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COUNTY

Matagorda County

Texas · 36,463 residents (2025 est.) · 1,093 sq mi
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The short version

Matagorda County is a county of 36,329 people in Texas. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 22% of adults. The typical home is worth $172,900, having roughly tripled since 2000. There are 33 people per square mile. Households here earn about 25% less than in Texas as a whole. 20.7% of residents live below the federal poverty line.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 67%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
36,329
−4%since 2000
from 37,957 in 2000
36,463 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
33 / sq mi
−2%since 2009
from 34 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.8
+9%since 2000
from 34.8 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
1,093 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
36K37K37K38K38K19902000201020202024Matagorda County
202436K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.9%(2,497)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97%(2,533)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.2%(2,600)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.3%(2,295)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246%(2,166)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413%(4,711)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.8%(4,278)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.5%(3,805)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.3%(4,837)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.1%(4,048)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.8%(2,115)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.2%(444)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$58,628
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $32,174 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,494
+107%since 2000
from $15,709 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
36.7%
+11.0 ptssince 2009
from 25.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
20.7%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 18.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.465
−1%since 2010
from 0.469 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade13.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade13.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Information12%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance9.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing7.2%
US avg: 1.6%
Education & health services5.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Construction5.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Other services3.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration2.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Manufacturing2%
US avg: 0.4%
Arts, entertainment, food1.3%
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$172,900
+67%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $56,700 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$999
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $411 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
68.1%
+1.3 ptssince 2000
from 66.8% in 2000
31.9% rent
Vacancy rate
19.0%
−8.8 ptssince 2009
from 27.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.33 people
−10%since 2009
from 2.60 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.2%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.4%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 40.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.9
+60%since 2009
from 1.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
57
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic52.4%(19,900)
Black12.6%(4,778)
Hispanic / Latino31.3%(11,898)
Asian2.3%(891)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic41.4%(15,025)
Black9.7%(3,511)
Hispanic / Latino43.7%(15,889)
Asian1.6%(594)
Other3.6%(1,310)
Diversity Score
78
+1%since 2009
from 78 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
32
−2%since 2020
from 33 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican38.9%(14,130)
Spaniard0.9%(313)
Puerto Rican0.4%(144)
Salvadoran0.3%(108)
Argentine0.2%(67)
Honduran0.2%(60)
Venezuelan0.1%(46)
Cuban0.1%(32)
Panamanian0.1%(22)
Asian origin
Vietnamese0.9%(318)
Asian Indian0.6%(216)
Filipino0.3%(91)
Japanese0%(13)
Korean0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German11.5%(4,177)
English8.3%(3,015)
Irish6.6%(2,383)
American4.3%(1,545)
French2.4%(860)
Czech2.2%(798)
Italian1.9%(705)
Scottish0.9%(313)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(298)
Norwegian0.5%(185)
Polish0.5%(164)
+ 20 more ancestry groups with data
British0.3%(98)
Welsh0.2%(81)
Dutch0.2%(78)
Swedish0.2%(59)
Arab0.1%(52)
Hungarian0.1%(49)
Lebanese0.1%(48)
Danish0.1%(37)
Greek0.1%(35)
Turkish0.1%(25)
West Indian0.1%(24)
Jamaican0.1%(24)
Nigerian0.1%(20)
Finnish0%(18)
Croatian0%(13)
Romanian0%(13)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
22.2%
+9.7 ptssince 2000
from 12.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
81.0%
+10.7 ptssince 2000
from 70.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
8.0%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 3.0% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.0 min
+40%since 2000
from 17.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
77.9%
+3.6 ptssince 2009
from 74.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
13.6%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 17.6% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.8%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
6.1%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 3.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.9%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 3.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.0%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.6% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
8.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 10.2% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
60.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 61.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.0%
+5.7 ptssince 2020
from 68.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.7%
−5.0 ptssince 2009
from 16.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
30.4%
+5.4 ptssince 2009
from 25.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.9%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Female
51.1%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Foreign born
11.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.7% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
8.0%
−3.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
17.5%
+2.8 ptssince 2012
from 14.7% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
17.9%
−8.4 ptssince 2013
from 26.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
86.0%
+25.9 ptssince 2017
from 60.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
94.7%
+8.6 ptssince 2020
from 86.1% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
87.1%
−2.3 ptssince 2020
from 89.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
72.8%
+1.4 ptssince 2016
from 71.4% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
24.9%
−1.1 ptssince 2016
from 26.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35%(5,024)
Married54%(7,738)
Widowed2.2%(314)
Divorced8.8%(1,261)
Women 15+
Never married24.6%(3,530)
Married54.8%(7,870)
Widowed9.1%(1,303)
Divorced11.6%(1,659)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
17.9%
−8.4 ptssince 2013
from 26.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
48.2%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 48.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
11.8%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 10.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.1%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 18.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 20.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
3.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 3.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
56.8%
−0.9 ptssince 2020
from 57.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
37.5%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 36.6% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)24.1%(519)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)10.2%(219)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era46.1%(991)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.4%(94)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,151 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Matagorda County

Franklin County
Pop 36,916
Marion County
Pop 36,382
Union County
Pop 36,926
Independence County
Pop 38,785
Places similar to Matagorda County
Head to head

Compare Matagorda County to nearby counties

MATAGORDA COUNTY VS
Wharton County
Income$66,924+14%
Home value$189,900+10%
Population42,060+15%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MATAGORDA COUNTY VS
Jackson County
Income$65,414+12%
Home value$203,900+18%
Population15,393−58%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MATAGORDA COUNTY VS
Calhoun County
Income$79,959+36%
Home value$171,200−1%
Population19,599−46%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MATAGORDA COUNTY VS
Brazoria County
Income$97,993+67%
Home value$301,600+74%
Population419,080+1049%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Matagorda County, Texas?

Matagorda County, Texas has about 36,329 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Matagorda County, Texas?

The typical household in Matagorda County, Texas earns about $58,628 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Matagorda County, Texas expensive?

In Matagorda County, Texas, the median home is worth about $172,900, and the typical rent is about $999 a month.

How educated are people in Matagorda County, Texas?

About 22.2% of adults age 25 and over in Matagorda County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Matagorda County, Texas?

About 20.7% of people in Matagorda County, Texas live below the federal poverty line.

Has Matagorda County, Texas grown since 1990?

Yes, Matagorda County, Texas has shrunk since 1990. The population has lost about 599 residents, a change of about -2 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

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