The purpose of this chapter is to provide the most recent available demographic and economic data for the City of Harlingen as of September 2001. The source of the most recent population data is the 2000 Census by the U.S. Census Bureau. Not all 2000 Census reports are available as of September 2001; additional demographic data will be available in 2002 as reports are issued. Economic data are available from a variety of sources and time horizons. The source and effective date for economic data are documented in the narrative and tables in this chapter.

Location

The City of Harlingen is in the western part of Cameron County in South Texas as shown in Figure 2-1. Cameron County is bordered by Hidalgo County to the west, Willacy County to the north, the Gulf of Mexico to the east and the Rio Grande River and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas to the south. Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy Counties together comprise the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of Texas, commonly referred to as "the Valley." The City's nearest large neighbors within Cameron County are the City of San Benito immediately to the southeast and the town of La Feria approximately three miles to the west.

Geographic Levels

Demographic data are available at differing levels of geography depending on their source. When not available at the level of the City of Harlingen, data are presented for the Zip Codes encompassing Harlingen, or for Cameron County. When data are available at lower levels of geography, tables and maps illustrate data at the census tract or traffic analysis zones (TAZ) level. Census tracts are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county delineated by local participants as part of the U.S. Census Bureau 's Participant Statistical Areas Program. Census tracts generally have between 1,500 and 8,000 people. A TAZ is a statistical entity delineated by state and/or local transportation officials for tabulating traffic-related census data -especially journey-to-work and place-of-work statistics. A TAZ usually traverses one or more census blocks, block groups, or census tracts. Usually smaller than Census Tracts, they are used here to provide data for mapping at a finer level of detail.

The City of Harlingen defines a study area for planning purposes that includes the City and its five-mile extra-territorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Unlike the City limits, the limits of the ETJ are not recognized by the census bureau. Therefore, exact figures for population in the ETJ area are not available. In order to provide a regional perspective and include the Harlingen ETJ, data are provided for all tracts or TAZs that are completely or partially within the 5-mile ETJ limits. The area defined by TAZs is slightly different from that defined by Census Tracts. Although some census tracts extend beyond the study area, tracts were not divided, in order to facilitate comparison of data between years. Figure 2-2 illustrates the location of individual census tracts identified in the tables, while Figures 2-3a and 2-3b illustrate the location of TAZs.

History

Cameron County was established in 1848. Prior to that time, the area was a part of Nueces County. The county was named after Ewen Cameron, a Texas Independence war hero. Later, Willacy and Kenedy Counties were created out of the northern portions of Cameron County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Cameron County has increased from 8,541 persons in 1850 to 335,227 persons in 2000.

Harlingen began as small village in 1904 and was incorporated as a municipality in 1910. The City is named after a town in the Netherlands, Van Harlingen, which is similarly located on a coastal plane with many canals. The U.S. Census Bureau first reported the population of the City of Harlingen as 1,784 persons in 1920. According to the latest Census of Population and Housing, the population in April 2000 was 57,564 persons. The City believes this number to be an undercount of approximately 5,457 persons based on permits, annexation and electrical meter services. An appeal is pending.

Population

The population and growth rates for Cameron County and the City of Harlingen over the past 100 years are shown in Table 2-1. Growth rates include the percent change each decade (decennial) and the average annual percent change.

Table 2-1
HISTORICAL POPULATION OF
CAMERON COUNTY AND CITY OF HARLINGEN
1900-2000
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

* Harlingen Air Force Base closed during this decade.
   Source:  1990 Census of Population and Housing, UTPA CEED State Data Center Affiliate & Census 2000 Profiles of General
   Demographic Characteristics [Texas] / prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau, 2001

Population Growth

The City of Harlingen began significant growth around 1927. The population increased more than five fold from 1,784 persons in 1920 to 12,124 persons in 1930. The City's early growth years slowed with the Depression era of the 1930's. The population increased 9.7 percent to 13,306 persons in 1940.

World War II (WWII) and the post war years brought an increase in the growth rate for the City of Harlingen. Early in WWII, the U.S. Army Air Corps established an Air Field at Harlingen to train aerial gunners. The City's population increased 74.6 percent to 23,229 persons in 1950. By 1960 the population in Harlingen had increased an additional 77.4 percent to 41,207 persons. However, the Air Force base was closed in 1963. The local economy was significantly impacted by the base closure, and the population of the city fell 18.7 percent to 33,503 persons by 1970. Today, the area of the former base is home to the Valley International Airport, the Marine Military Academy, and Texas State Technical College.

