Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Weslaco earns a D−, ranked 608th of 640 in Texas, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 90% of U.S. towns, with 148 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 62% of U.S. towns. Weslaco’s January low is 51°F, where Texas’ towns sit at 37°F and U.S. towns at 22°F. Weslaco's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Cortez Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places.
35,670 counted in 2010 and 40,160 in 2020; an estimated 44,203 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 10% since 2020, after 12.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Weslaco is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 4,879 in 1930, 40,160 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1939 and 4 maps from 1956 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Weslaco, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Weslaco.
Weslaco has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and has home values climbing faster than Texas’s, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
13 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Weslaco’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Harlon Block Sports Complex, at 61 acres.
| Weslaco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Judge Gilbert Garza Park | 0.9 mi | 46 |
| 2. Mayor Pablo Peña Park | 0.9 mi | 43 |
| 3. Frontera Audubon | 0.9 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Weslaco ISD. Two of its 27 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial ElLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 1,109 | B+ |
| Weslaco H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,699 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 1,880 to 1,340 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Weslaco is 26.7 per 1,000 residents. Weslaco reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. The violent crime rate in Weslaco is 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Weslaco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 26.7 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
35% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Weslaco. Weslaco beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 32% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Weslaco.
| Weslaco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 20% | 14% |
| What stands out | Weslaco | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 34.9% | 19.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Home values rose 32% in five years, to about $175K, against 10% across Texas.
The typical Weslaco home is worth about $175,000, down 1.5% in a year, 41% below the Texas typical home. 56% of Weslaco households own their home.
| Weslaco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $967 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 50.6°, milder than in 99% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 96.7°.
Weslaco has warm winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Weslaco’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Weslaco grew to 21,117 in 2023, 3,725 more than in 2013. The top destinations are McAllen (12%), Edinburg (7%) and Harlingen (6%).
| Weslaco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
396 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 70 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 396 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Weslaco.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Weslaco. Close and well known come first.
13 mi Stadium & arenaBert Ogden Arena
36 mi LandmarkFort Brown
35 mi Zoo & aquariumGladys Porter Zoo
16 mi Stadium & arenaPayne Arena
33 mi National Historical ParkPalo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park169K visitors a yearBert Ogden Arena: Wikidude10000, CC0 · Fort Brown: Pi3.124, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gladys Porter Zoo: Jc161991, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Payne Arena: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park: Schmorleitz, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Weslaco; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Weslaco residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
9 notable people were born in Weslaco.
City in Texas, United States
Weslaco ( WESS-lə-koh) is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 41,103, Studies from 2023 show the population is 43,053 and in 2020 the estimated population was 40,160. It is at the southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border, across the Rio Grande from the city of Nuevo Progreso, Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. Weslaco derives its name from the W.E. Stewart Land Company. It was the hometown of Harlon Block, one of the Marines photographed raising the flag at Iwo Jima, and of film and television actor David Spielberg.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Weslaco.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weslaco | #608 | D− | C | D | C+ | C− |
| Llano Grande | — | — | A+ | — | C+ | C− |
| Midway South | — | — | A− | — | C | D− |
| Midway North | #442 | C− | B+ | — | C | C− |
| Mila Doce | #452 | D | A+ | — | C+ | D− |
| Mercedes | #626 | D− | B− | D | C | D |
Llano Grande and Midway South have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Llano Grande, Midway South, Midway North and Mila Doce report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Weslaco with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Weslaco grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #608 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($54,338 across the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
9 notable people were born here, including David Spielberg and Omar Figueroa.
