Willacy County, Texas Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Willacy County, Texas, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Willacy County, Texas. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Willacy County, Texas. The estimated population of Willacy County, Texas is 20,423 people, with a median age of 33.4.

We can look at the total population in Willacy County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
20,423
 -4.65% -6.48%
2020
21,419
 -0.78% -
2019
21,588
 -0.76% -
2018
21,754
 -0.39% -
2017
21,839
 - -

Population of Willacy County, Texas by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
10.3%
11.1%
 -7.21%
Black/African American
0.6%
0.7%
 -14.29%
Native
0%
0%
 0.00%
Hispanic
88.2%
88%
 +0.23%
Asian
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
0.8%
0.2%
 +300.00%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Willacy County, Texas by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 33.4 0% 32 +2.24% 35.2 -1.12%
2020 33.4 +1.21% 31.3 -0.95% 35.6 +4.09%
2019 33 -1.79% 31.6 +2.27% 34.2 -6.04%
2018 33.6 +0.6% 30.9 -0.32% 36.4 +1.96%
2017 33.4 - 31 - 35.7 -

The median age of Willacy County, Texas gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 1,403 -14.25% 1,354 +6.02% 1,202 1,434
10 to 19 1,887 -7.95% 1,537 -19.02% 1,731 1,255
20 to 29 2,374 -5.81% 1,355 -6.39% 2,232 1,251
30 to 39 2,051 -3.54% 1,296 -8.51% 1,974 1,179
40 to 49 1,254 +18.95% 1,212 -24.01% 1,495 938
50 to 59 1,072 -18.74% 1,087 -19.71% 879 886
60 to 69 858 +8.88% 917 +6.63% 935 973
70+ 922 -3.1% 1,260 -6.88% 891 1,168

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Willacy County, Texas is $39,401.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Willacy County.

  • Under 25
    $14,958.00
  • 25 to 44
    $48,077.00
  • 45 to 64
    $45,592.00
  • 65 and over
    $34,375.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Willacy County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Willacy County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Willacy County, Texas is currently $54,886.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

1.62% of households in Willacy County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Willacy County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    33.45%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.53%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    15.17%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    15.30%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    8.86%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    2.07%
  • $200,000 or more
    1.62%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Willacy County is $19,122.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Willacy County by the total population of Willacy County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Willacy County, Texas, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Willacy County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    5.21%
  • Bachelor's degree
    13.14%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    12.64%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    63.29%
  • Less than high school diploma
    5.72%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Willacy County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Willacy County over the age of 16 is 16,031.

Of those people, a total of 54.80% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Willacy County is 50.40%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 1,230 37.70% 15.30%
20 to 24 years 1,817 65.00% 13.00%
25 to 29 years 1,666 76.10% 6.70%
30 to 34 years 1,544 66.90% 7.30%
35 to 44 years 2,665 69.30% 5.10%
45 to 54 years 2,365 65.00% 8.50%
55 to 59 years 777 62.50% 2.50%
60 to 64 years 1,145 49.20% 13.50%
65 to 74 years 1,593 19.60% 0.00%
75 years and over 1,229 7.40% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Willacy County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 12,506 54.00% 7.90%
Black or African American 129 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 118 78.00% 20.70%
Asian 0 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 463 52.30% 10.70%
Two or more races 2,815 60.20% 6.80%
Hispanic or Latino 13,995 56.70% 8.20%
Not Hispanic or Latino 1,734 44.10% 6.00%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Willacy County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Willacy County is 8,086, with median earnings of $27,789.00.

Women in Willacy County, Texas earning approximately 63.90% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 8,086 $27,789.00
Male 5,094 $32,366.00
Female 2,992 $20,697.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 351 $58,523.00
Business and Financial 171 $53,341.00
Computer and Mathematical 14 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 35 $0.00
Community and Social Service 110 $40,662.00
Legal 13 $0.00
Educational and Library 409 $43,281.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 19 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 492 $50,217.00
Healthcare Support 634 $14,735.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 41 $51,118.00
Law Enforcement 205 $36,185.00
Food Preparation and Serving 587 $14,234.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 379 $16,361.00
Personal Care and Service 79 $22,721.00
Sales 792 $13,879.00
Office and Administrative Support 811 $20,781.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 751 $44,712.00
Construction and Extraction 500 $30,630.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 509 $20,625.00
Production 525 $63,378.00
Transportation and Material Moving 401 $27,269.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 191 $135,724.00 160 $31,563.00
Business and Financial 62 $51,591.00 109 $53,906.00
Computer and Mathematical 14 $0.00 0 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 35 $0.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 41 $40,250.00 69 $40,987.00
Legal 11 $0.00 2 $0.00
Educational and Library 112 $54,706.00 297 $22,266.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 2 $0.00 17 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 220 $53,451.00 272 $29,704.00
Healthcare Support 38 $12,059.00 596 $14,848.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 36 $51,447.00 5 $0.00
Law Enforcement 161 $37,134.00 44 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 305 $13,375.00 282 $14,495.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 249 $28,210.00 130 $9,598.00
Personal Care and Service 35 $7,303.00 44 $22,941.00
Sales 411 $14,007.00 381 $13,818.00
Office and Administrative Support 430 $17,428.00 381 $27,399.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 736 $55,066.00 15 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 395 $31,733.00 105 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 509 $20,625.00 0 $0.00
Production 473 $64,761.00 52 $6,638.00
Transportation and Material Moving 378 $27,469.00 23 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 5,372 households in Willacy County, with an average household size of 3.59 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 4,021 families in Willacy County with an average family size of 4.22 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 2,576 291 1,154 1,351
Average Household Size 4.24 2.58 5.24 1.16
Total Families 2,576 291 1,154 0
Average Household Size 4.2 2.34 4.75 0

Poverty

Of the 4,021 families in Willacy County, 23.60% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Willacy County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 6,828 housing units in Willacy County, Texas.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 5,372 78.68%
Vacant 1,456 21.32%

22.04% of the total 6,828 housing units in Willacy County are rental units. This is approximately 1,505 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 3,594 are occupied by the owner - or 52.64% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Willacy County is $687.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Willacy County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    273
  • Less than $500
    281
  • $500 to $999
    1,037
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    168
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    19
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Willacy County is $62,000.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Willacy County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    1,510
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,208
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    255
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    237
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    235
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    84
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    41
  • $1,000,000 or more
    24

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Willacy County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Willacy County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    224
  • 1940 to 1949
    535
  • 1950 to 1959
    672
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,077
  • 1970 to 1979
    884
  • 1980 to 1989
    923
  • 1990 to 1999
    900
  • 2000 to 2009
    797
  • 2010 to 2013
    768
  • 2014 or later
    48

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Willacy County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    264
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,997
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,046
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,065

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Willacy County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Willacy County that commute to work in a particular way.

18.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Willacy County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    452
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    2,015
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,569
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    685
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    490
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    396
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,012
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    202
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    106
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    452
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    53
  • 90 or more minutes
    112

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Willacy County, Texas in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Willacy County, Texas

We have data for 15 places in Willacy County, Texas. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.