County population in 2012: 61,615 (76% urban, 24% rural); it was 53,597 in 2000 County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 2,806 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 10,452 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 11,445 Renter-occupied apartments: 3,743 (it was 2,965 in 2000)
% of renters here:
21%
State:
36%
Land area: 1223 sq. mi. Water area: 6.3 sq. mi.
Population density: 50 people per square mile
(average).
Mar. 2012 cost of living index in Starr County: 80.4 (low, U.S. average is 100)
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Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (42.5%), Retail trade (10.8%).
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2009: $746 (0.9%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2009: $391 (0.8%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2009: 39.8%
(9.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 100.0% for Black residents, 40.2% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 36.3% for American Indian residents, 41.2% for other race residents, 19.6% for two or more races residents) Median age of residents in 2010: 29 years old
(Males: 27 years old, Females: 30 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 28 years old, Black residents: 25 years old, American Indian residents: 35 years old, Asian residents: 34 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 28 years old, Other race residents: 30 years old)
Residents with income below the poverty level in 2009:
This county:
50.9%
Whole state:
15.4%
Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2009:
This county:
21.6%
Whole state:
6.7%
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Starr County is $438 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $484 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $706 a month.
Notable locations in this county outside city limits:
Notable locations in Starr County: Chapeno Gaging Station (A), Falcon Dam Station (B), Agua Leguas Windmill (C), Agua Poquita Windmill (D), Alto Bonito Windmill (E), Alto Windmill (F), Benadito Windmill (G), Bentsen Ranch (H), Borrachito Windmill (I), Borrego Windmill (J), Brazil Windmill (K), Buena Vista Windmill (L), Camp Garcia (M), Casa Blanca Windmill (N), Casa Yankee Ruins (O), Chivo Windmill (P), Cinca de Mayo Windmill (Q), Coma Windmill (R), Diamond O Ranch (S), Division Windmill (T). Display/hide their locations on the map
Cemeteries: Agua Dulce Cemetery (1), Montalvo Cemetery (2), Soledad Cemetery (3), Los Arrierous Cemetery (4), Naranja Cemetery (5), Buena Vista Cemetery (6), Chapeno Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map
Lakes and reservoirs: Cobby Lake (A), Mangus Lake (B), Munoz Lake (C), San Jose Tank (D), San Idelfonso Tank (E), Monterrey Tank (F), Los Charcos Tank (G), Lake Kimberly (H). Display/hide their locations on the map
Streams, rivers, and creeks: Saremente Creek (A), Salado Creek (B), Retamoso Creek (C), Remadura de Sandia Creek (D), Remadura de Charco Largo Creek (E), Ramirez Creek (F), Olmitos Creek (G), Los Olmos Creek (H), Los Negros Creek (I). Display/hide their locations on the map
Current college students: 2,009 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 34.7% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 6.9%
Number of foreign born residents: 19,758 (32% naturalized citizens)
Starr County:
36.9%
Whole state:
13.9%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
1995 to March 2000: 3,374
1990 to 1994: 2,587
1985 to 1989: 3,525
1980 to 1984: 2,480
1975 to 1979: 2,558
1970 to 1974: 2,304
1970 to 1974: 1,255
1965 to 1969: 1,675
Mean travel time to work (commute): 21.4 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 80.4%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 14,326
One, attached: 381
Two: 350
3 or 4: 294
5 to 9: 282
10 to 19: 98
20 or more: 28
Mobile homes: 1,797
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 33
Housing units in Starr County with a mortgage: 1,631 (23 second mortgage, 46 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 8,321
Here:
16.4% with mortgage
State:
64.2% with mortgage
Religion statistics:
Percentage of population affiliated with a religious congregations: 78.77%
Here
78.8%
USA
50.2%
Total adherents: 42,221 Total congregations: 31
Adherents
Breakdown of population affiliated with a religious congregations
Name
Catholic Church
Southern Baptist Convention
United Methodist Church
Assemblies of God
Other
Adherents
40,092 (95.0%)
809 (1.9%)
388 (0.9%)
340 (0.8%)
592 (1.4%)
Congregations
15 (48.4%)
6 (19.4%)
1 (3.2%)
3 (9.7%)
6 (19.4%)
Source: Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Average size of farms: 656 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $76,717 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $256.56 The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 83.95% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $81,836 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 7.32% Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 11.70% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $33,769 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 90.46% Average age of principal farm operators: 58 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 11.15 Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 0.03% Upland cotton: 1390 harvested acres Soybeans for beans: 3 harvested acres Vegetables: 2,262 harvested acres Land in orchards: 54 acres
Tornado activity:
Starr County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly below Texas state average. It is 6.6 times below overall U.S. average.