Over the past three decades, the City of Harlingen has established a more diverse economy including commerce, industry, government, education, agriculture, tourism, and medicine. The population in 1980 was 43,543 persons, a 30 percent increase over 1970. During the next two decades, the City grew 12 percent to 48,735 persons in 1990 and 18 percent to 57,564 persons in 2000. The average annual growth rate since 1990 is 1.7 percent.

The City of Harlingen made up 17.2 percent of the population of Cameron County in 2000. Until 1963, the population of Harlingen was growing at a higher rate than Cameron County as a whole. Harlingen lost one-fifth of the population between 1960 and 1970. Since 1970, the growth rate for Harlingen has been lower than for Cameron County. The population of Harlingen increased 18.1 percent from 48,735 persons in 1990 to 57,564 persons in 2000. The population of Cameron County increased 28.9 percent during the last decade, from 260,120 persons in 1990 to 335,227 persons in 2000.

Cameron County represented 34.3 percent of the Lower Rio Grande Valley population in 2000. The four counties that make up the Valley are growing in population more rapidly than Cameron County, as shown in Table 2-2. The Valley had a population of 701,888 persons in 1990 and 978,369 persons in 2000, a 39.4 percent increase in ten years. This growth rate is double that of the city of Harlingen and much higher than the state growth rate of 22.8 percent per 10 years.

Table 2-2
GROWTH OF HARLINGEN COMPARED TO COUNTY, REGION AND STATE
1990-2000

The population density for Cameron County and the City of Harlingen for 1990 and 2000 are shown in Table 2-3. The total area of each jurisdiction includes land area and water area.

The city limits of the City of Harlingen were revised between 1990 and 2000. The land area increased from 26.9 to 34.1 square miles, a 27.1 percent increase. Population increased 18 percent during the same 10-year period. The population density for the City of Harlingen was 1,810 persons per square mile of land area in 1990 and 1,690 persons per square mile of land area in 2000. Since population did not increase as much as land area, population density actually decreased 7 percent.

Table 2-3
AREA AND POPULATION DENSITY FOR CAMERON COUNTY
AND CITY OF HARLINGEN
1990-2000
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

The characteristics of census tracts that represent the city limits of Harlingen and the surrounding areas are presented in Table 2-4. Census tract boundaries are not always consistent with city limits. Table 2-4 documents the population and land area (square miles) of each census tract included in the study area for Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan. The portion of each tract that is within the city limits of Harlingen is shown as a percent for population and for land area.

The total population of all tracts wholly or partially in the study area is 137,875 persons, of which 57,564 persons, or 41.8 percent, are within the City of Harlingen. The total land area of these tracts is 519.3 square miles, of which 34.1 square miles, or 6.5 percent, are in the City of Harlingen.

Table 2-4 also includes population density (persons per square mile) by census tract for the metropolitan planning area. Figure 2-4 illustrates population density by TAZ for the City of Harlingen and surrounding areas. TAZs are generally smaller and contained within census tract boundaries. Population and population density by TAZ (subdivided, when applicable, into the portion in or outside a city, town or Census-designated place) are included with this document as Appendix 2-1.

Population Growth by Census Tract

Population and decennial population growth for 1980, 1990, and 2000 by census tract for the metropolitan planning area including the City of Harlingen are shown in Table 2-5. Between 1990 and 2000, census tract 119 was subdivided into three smaller tracts, and between 1980 and 1990 census tracts 120.01 and 120.02 were combined to a larger census tract 120. Figure 2-5 illustrates the population growth for census tracts between 1990 and 2000.

Population Projections

The Texas State Data Center (TxSDC) projects population for each county in Texas. The latest projections were made in May 2000 before the 2000 Census data were available. The TxSDC methodology involves a cohort-component projection technique. As the name implies, the basic characteristics of this technique are the use of separate cohorts (in this case racial and ethnic groups) and the separate projection of each of the major components of population change (fertility, mortality and migration--for each of the cohorts).

TxSDC publishes four different scenarios. Each scenario assumes the same set of mortality and fertility assumptions but differs in assumptions relative to net migration. The net migration assumptions for the first three scenarios are derived from 1980-1990 patterns. The zero migration scenario (Scenario 0.0) assumes that inmigration and outmigration are equal (i.e. net migration is zero) resulting in growth only through natural increase. The one-half 1980-1990 migration scenario (Scenario 0.5) assumes rates of net migration are one-half of those in the 1980s. The 1980-1990 migration scenario (Scenario 1.0) assumes that the trends of the 1980s will characterize those occurring in the future in Texas.

