Hidalgo County (; ) is located in the U.S. state of Texas. 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 seat is Edinburg 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. 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.
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br />1850–2010 2010-2020
!Pop 1980
!Pop 1990
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020
!% 1930
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|56,168
|51,719
|54,259
|59,423
|60,553
|style='background: #ffffe6; |53,338
|72.94%
|18.26%
|14.15%
|10.43%
|7.82%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.13%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|491
|422
|518
|1,934
|2,777
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,364
|0.64%
|0.15%
|0.14%
|0.34%
|0.36%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.39%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|x
|271
|229
|428
|524
|style='background: #ffffe6; |635
|x
|0.10%
|0.06%
|0.08%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|x
|419
|847
|3,207
|7,122
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,604
|x
|0.15%
|0.22%
|0.56%
|0.92%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.99%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|x
|37
|49
|style='background: #ffffe6; |78
|x
|x
|x
|0.01%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|20,345
|186
|720
|171
|348
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,915
|26.42%
|0.07%
|0.19%
|0.03%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|x
|1,163
|1,190
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,846
|x
|x
|x
|0.20%
|0.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.33%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|x
|230,212
|326,972
|503,100
|702,206
|style='background: #ffffe6; |800,001
|x
|81.28%
|85.25%
|88.35%
|90.63%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |91.87%
|-
|Total
|77,004
|283,229
|383,545
|569,463
|774,769
|style='background: #ffffe6; |870,781
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |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.
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.
Las Milpas, previously unincorporated, was annexed by Pharr in 1987.
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.
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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
{| class=wikitable
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| Position
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| Name
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| Party
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| County Judge
| Richard Cortez
| Democratic
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Commissioner, Precinct 1
| David Fuentes
| Democratic
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Commissioner, Precinct 2
| Eduardo "Eddie" Cantu
| Democratic
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Commissioner, Precinct 3
| Everardo Villareal
| Democratic
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Commissioner, Precinct 4
| Ellie Torres
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Criminal District Attorney
| Toribio "Terry" Palacios
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| District Clerk
| Laura Hinojosa
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| County Clerk
| Arturo Guajardo, Jr.
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Sheriff
| J.E. "Eddie" Guerra
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Tax Assessor-Collector
| Pablo "Paul" Villarreal
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Treasurer
| Lita Leo
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Constable, Precinct 1
| Celestino Avila, Jr.
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Constable, Precinct 2
| Martin Cantu
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Constable, Precinct 3
| Lazaro Gallardo, Jr.
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Constable, Precinct 4
| Atanacio "J.R." Gaitan
| Democratic
|-
|-
| style="background:blue;"|
| Constable, Precinct 5
| Danny Marichalar
| Democratic
|-
|}
Education
The following school districts serve Hidalgo County:
- 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.
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. 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.
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.
The Southern Cattle Tick (Rhipicephalus microplus) is invasive here.
Media
Newspapers
- The Community Press
- The Valley Town Crier
- The Monitor
- The Mercedes Enterprise
- RGV Business Journal
- The Progress Times
- Texas Border Business
- Mega Doctor News
Radio stations
- KGBT 98.5 FM
- KYWW 1530 AM
- KBTQ 96.1 FM
- KFRQ 94.5 FM
- KKPS 99.5 FM
- KNVO 101.1 FM
- KVLY 107.9 FM
- KURV 710 AM
- KVMV 96.9 FM
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- KQXX 105.5 FM
Magazine
- Contempo Magazine
Communities
Cities
- Alamo
- Alton
- Donna
- Edcouch
- Edinburg
- Elsa
- Granjeno
- Hidalgo
- La Joya
- La Villa
- McAllen
- Mercedes
- Mission
- Palmhurst
- Palmview
- Peñitas
- Pharr
- Progreso
- Progreso Lakes
- San Juan
- Sullivan City
- Weslaco
Census-designated places
- Abram
- César Chávez
- Citrus City
- Cuevitas
- Doffing
- Doolittle
- Harding Gill Tract
- Hargill
- Havana
- Heidelberg
- Indian Hills
- La Blanca
- La Coma Heights
- La Homa
- Laguna Seca
- Linn
- Llano Grande
- Lopezville
- Los Ebanos
- Midway North
- Midway South
- Mila Doce
- Monte Alto
- Muniz
- Murillo
- North Alamo
- Olivarez
- Palmview South
- Perezville
- Relampago
- Salida del Sol Estates
- San Carlos
- Scissors
- South Alamo
- Villa Verde
- West Sharyland
Former census-designated places
- Alton North (annexed to Alton)
- Faysville (annexed to Edinburg in 2015)
Unincorporated community
- McCook
See also
- List of museums in South Texas
- List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hidalgo County, Texas
- Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Hidalgo County
References
External links
- Historic photos of Hidalgo County hosted by the Portal to Texas History
- Hidalgo County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties