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Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County
County
	The Hidalgo County Courthouse at Edinburg in 2024
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Texas
	Texas's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 26°23′48″N 98°10′52″W / 26.39672°N 98.18107°W
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	January 24, 1852
Named for	Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
Seat	Edinburg
Largest city	McAllen
Area
• Total	1,583 sq mi (4,100 km2)
• Land	1,571 sq mi (4,070 km2)
• Water	12 sq mi (30 km2) 0.81%
Population (2020)
• Total	870,781
• Estimate (2022)	888,367
• Density	550/sq mi (210/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	15th, 34th
Website	hidalgocounty.us

Hidalgo County (/hɪˈdælɡoʊ/; Spanish pronunciation: [iˈðalɣo]) is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 870,781,^[2] making it the ninth-most populous county in Texas, and the most populous county outside of the counties in the Texas Triangle. The county seat is Edinburg^[3] and the largest city is McAllen. The county is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who raised the call for Mexico's independence from Spain.^[4] It is located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. Hidalgo County is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission metropolitan statistical area, which itself is part of the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission-Rio Grande City, Texas combined statistical area with neighboring Starr County.

With a population that is 91.9% Hispanic as of 2020, it is Texas' second-most populous majority-Hispanic county and the fifth-largest nationwide. It is also the largest county which is over 90% Hispanic.^[5] It is also the southernmost landlocked county in the United States, and in 2021, it was the largest county in the nation with a total fertility rate above the replacement level (at 2.13).^[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,583 sq mi (4,100 km²), of which 12 sq mi (31 km²) (0.8%) are covered by water.^[7] The northern part of the county has sandy and light loamy soils over deep reddish or mottled, clayey subsoils. In some areas, limestone lies within 40 in (1 m) of the surface. The southern part of the county has moderately deep to deep loamy surfaces over clayey subsoils. Along the Rio Grande, brown to red clays are found. Hidalgo County is in the South Texas Plains vegetation area, which features grasses, mesquite, live oaks, and chaparral. Native plants, reduced in recent years by extensive farming, include chapote, guayacán, ebony, huisache, brasil, and yucca.

Natural resources included caliche, sand, gravel, oil, and gas. Oil and gas production in 1982 totaled 98,487,211,000 cubic feet (2.7888472×10⁹ m³) of gas-well gas, 139,995 barrels of crude oil, 1,101,666 barrels of condensate, and 15,784,000 cubic feet (447,000 m³) of casinghead gas. The climate is subtropical and humid. Temperatures range from an average low of 47 °F (8 °C) in January to an average high to 96 °F (36 °C) in July; the average annual temperature is 73 °F (23 °C). Rainfall averages 23 inches (580 mm) a year, and the growing season lasts for 320 days of the year.^[8]

Major highways

Adjacent counties and municipalities

Brooks County (north)
Kenedy County (northeast)
Willacy County (east)
Cameron County (east)
Starr County (west)
Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)
Reynosa Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)
Río Bravo Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)
Matamoros Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)
Camargo Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	1,182		—
1870	2,387		101.9%
1880	4,347		82.1%
1890	6,534		50.3%
1900	6,837		4.6%
1910	13,728		100.8%
1920	38,110		177.6%
1930	77,004		102.1%
1940	106,059		37.7%
1950	160,446		51.3%
1960	180,904		12.8%
1970	181,535		0.3%
1980	283,229		56.0%
1990	383,545		35.4%
2000	569,463		48.5%
2010	774,769		36.1%
2020	870,781		12.4%
2022 (est.)	888,367	^[9]	2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census^[10] 1850–2010^[11] 2010-2020^[2]

