Palmview has lower household incomes than 93% of U.S. towns
Only 4% work in Palmview; the top destination outside it is McAllen (21%, 8 miles). Below the poverty line: 30.8% of residents, next to 13.8% across Texas. The two grades for Palmview are C− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Palmview in brief
Jobs in Palmview have more than doubled in ten years
Jobs based in Palmview went from 1,344 in 2013 to 2,701 in 2023, +101%. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Palmview pay little
35% of the jobs based in Palmview pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. The jobs ↓
Fewer than half of Palmview workers earn over $40,000 a year
38% of Palmview’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 23% earn $1,250 a month or less. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Palmview are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 27 across Texas. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Texas worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; a jump in jobs can partly be a big employer changing how it reports its locations.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Palmview
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Palmview is better than 22% of U.S. towns, #499 of 642 in Texas. Job access by car holds Palmview’s grade up (ahead of 75% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Palmview could be anywhere from D to C+.
Inside Palmview’s 2,701 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Palmview, 2013 → 2023: 1,344 → 2,701. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Palmview’s own residents hold wherever they work.
About 20 minutes each way, quicker than most of Texas
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Palmview workers work from home, vs 14% across Texas. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,235 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Texas: 83% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How a workday changes Palmview
On a workday 4,996 residents head out to work, 218 work right here, and 2,483 people come in from elsewhere.
About 13,000 people are in Palmview on a workday afternoon, 16% fewer than live here.
0.52 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Palmview’s working residents head each day
Where Palmview clocks in
21% of workers
14% of workers
10% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Half of Palmview commutes less than 11 miles
About 21% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Palmview, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Palmview is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns, #401 of 642 in Texas. Both inputs place Palmview near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 5,794 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 4.9% of Palmview households have no vehicle (Texas 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Palmview’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 11,000 to 21,000, Palmview ranks 1,812th of 2,109 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 4 | Trophy Club TX | 13,695 | $201K | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 26 | Lantana TX | 12,766 | $199K | 0.6% | 2.9% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 58 | Bellaire TX | 17,434 | $244K | 2.4% | 3.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,810 | McKinleyville CA | 17,113 | $73K | 14.2% | 7.9% | 16% | C− |
| 1,811 | Lebanon OR | 20,267 | $63K | 17.8% | 5.8% | 19% | C− |
| 1,812 | Palmview TX | 15,878 | $44K | 30.8% | 5.1% | 4% | C− |
| 1,813 | Cambridge Township OH | 13,836 | $50K | 22.9% | 4.0% | 35% | C− |
| 1,814 | Hereford TX | 14,976 | $57K | 15.7% | 4.1% | 28% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,109 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Palmview, the top three, the last and three more from Texas.
Next door is work for 14% of Palmview
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Palmview workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmview | – | C− | C+ | 20 min | $43,963 |
| La Homa | under 2% | D | C− | 24 min | $36,895 |
| Abram | under 2% | C− | D− | 21 min | $58,846 |
| Doffing | under 2% | C+ | D− | 21 min | $32,318 |
| Palmview South | under 2% | C− | B+ | 18 min | $29,167 |
| Mission | 14% | C | B− | 21 min | $60,767 |
| Perezville | under 2% | C+ | B− | 23 min | $47,836 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Mission. Darker towns draw more of Palmview’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Palmview: questions
What is the median household income in Palmview?
$43,963 (±$12,140) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $78,476 across Texas and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Palmview?
30.8%, against 13.8% across Texas and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Palmview?
20 minutes each way on average, against 27 across Texas and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Palmview work?
4% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are McAllen (21%, 8 mi), Mission (14%, 4 mi), Edinburg (10%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Palmview walkable?
Palmview is more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 6.6 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Palmview without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Palmview, from the people who make the trip.
More of Palmview
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.