• county
  • FIPS 48505

Zapata County, Texas

Zapata County had 13,819 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 998.4 square miles of land. It ranks 146th of 254 in Texas by population and 73rd by land area.

Population
13,819
#146 of 254 in Texas · #2,172 in US
Area
998.4 sq mi
#73 of 254 in Texas · #684 in US
Density
14 / sq mi
#153 of 254 in Texas · #2,433 in US
Median household income
$41,688
#249 of 254 in Texas · #3,059 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Zapata County within Texas. Pin: Austin.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Zapata County

Zapata County population, land area and income

Zapata County had 13,819 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 998.4 square miles of land. It ranks 146th of 254 in Texas by population and 73rd by land area. That works out to 13.8 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Texas has 19,267 residents; Zapata County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $41,688 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

13,819

3144th1st

2172nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

998 sq mi

3144th1st

684th of 3,144 (US)

Density

13.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

2433rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$41,688

3143rd1st

3059th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Texas (254)

Population

13,819

254th1st

146th of 254 (TX)

Land area

998 sq mi

254th1st

73rd of 254 (TX)

Density

13.8 / sq mi

254th1st

153rd of 254 (TX)

Median household income

$41,688

254th1st

249th of 254 (TX)

How Zapata County's population changed since 2020

Zapata County lost 56 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.4%. That ranks 180th of 254 in Texas for growth. The median Texas county changed by +2.1%, and the state as a whole by +7.0%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Zapata County recorded 774 births and 545 deaths, a natural change of +229. Net international migration added +212 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -519. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 519 people.

13.9k202013.9k202113.8k202213.8k202313.8k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
774
Deaths
545
Net international migration
+212
Net domestic migration
-519
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+37