**Hidalgo County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition**
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. Except for the 1930 census, where Latinos are included under "Some Other Race", this table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 1930^[12]	Pop 1980^[13]	Pop 1990^[14]	Pop 2000^[15]	Pop 2010^[16]	Pop 2020^[17]	% 1930	% 1980	% 1990	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	34,933	51,719	54,259	59,423	60,553	53,338	45.37%	18.26%	14.15%	10.43%	7.82%	6.13%
Black or African American alone (NH)	491	422	518	1,934	2,777	3,364	0.64%	0.15%	0.14%	0.34%	0.36%	0.39%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)			229	428	524	635			0.06%	0.08%	0.07%	0.07%
Asian alone (NH)			847	3,207	7,122	8,604			0.22%	0.56%	0.92%	0.99%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)				37	49	78				0.01%	0.01%	0.01%
Other race alone (NH)	41,580	876	720	171	348	1,915	54.00%	0.31%	0.19%	0.03%	0.04%	0.22%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)				1,163	1,190	2,846				0.20%	0.15%	0.33%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)		230,212	326,972	503,100	702,206	800,001		81.28%	85.25%	88.35%	90.63%	91.87%
Total	77,004	283,229	383,545	569,463	774,769	870,781	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 774,769 people living in the county. 88.0% were White, 1.0% Asian, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 8.8% of some other race and 1.3% of two or more races. 90.6% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

There were 216,471 households, and 179,668 families living in the county. The population density was 363 people per square mile (140 people/km²). There were 248,287 housing units at an average density of 123 units per square mile (47/km²). There were 216,471 households, out of which 54.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.00% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.0% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.55 and the average family size was 3.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 34.7% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.3 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,134, and the median income for a family was $31,760. Males had a median income of $22,635 versus $17,526 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,130. About 32.60% of families and 35.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.4% of those under age 18 and 29.8% of those age 65 or over. The county's per-capita income makes it one of the poorest counties in the United States. In 2009, it was tied with Bronx County, New York for "the greatest share of people receiving food stamps: 29 percent."^[18]

Las Milpas, previously unincorporated, was annexed by Pharr in 1987.^[19]

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Hidalgo County as the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.^[20] The United States Census Bureau ranked the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 65th most populous metropolitan statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2022.

The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive McAllen-Edinburg, TX Combined Statistical Area,^[20] the 63rd most populous combined statistical area and the 66th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2022. It has the lowest per capita income of the 276 MSAs within the 50 states at $9,899. Its median household income is also the lowest within the states at $24,863. In a survey done in over 190 metropolitan areas it had the highest obesity rate of residents at 38.8 percent. Today, the states with the highest poverty rates (of over 20 million living on $2 a day) are all in the southern part of the country (Table 1) [7], and the nation's poorest large metropolitan area is McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas.^[21]

Government and politics

Hidalgo County tends to vote for the Democratic Party, although there is representation of the Republican Party in some of the offices that affect the county. Hidalgo County is represented by Monica De La Cruz of Texas's 15th congressional district and Vicente González of Texas's 34th congressional district. In the 2012 presidential election, 70.4% voted for Barack Obama, while 28.6% voted for Mitt Romney. In the 2020 presidential election, Hidalgo County saw a significant shift to the Republican Party, with Donald Trump increasing the Republican vote from 27.9% in 2016 to 41%.^[22] However, as an urban county, the shift was not as large as nearby less densely populated counties. In 2024, on his third run, Trump won the county by 3 points, following a trend that resulted in many Hispanic-majority counties in Texas and Florida flipping red, the first time the county voted for the Republican nominee since 1972.

For the Texas House of Representatives is covered by districts 39, 40 and 41.

