Cameron County, Texas facts for kids

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Cameron County

County

County of Cameron

The current Cameron County Courthouse in Brownsville

Seal

Logo

Location within the U.S. state of Texas

Texas's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Texas

Founded

1848

Named for

Ewen Cameron

Seat

Brownsville

Largest city

Brownsville

Area

• Total

1,276 sq mi (3,300 km²)

• Land

891 sq mi (2,310 km²)

• Water

386 sq mi (1,000 km²) 30%

Population

(2020)

• Total

421,017

• Density

329.95/sq mi (127.39/km²)

Time zone

UTC−6 (Central)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−5 (CDT)

Congressional district

34th

Cameron County, officially the County of Cameron, is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 421,017. Its county seat is Brownsville.

The county was founded in 1848 and is named for Captain Ewen Cameron, a soldier during the Texas Revolution and in the ill-fated Mier Expedition. During the later 19th century and through World War II, Fort Brown was a US Army outpost here, stimulating the development of the city of Brownsville.

Cameron County is part of the Brownsville–Harlingen, TX metropolitan statistical area, as well as the Brownsville–Harlingen–Raymondville combined statistical area, which itself is part of the larger Rio Grande Valley region.

Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 Census
Communities
Economy
Education
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,276 square miles (3,300 km²), of which 891 square miles (2,310 km²) is land and 386 square miles (1,000 km²) (30%) is water. To the east, the county borders the Gulf of Mexico.

Major highways

Interstate 2
Interstate 69E
Interstate 169 (Under Construction)
U.S. Highway 77
U.S. Highway 83
U.S. Highway 281
State Highway 4
State Highway 48
State Highway 100
State Highway 107
State Highway 345
State Highway 550

Adjacent counties and municipalities

Willacy County, Texas (north)
Hidalgo County, Texas (west)
Matamoros Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)

National protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	8,541	—
1860	6,028	−29.4%
1870	10,999	82.5%
1880	14,959	36.0%
1890	14,424	−3.6%
1900	16,095	11.6%
1910	27,158	68.7%
1920	36,662	35.0%
1930	77,540	111.5%
1940	83,202	7.3%
1950	125,170	50.4%
1960	151,098	20.7%
1970	140,368	−7.1%
1980	209,680	49.4%
1990	260,120	24.1%
2000	335,227	28.9%
2010	406,220	21.2%
2020	421,017	3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1850–2010 2010 2020

2020 census

**Cameron County, Texas - Demographic Profile**
(*NH = Non-Hispanic*)
Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	43,427	37,107	10.69%	8.81%
Black or African American alone (NH)	1,192	1,405	0.29%	0.33%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	385	365	0.09%	0.09%
Asian alone (NH)	2,486	2,596	0.61%	0.62%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	76	80	0.02%	0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	191	846	0.05%	0.20%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	716	1,938	0.18%	0.46%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	357,747	376,680	88.07%	89.47%
Total	406,220	421,017	100.00%	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 Census

As of the census of 2010, 406,220 people, 119,631 households, and 96,579 families were residing in the county. The population density was 370 people per square mile (143/km²). The 141,924 housing units averaged 132 per square mile (51/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 9.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. About 88.1% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 119,631 households, 50.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were not families. About 16.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36, and the average family size was 3.80.

In the county, the age distribution was 33.0% under the age of18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 86.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,264, and for a family was $33,770. Males had a median income of $21,410 versus $15,597 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,695. About 30.0% of families and 34.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.8% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.

A 2000 Texas A&M study stated that of the residents of Cameron County, 43% do not have basic literacy skills.

Within the 2010s decade, a noticeable trend in the county population showed that growth among the county's northern cities (defined as major towns whose city limits lie entirely north or east of U.S. Highway 83 in the county) on average has been greater than those cities on U.S. Highway 83 in the county, suggesting a possible desire among both locals and new residents from outside the Rio Grande Valley to move away from the population centers of the county. This trend has also been shared by nearby Hidalgo County. Los Fresnos, for example, grew by 42.2% from 2010 to 2018. Other major cities, such as Indian Lake, Primera, and Rio Hondo, all grew by more than 15% in the same period. In contrast, the cities of Harlingen, La Feria, and San Benito, all cities along U.S. Highway 83, have seen growths less than 1% in the same period. The city that grew the most among the Highway 83 cities in the county was Brownsville, which grew by 4.4% from 2010 to 2019.

Communities

Cities

Towns

A picture of the Cameron County Courthouse (1912), the Dancy Building, in Brownsville, Texas which served as the County Courthouse before the construction of the current Courthouse. It was restored in 2006 and now houses County Court at Law No 1 as well as some county offices.

Village

Rangerville

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Santa Rita

Economy

SpaceX has been approved by the FAA to build a private spaceport east of Brownsville on the Gulf Coast.

The SpaceX South Texas Launch Site is projected to employ 75–100 full-time workers in the early years with up to 150 full-time employees/contractors by 2019. In 2014, SpaceX acquired additional land near Boca Chica, which they consolidated into a subdivision called "Mars Crossing", possibly named after the novel by science-fiction writer Geoffrey A. Landis.

View of SpaceX's launch pad at Boca Chica Village near Brownsville.
SN15 and SN16.
Starship and SuperHeavy production site.

Education

Cameron County is served by several school districts. They include:

Brownsville Independent School District
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
La Feria Independent School District
Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District
Lyford Consolidated Independent School District (partially)
Point Isabel Independent School District
Rio Hondo Independent School District
San Benito Consolidated Independent School District
Santa Maria Independent School District
Santa Rosa Independent School District

In addition, residents are eligible to apply to South Texas Independent School District's magnet schools.

All of the county is in the service area of Texas Southmost College.