Where Zapata County is

The Census internal point of Zapata County is at 26.997000, -99.182600. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades Texas's 254 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Zapata County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Cass County: +0.6%Jackson County: +1.9%Lipscomb County: -5.2%Hall County: +1.0%Hemphill County: -6.9%Kent County: -7.4%Dallam County: +5.4%Bandera County: +8.7%Culberson County: +3.1%Howard County: -11.4%Lavaca County: +1.2%Zavala County: -4.7%Taylor County: +3.7%Ellis County: +19.6%McLennan County: +3.5%Parker County: +20.2%Kinney County: +2.1%Uvalde County: +2.3%Haskell County: -0.0%Coke County: +2.3%Dickens County: -2.0%Colorado County: +4.0%Hansford County: -4.7%Collingsworth County: -1.2%Comanche County: +5.4%Crosby County: -1.3%Andrews County: +1.6%Atascosa County: +7.1%Brooks County: -5.0%Burnet County: +12.6%La Salle County: +0.4%Terry County: -1.6%Throckmorton County: +5.6%Yoakum County: -1.2%Hockley County: +0.0%Rockwall County: +25.5%Schleicher County: -5.8%Swisher County: -1.0%Motley County: -4.6%Hale County: -1.6%King County: -19.5%Hays County: +19.7%Irion County: +0.9%Bastrop County: +17.2%Blanco County: +16.6%Kimble County: +2.5%Dawson County: -5.7%Loving County: -28.4%Scurry County: -4.2%Sterling County: +0.2%Garza County: -20.1%Shackelford County: +1.9%Stonewall County: -0.8%Titus County: +0.8%Hopkins County: +5.3%Callahan County: +6.3%Childress County: +0.3%Lubbock County: +5.1%Dimmit County: -4.7%Donley County: -2.7%Baylor County: +2.1%Johnson County: +16.4%Glasscock County: +3.2%Sutton County: -2.6%Runnels County: -1.7%Ector County: +2.7%Kaufman County: +34.4%Jack County: +10.7%Mitchell County: -0.5%Falls County: +4.7%Castro County: +0.6%Palo Pinto County: +6.3%Limestone County: +1.9%Kerr County: +2.3%Franklin County: +5.2%Roberts County: +1.7%Young County: +2.2%Erath County: +4.2%Cochran County: +0.7%Hutchinson County: -4.2%Floyd County: -6.2%Mason County: +0.5%Parmer County: -1.9%Eastland County: +2.8%McMullen County: -5.4%Randall County: +6.5%Armstrong County: -2.3%Hamilton County: +4.8%Hartley County: -6.4%Nolan County: -3.7%Lynn County: +6.2%Menard County: -2.5%Karnes County: +2.2%Cottle County: -7.4%Winkler County: -4.8%Jeff Davis County: -10.4%Stephens County: +4.2%Bell County: +7.3%Borden County: -13.2%Madison County: +3.1%Fisher County: -0.3%Camp County: +5.9%Gillespie County: +5.2%Liberty County: +24.4%Upton County: -5.3%Waller County: +13.7%Fort Bend County: +15.6%Montgomery County: +19.9%Crockett County: -9.5%Sherman County: -0.7%Rusk County: +2.2%Wichita County: +0.3%Moore County: +2.8%Pecos County: -3.1%Webb County: +2.0%Kleberg County: -1.8%Fayette County: +4.0%Aransas County: +6.9%Presidio County: -6.9%Archer County: +7.0%Cherokee County: +5.2%Galveston County: +4.5%Comal County: +23.2%Concho County: +0.3%Jim Hogg County: -5.4%DeWitt County: +2.1%Brewster County: -0.6%Tarrant County: +5.4%Caldwell County: +14.1%Hardin County: +4.1%Fannin County: +7.4%Guadalupe County: +12.4%Clay County: +4.6%Coryell County: +3.9%Medina County: +8.9%Potter County: -3.1%Brown County: +1.5%Marion County: -1.7%Denton County: +14.3%Bee County: +0.6%Wise County: +17.9%Leon County: +5.8%Zapata County: -0.4%Coleman County: +4.0%Reagan County: -8.3%Mills County: +2.5%Reeves County: -19.0%Live Oak County: +5.5%Gaines County: +5.5%Oldham County: +3.4%Trinity County: +6.2%Williamson County: +18.2%San Saba County: -3.8%Wilson County: +10.7%Van Zandt County: +9.3%Lamar County: +2.2%Willacy County: -0.6%Brazos County: +6.4%Llano County: +8.7%Refugio County: -0.0%Martin County: -1.6%Midland County: +7.5%Wilbarger County: -3.0%Briscoe County: +5.1%Gonzales County: +1.8%Kenedy County: -5.7%Cameron County: +2.4%Gregg County: +1.9%Hidalgo County: +4.8%Hunt County: +18.4%Jefferson County: -0.9%Delta County: +8.1%Harris County: +5.8%Carson County: +0.5%Hill County: +7.8%Shelby County: +0.6%Hood County: +11.4%Grayson County: +10.6%Walker County: +9.4%McCulloch County: -1.8%Orange County: +1.6%Lee County: +5.4%Houston County: +0.6%San Jacinto County: +6.5%Robertson County: +5.3%Real County: +0.8%Red River County: +1.2%Sabine County: +1.7%Starr County: +1.1%Lamb County: -2.5%Goliad County: +2.8%El Paso County: +1.0%Wharton County: +1.1%Wheeler County: -3.1%Bexar County: +5.6%Lampasas County: +8.5%Calhoun County: -0.6%Maverick County: +1.7%Henderson County: +6.1%Freestone County: +6.2%Hardeman County: -4.0%Tom Green County: -0.1%Tyler County: +3.7%Chambers County: +19.5%Morris County: +1.8%Burleson County: +14.1%Newton County: -2.1%Upshur County: +7.3%Deaf Smith County: -0.2%Edwards County: -2.6%Bosque County: +4.2%Bowie County: -1.0%Matagorda County: +0.3%Terrell County: -4.3%Knox County: -2.9%Milam County: +5.6%Bailey County: +2.4%Nueces County: -0.1%Victoria County: +0.7%Dallas County: +1.7%Jones County: +5.9%Angelina County: +1.8%Washington County: +5.6%Gray County: -1.4%Grimes County: +13.6%Ochiltree County: -2.4%San Patricio County: +3.8%Val Verde County: +0.8%Foard County: -3.4%Frio County: +6.0%Kendall County: +16.3%Somervell County: +9.7%Panola County: +2.3%Nacogdoches County: +1.7%Ward County: -5.5%Wood County: +8.2%Montague County: +9.2%Duval County: -2.3%Navarro County: +6.9%Anderson County: +2.7%Jim Wells County: -0.0%Cooke County: +6.0%Rains County: +9.3%Austin County: +8.0%Brazoria County: +10.6%Polk County: +7.4%Travis County: +5.2%Collin County: +16.6%San Augustine County: -2.0%Harrison County: +3.7%Smith County: +6.4%Hudspeth County: +13.0%Crane County: -1.7%Jasper County: -0.0%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.0%
  2. < +0.8%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +6.9%
  5. ≥ +6.9%
no data

Orange pin: Zapata County internal point. Dark pin: Austin.

Internal point

Decimal
26.997000, -99.182600
DMS
26°59'49.20"N 99°10'57.36"W
UTM
14N 481882.8E 2986116.1N
Geohash
9uc3x49kv
Plus code
76R2XRW8+RX

Towns in Zapata County

No incorporated place of 1,000 or more people has residents in Zapata County. Its 13,819 residents live in smaller towns, census-designated places, or unincorporated land, which the subcounty estimates do not list at this size.

Counties bordering Zapata County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 3 neighbors for Zapata County. The most populous is Webb County, TX, with 272,823 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Austin and the nearest big city

Austin is 242.7 miles NNE of Zapata County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Laredo, TX (population 261,260), 43.2 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Roma, TX (population 11,635), 41.7 miles away.

Zapata County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Zapata County is 48505: state code 48 for Texas plus county code 505. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $41,688.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Zapata County, Texas?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 13,819. That is down 56 people (0.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 13,875.

What is the FIPS code of Zapata County?

48505. The first two digits (48) are Texas; the last three (505) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Zapata County?

No incorporated place of 1,000 or more people has residents in Zapata County. Its people live in smaller towns, census-designated places or unincorporated land.

Which counties border Zapata County?

3 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Webb County, TX; Starr County, TX; Jim Hogg County, TX.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.