With 19,868 people, Port Lavaca is a metro area. That puts it in the top 4% of US metro areas for household income. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 20% of adults. Owners hold 77% of the housing stock. The typical home is worth $171,200, having roughly tripled since 2000. There are 39 people per square mile.
At a glance
Average income
median household income $79,959, near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
20% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 83%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Port Lavaca
What changed most since 1990
Poverty rate18.7% → 7.7%(−11.0 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Median household income (2024 dollars)$54,496 → $79,959(+47%)US over the same years: +14%
Adults with a bachelor's degree10.1% → 20.1%(+9.9 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
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)22.1%(291)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)25.8%(339)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.7%(482)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.2%(29)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II6.4%(84)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 1,314 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
Over time
Port Lavaca, decade by decade
Port Lavaca population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
19,053
$54,496
$105,603
10.1%
66.5
2000
20,647
$65,305
$93,633
12.1%
69.8
2010
21,381
$62,230
$129,184
14.7%
71.5
2020
20,106
$69,292
$142,293
17.5%
72.8
2024
19,868
$79,959
$171,200
20.1%
73.2
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