Earthquake activity:
Starr County-area historical earthquake activity is significantly below Texas state average. It is 100% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 3/24/1997 at 22:31:34, a magnitude 3.8 (3.8 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 98.1 miles away from the county center Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG)
Most recent natural disasters:
Texas Hurricane Alex, Incident Period: June 30, 2010 to August 14, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared (DR-1931): August 3, 2010, FEMA Id: FEMA-DR-1931, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Tropical Storm Alex, Incident Period: June 27, 2010 to August 14, 2010, Emergency Declared (EM-3313): June 29, 2010, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3313, Natural disaster type: Tropical Storm
Texas Hurricane Ike, Incident Period: September 7, 2008 to September 26, 2008, Emergency Declared (EM-3294): September 10, 2008, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3294, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Gustav, Incident Period: August 27, 2008 to September 7, 2008, Emergency Declared (EM-3290): August 29, 2008, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3290, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Dolly, Incident Period: July 22, 2008 to August 1, 2008, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared (DR-1780): July 24, 2008, FEMA Id: FEMA-DR-1780, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Wildfires, Incident Period: March 14, 2008 to September 1, 2008, Emergency Declared (EM-3284): March 14, 2008, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3284, Natural disaster type: Fire
Texas Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: June 16, 2007 to August 3, 2007, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared (DR-1709): June 29, 2007, FEMA Id: FEMA-DR-1709, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Texas Hurricane Rita, Incident Period: September 23, 2005 to October 14, 2005, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared (DR-1606): September 24, 2005, FEMA Id: FEMA-DR-1606, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Rita, Incident Period: September 20, 2005 to October 14, 2005, Emergency Declared (EM-3261): September 21, 2005, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3261, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Texas Hurricane Katrina, Incident Period: August 29, 2005 to October 1, 2005, Emergency Declared (EM-3216): September 2, 2005, FEMA Id: FEMA-EM-3216, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
2 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Starr County (12) is near the US average (12). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 6 Emergencies Declared: 6
Causes of natural disasters: Hurricanes: 8, Flood: 1, Heavy Rain: 1, Tornado: 1, Wind: 1, Fire: 1, Flood: 1, Storm: 1, Tropical Storm: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (5%)
Construction trades workers except carpenters, electricians, painters, plumbers, and construction laborers (4%)
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (4%)
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (15%)
Preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (9%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (9%)
Other teachers and instructors, education, training, and library occupations (7%)
Cashiers (5%)
Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (4%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (4%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
Mexico (99%)
Philippines (1%)
Nicaragua (0%)
Jordan (0%)
Canada (0%)
Australia (0%)
Italy (0%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Starr County (%):
United States or American (2%)
German (0%)
African (0%)
Irish (0%)
English (0%)
French (except Basque) (0%)
Italian (0%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 9,093 (69%)
Carpooled: 2,614 (20%)
Bus or trolley bus: 56 (0%)
Taxi: 8 (0%)
Walked: 628 (5%)
Other means: 416 (3%)
Worked at home: 332 (3%)
Owners and renters by unit type in %
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders
People in group quarters in Starr County, Texas in 2000:
279 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
85 people in nursing homes
17 people in other noninstitutional group quarters
12 people in religious group quarters
4 people in other nonhousehold living situations
People in group quarters in Starr County, Texas in 2010:
607 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities
140 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
32 people in group homes intended for adults
31 people in other noninstitutional facilities
Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $24,071.
4.07% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($22,183 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
4.07%
Texas average:
8.37%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
2.75% relocated from other counties in Texas ($14,647 average AGI)
1.32% relocated from other states ($7,535 average AGI)
Starr County:
1.32%
Texas average:
3.06%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2005 and 2006:
4.88% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($25,773 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
4.88%
Texas average:
7.44%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
3.73% relocated to other counties in Texas ($19,521 average AGI)
1.15% relocated to other states ($6,250 average AGI)
Starr County:
1.15%
Texas average:
2.17%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2005 and 2006:
Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 28.2 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 25.8
Births per 1000 population in Starr County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 4.3 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 4.9
Deaths per 1000 population in Starr County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 3.7 Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2006: 4.2
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Starr County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 6,196 (5,260 aged, 936 disabled) Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 38% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 39%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 1.67 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 3753.840 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 81.9 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 15789.21
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 2715.740 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 474.230 Dentists per 100,000 population in 1998: 1.64
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 3.58 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 39.38
EPA green book nonattainment status in 2004-2006: 1 Crimes per 100,000 population in 1996: 1
Homicides per 1,000,000 population from 2000 to 2006: 100.1. This is more than state average.