United States presidential election results for Hidalgo County, Texas^[23]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	110,760	50.98%	104,517	48.11%	1,988	0.92%
2020	90,527	40.98%	128,199	58.04%	2,158	0.98%
2016	48,642	27.89%	118,809	68.12%	6,957	3.99%
2012	39,865	28.61%	97,969	70.32%	1,488	1.07%
2008	39,668	30.29%	90,261	68.92%	1,043	0.80%
2004	50,931	44.80%	62,369	54.86%	383	0.34%
2000	38,301	37.90%	61,390	60.75%	1,359	1.34%
1996	24,437	28.84%	56,335	66.49%	3,955	4.67%
1992	26,976	30.60%	51,205	58.08%	9,979	11.32%
1988	29,246	34.87%	54,330	64.78%	294	0.35%
1984	35,059	44.14%	44,147	55.58%	226	0.28%
1980	25,808	41.82%	34,542	55.97%	1,367	2.21%
1976	19,199	35.17%	35,021	64.15%	373	0.68%
1972	22,920	55.23%	18,366	44.26%	213	0.51%
1968	14,455	38.95%	20,087	54.13%	2,569	6.92%
1964	11,563	34.25%	22,110	65.50%	83	0.25%
1960	13,628	42.05%	18,663	57.59%	115	0.35%
1956	13,270	56.89%	9,804	42.03%	253	1.08%
1952	15,303	62.20%	9,251	37.60%	48	0.20%
1948	6,220	38.83%	9,526	59.47%	272	1.70%
1944	4,080	33.35%	7,250	59.26%	904	7.39%
1940	4,787	38.97%	7,471	60.81%	27	0.22%
1936	2,962	29.46%	6,782	67.46%	309	3.07%
1932	2,969	23.22%	9,695	75.84%	120	0.94%
1928	4,285	51.41%	4,034	48.40%	16	0.19%
1924	996	20.44%	3,662	75.16%	214	4.39%
1920	1,108	31.13%	2,409	67.69%	42	1.18%
1916	260	15.69%	1,364	82.32%	33	1.99%
1912	39	2.81%	1,203	86.61%	147	10.58%

County services

The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office operates jail facilities and is the primary provider of law enforcement services to the unincorporated areas of the county.

County government

	Name	Party
County Judge	Richard Cortez	Democratic
Commissioner, Precinct 1	David Fuentes	Democratic
Commissioner, Precinct 2	Eduardo "Eddie" Cantu	Democratic
Commissioner, Precinct 3	Everardo Villareal	Democratic
Commissioner, Precinct 4	Ellie Torres	Democratic
Criminal District Attorney	Toribio "Terry" Palacios	Democratic
District Clerk	Laura Hinojosa	Democratic
County Clerk	Arturo Guajardo, Jr.	Democratic
Sheriff	J.E. "Eddie" Guerra	Democratic
Tax Assessor-Collector	Pablo "Paul" Villarreal	Democratic
Treasurer	Lita Leo	Democratic
Constable, Precinct 1	Celestino Avila, Jr.	Democratic
Constable, Precinct 2	Martin Cantu	Democratic
Constable, Precinct 3	Lazaro Gallardo, Jr.	Democratic
Constable, Precinct 4	Atanacio "J.R." Gaitan	Democratic
Constable, Precinct 5	Danny Marichalar	Democratic

Education

The following school districts serve Hidalgo County:^[24]

In addition, the county is served by the multi-county South Texas Independent School District.^[25] The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville operates three PK-8th Grade schools, two lower-level elementary schools and two high schools.

The Edinburg campus of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (formerly University of Texas-Pan American) is located in Hidalgo County.

All of the county is in the service area of South Texas College.^[26] The Pecan, Mid-Valley, Technology, and Nursing & Allied Health campuses of South Texas College are located in Hidalgo County.^[27]

Economy

In 2020, the total value of products produced in Hidalgo was $11.5 billion.^[28]

In 1982, 91% of the land was in farms and ranches, with 52% of the farmland under cultivation and 85% irrigated; 51 to 60% of the county was considered prime farmland. The primary crops were sorghum, cotton, corn, and vegetables; Hidalgo County led Texas counties in the production of cabbage, onions, cantaloupes, carrots, and watermelons. The primary fruits and nuts grown in the county were grapefruit, oranges, and pecans. Cattle, milk cows, and hogs were the primary livestock products.^[8] Hidalgo is the highest-producing county in the state for oilseeds and dry beans.^[29]

The Southern Cattle Tick (Rhipicephalus microplus) is invasive here.^[30] Populations here have also become highly permethrin resistant.^[30] In 2014 the problem had become so severe in Cameron that spread here (and to other neighboring counties) was feared.^[30] A Temporary Preventative Quarantine Area was established in Cameron to preserve efficacy in these counties.^[30] This was unsuccessful however, due at least in part to the ticks' infestation of wildlife including whitetail (Odocoileus virginianus).^[30]