Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,897, settled in 1901.
Zapata gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $125K, 3.2 years of the Zapata area’s $39K median household income. It grades C− overall, 348th of 640 graded towns in Texas. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $45K, and 32% of residents live below the poverty line, and CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 85% of the country. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Zapata, above both the Texas town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 41 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do worse.
Where Zapata beats most towns.
Where Zapata’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Zapata is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for jobs and income (better than 15%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,400 in 1950, 5,383 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
Zapata is unincorporated, so Zapata County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Zapata.
Zapata carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Texas (mostly cold waves) and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Homes are within reach (about $125K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 47 miles. The typical value, about $125K, is 30% below its August 2022 peak.
Typical home values fell 5.2% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Zapata County ISD. One of its 4 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 730 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $247 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Zapata’s FEMA risk score is 3 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Zapata | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bravo Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 2. Zapata County Courthouse Plaza | 0.3 mi | 1 |
| 3. Zapata Sesquicentennial Trail Park | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The nearest emergency room, Starr County Memorial Hospital, is 44 miles away in a straight line. Against the 4,177 U.S. towns with household incomes like Zapata’s, it is less healthy than 51%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
35% of Zapata adults say their health is fair or poor. Zapata beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 20% of Zapata adults have diabetes.
| Zapata | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 30% | 25% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 18% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Zapata | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.3% | 6.1% |
| More uninsured adults | 37.1% | 19.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 1,711 in 2013 to 868.
Most working residents leave Zapata for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2013, Zapata has lost 843 jobs, to 868 in 2023. The top destinations are Laredo (29%), Falcon Lake Estates (6%) and McAllen (5%).
| Zapata | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $45,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9% | 9.7% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
32.5% of residents live below the poverty line, against 13.8% across Texas, which weighs on its D for jobs and income. The median household earns $45,488, against $78,476 across Texas.
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 20% of residents (13% statewide). 30% of residents are under 18 in Zapata. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.
| Zapata | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 30% | 26% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 14% | 18% |
| Median age | 38.5 years | 35.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 23% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Zapata | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 15.6% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.5% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.8% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.8% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.6% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 20.5% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 13% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.6% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,900, single groups can be off by several points
The Zapata 1 S weather station records that about 172 days a year reach 90°, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. January nights average 47.1°, milder than in 98% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 99.5°.
The July high in Zapata is 100°F. Zapata has warm winters and hot summers, with very little rain. The January low in Zapata is 47°F.
| Zapata | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 100°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 47°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Zapata; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Zapata residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
CDP in Texas, United States
Zapata is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Zapata County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,383 at the 2020 census. As an unincorporated community, Zapata has no municipal government, but like all 254 Texas counties has four elected county commissioners chosen by single-member districts and a countywide elected administrative judge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Zapata.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapata | #348 | C− | A− | — | C− | C− |
| Falcon Mesa | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Medina | #469 | D | A | — | C− | D− |
| Falcon Lake Estates | — | — | C− | — | C− | D− |
Falcon Lake Estates has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Zapata, Medina and Falcon Lake Estates report no FBI crime data of their own. Falcon Mesa isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Zapata with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Zapata grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #348 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.