Mechanisms of homicide:
Deaths per 1,000,000 population:
Firearm - 85.1
Other - 15.0
Suicides per 1,000,000 population from 2000 to 2006: 55.1. This is less than state average.
Household type by relationship:
Households: 60,158
In family households: 57,363 (9,495 male householders, 4,985 female householders)
10,357 spouses, 24,018 children (23,174 natural, 234 adopted, 610 stepchildren), 3,607 grandchildren, 756 brothers or sisters, 775 parents, 1,388 other relatives, 665 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 2,795 (1,077 male householders (976 living alone)), 1,444 female householders (1,342 living alone)), 274 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 810 (747 institutionalized population)
Size of family households: 3,366 2-persons, 2,914 3-persons, 3,305 4-persons, 2,694 5-persons, 1,176 6-persons, 1,025 7-or-more-persons.
9.3% of residents of Starr County speak English at home.
90.4% of residents speak Spanish at home (43% speak English very well, 27% speak English well, 13% speak English not well, 17% don't speak English at all).
0.1% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (64% speak English very well, 14% speak English well, 21% speak English not well).
0.2% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (94% speak English very well, 6% speak English well).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $260,368,000 ($4352 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $996,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $63,363,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $58,271,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $8,015,000 Federal grants: $105,921,000 Federal procurement contracts: $3,181,000 ($221,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $21,617,000 ($176,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $2,081,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $1,765,000 Federal Government insurance: $23,042,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 7,738
Here:
127 per 1000 residents
State:
85 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 1,252
Here:
21 per 1000 residents
State:
35 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +2,680
Here:
+44 per 1000 residents
State:
+29 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: -1,692
Here:
-28 per 1000 residents
State:
+10 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Starr County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 8.95 millions of gallons per day (0% from ground, 100% from surface)
76% of Starr County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 79% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 72% lived in Texas.
Starr County:
75.7%
State average:
51.6%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 30923
Northeast: 41
Midwest: 836
South: 263
West: 1249
Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $17,200
Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 7%
Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 6%
Year Householders Moved Into Unit:
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Starr County
#1 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the largest number of people without health insurance coverage in 2000 (pop. 50,000+)"
#1 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the largest number of children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000 (pop. 50,000+)"
#1 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Catholic Church adherents (pop. 50,000+)"
#2 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the largest number of people without health insurance coverage in 2000"
#2 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the largest number of children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000"
#3 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest number of births per 1000 residents 2000-2003 (pop 50,000+)"
#6 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most Catholic Church adherents"
#6 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest ground withdrawal of fresh water for public supply (pop. 50,000+)"
#7 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the highest number of births per 1000 residents 2000-2003"
#14 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest ground withdrawal of fresh water for public supply"
#17 on the list of "Top 101 counties with highest percentage of residents voting for Kerry (Democrat) in the 2004 Presidential Election, pop. 50,000+"
#19 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the largest increase in the number of infant deaths per 1000 residents 1990-1999 to 2000-2003 (pop. 50,000+)"
#21 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004 (pop. 50,000+)"
#26 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the largest increase in the number of deaths per 1000 residents 1990-1999 to 2000-2003 (pop. 50,000+)"
#26 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005 (pop. 50,000+)"
#31 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most dentists per 100,000 population in 1998"
#31 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most dentists per 100,000 population in 1998 (pop. 50,000+)"
#33 on the list of "Top 101 counties with highest percentage of residents voting for Kerry (Democrat) in the 2004 Presidential Election"
#35 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the lowest number of deaths per 1000 residents 2000-2003 (pop. 50,000+)"
#39 on the list of "Top 101 counties with the most short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004 (pop. 50,000+)"
29.0 years
33.0 years
(42.6%)
(57.4%)
, Hidalgo County 
, Jim Hogg County 
, Zapata County 
.
