 209 homes (C003) to 404 homes (C001); the median route has 307 homes. The Census counted 1,642 households in 78597 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

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

Best routes in 78597 for…

Most businesses

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

Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 201, 404 homes
Route C003 — USPS business mailboxes 76, 209 homes

Select these 2 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 78597

Route	Type	Homes	Businesses	Est. median income	Est. owners	Est. families with kids	Est. moved in past year
C001	City	404	201	$74,136	77.6%	2.4%	11.6%
C003	City	209	76	$74,136	77.6%	2.4%	11.6%

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 78597 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

78566 — Brownsville city, TX (11.7 mi)
78583 — La Tina Ranch CDP, TX (12.1 mi)
78578 — Brownsville city, TX (16 mi)
78598 — Port Mansfield CDP, TX (20.6 mi)
78526 — Brownsville city, TX (22 mi)
78521 — Brownsville city, TX (22.9 mi)
78575 — Brownsville city, TX (23.7 mi)
78550 — Harlingen city, TX (24 mi)

Areas that include 78597

South Padre Island, TX ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Cameron County ZIP codes — 16 ZIP codes
Texas ZIP code data

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 78597

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) 78597, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 78597 in?: 78597 is a South Padre Island, TX mailing address. By land area, 30% lies inside South Padre Island; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 78597 in?: 78597 is in Cameron County.
What is the population of 78597?: About 2,935 people (±548), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 2,479.
What is the median household income in 78597?: $68,421 (±$18,605), 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 78597?: 2 USPS carrier routes with 613 residential and 277 business mailboxes (891 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 78597?: The closest, measured center to center: 78566 (11.7 mi, Brownsville), 78583 (12.1 mi, La Tina Ranch), 78578 (16 mi, Brownsville), 78598 (20.6 mi, Port Mansfield), 78526 (22 mi, Brownsville) and 78521 (22.9 mi, Brownsville).

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