Hidalgo County ( ; ) is a southern county in the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat is Edinburg, and the largest city in the county is McAllen.
As of the 2025 census estimate, its population was 921,549, making it the ninth-most populous county in Texas, and the most populous county outside of the counties in the Texas Triangle. However, based on housing permits and service usage, county officials believe the true population is around 1.2 million, if "a full and accurate census count is completed."
The county is named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the priest who raised the call for Mexico's independence from Spain. 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. 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).
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (0.8%) are covered by water. 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 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 of gas-well gas, 139,995 barrels of crude oil, 1,101,666 barrels of condensate, and of casinghead gas. The climate is subtropical and humid. Temperatures range from an average low of in January to an average high to in July; the average annual temperature is . Rainfall averages a year, and the growing season lasts for 320 days of the year.
Major highways
includes western branch called US 281 Spur
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) Valle Hermoso Municipality, Tamaulipas, Mexico (south)
National protected areas Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part) Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge
Demographics
+Hidalgo County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1930Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1930% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)56,16851,71954,25959,42360,55353,33872.94%18.26%14.15%10.43%7.82%6.13%Black or African American alone (NH)4914225181,9342,7773,3640.64%0.15%0.14%0.34%0.36%0.39%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)x271229428524635x0.10%0.06%0.08%0.07%0.07%Asian alone (NH)x4198473,2077,1228,604x0.15%0.22%0.56%0.92%0.99%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)xx included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census374978xxx0.01%0.01%0.01%Other race alone (NH)20,3451867201713481,91526.42%0.07%0.19%0.03%0.04%0.22%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census1,1631,1902,846xxx0.20%0.15%0.33%Hispanic or Latino (any race)x230,212326,972503,100702,206800,001x81.28%85.25%88.35%90.63%91.87%Total77,004283,229383,545569,463774,769870,781 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 870,781. The median age was 31.1 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.3 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 34.5% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 22.6% from some other race, and 40.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 91.9% of the population.
91.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 8.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 258,542 households in the county, of which 46.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.9% were married-couple households, 15.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 294,902 housing units, of which 12.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.8% were owner-occupied and 32.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.
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 . There were 248,287 housing units at an average density of . 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."
Las Milpas, previously unincorporated, was annexed by Pharr in 1987."LAS MILPAS, TX." Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on September 27, 2013.
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 and Vicente González of . 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%. 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.
In the Texas House of Representatives, it is covered by districts 39, 40, and 41.
County services The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office operates jail facilities and is the primary provider of law enforcement services to the county's unincorporated areas.
County government Position 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: - list
Donna Independent School District Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Hidalgo Independent School District La Joya Independent School District La Villa Independent School District Lyford Consolidated Independent School District (partial) McAllen Independent School District Mercedes Independent School District Mission Consolidated Independent School District Monte Alto Independent School District Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District Progreso Independent School District Sharyland Independent School District Valley View Independent School District Weslaco Independent School District
In addition, the county is served by the multi-county South Texas Independent School District. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville operates three PK-8th Grade schools, two lower-level elementary schools and two high schools.
On January 27, 1975, the Alton Independent School District merged into Mission CISD.
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.Texas Education Code, Sec. 130.199. SOUTH TEXAS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.. The Pecan, Mid-Valley, Technology, and Nursing & Allied Health campuses of South Texas College are located in Hidalgo County.
Economy In 2020, the total value of products produced in Hidalgo was $11.5 billion.Hidalgo economy
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. Hidalgo is the highest-producing county in the state for oilseeds and dry beans.