Table 2-4
POPULATION AND POPULATION DENSITY BY CENSUS TRACT
CITY OF HARLINGEN AND SURROUNDING AREA
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

The TxSDC population projections for Cameron County are shown in Table 2-6 in five-year increments from 1990 to 2030 for each of the four scenarios. The actual population for Cameron County in 2000 was 335,227 and corresponds most closely to Scenario 1.0.

Table 2-6
POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR CAMERON COUNTY
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

All the population projections for the City of Harlingen are based on TxSDC Scenario 1.0 for Cameron County. This is the scenario that most accurately projected 2000 population and is currently used by the Texas Department of Transportation for the update to the Statewide Plan for 2025. However, since 1970 the growth rate for Harlingen has been lower than that of Cameron County. In each of the past two decades, the City of Harlingen's decennial population growth rate has been 50 percent to 65 percent that of Cameron County (see Table 2-1)

The TxSDC does not produce projections for cities. To estimate future population for the metropolitan planning area and City of Harlingen, a range of three projections (low-medium-high) are based on TxSDC Scenario 1.0 for Cameron County. The low growth projection assumes the metropolitan planning area and the City of Harlingen will grow at 50 percent of the Scenario 1.0 growth rate for Cameron County. The medium growth projection assumes the metropolitan planning area and the City will grow at 65 percent of the Scenario 1.0 growth rate for Cameron County. The high growth projection assumes the Scenario 1.0 growth rate for Cameron County will also apply to the planning area and the City. Each projection starts with the actual 2000 census population. The low, medium, and high growth projections for every five years from 2000 to 2030 are shown in Tables 2-7, 2-8 and 2-9, respectively.

Table 2-7
LOW POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR
METROPOLITAN PLANNING AREA AND CITY OF HARLINGEN
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

Table 2-8
MEDIUM POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR
METROPOLITAN PLANNING AREA AND CITY OF HARLINGEN
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

Table 2-9
HIGH POPULATION PROJECTIONS FOR
METROPOLITAN PLANNING AREA AND CITY OF HARLINGEN
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

The characteristics of the population in the City of Harlingen include age, gender, race and ethnic origin, income status, and education attainment. Statistics for age, gender, race and ethnic origin are presented by TAZ in Appendix 1.

Age and Gender

The age and gender composition of the City of Harlingen for 1990 and 2000 is shown in Table 2-10. The proportion of males to females in Harlingen in 2000 is 48 percent to 52 percent.

The median age of the population of Harlingen is 31.8, slightly older than the county median age of 29.0 and comparable to the state median age of 32.3.

The age and gender characteristics for the City of Harlingen population in 2000 are portrayed graphically in the age-gender pyramid shown in Figure 2-6. Each horizontal level of the pyramid represents a different age group and the groups are divided with females on the right side and males on the left. The length of the horizontal bars indicates the number of persons in each age and gender group, as indicated by the scale along the bottom graduated in thousands of persons.

Table 2-10
AGE AND GENDER COMPOSITION FOR
CITY OF HARLINGEN - 2000 POPULATION
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

Table 2-6
AGE AND GENDER PYRAMID
CITY OF HARLINGEN - 2000 POPULATION
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

Source:  LKC Consulting Services, Inc. with data from US Census Bureau 2000 Census of Population and Housing Summary File 1.

Race and Ethnic Origin

Nearly three-quarters (72.8 percent) of the population of Harlingen is of Hispanic origin according to the 2000 Census. This represents an increase from 70.6 percent in 1990. The federal government considers race and Hispanic origin to be two separate and distinct concepts. Of the population of 57,564 persons, 78.7 percent are white, 0.9 percent black or African-American, 0.9 percent Asian and 0.5 percent American-Indian. Another 2.6 percent of the population are of two or more races, and 16.4 percent are of "some other race." Almost all persons who are of some other race are also of Hispanic origin. This presumably reflects the Census Bureau practice of assigning write-in race entries such as Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban to the "some other race" category. A profile of the 2000 population of Harlingen by race and ethnic origin is provided as Table 2-11.

Table 2-11
CITY OF HARLINGEN RACE/HISPANIC ORIGIN
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

In 1990, 14,242 persons lived below the poverty level in the City of Harlingen, 30 percent of the total the population of 48,735 persons. This percentage is lower than the percent of persons living below the poverty level for Cameron County as a whole (39 percent), but higher than the percent of persons living below the poverty level for the State of Texas (18 percent).

According to data from the 1997 Economic Census by the U.S. Census Bureau, 34 percent of persons in Cameron County and 16 percent of persons in the State of Texas were living below the poverty level. These data for Harlingen from the 2000 Census will be available in 2002.

Median Annual Income

Median household income for Harlingen was $20,858 in 1990, compared to $17,336 for Cameron County and $27,016 for the State of Texas. According to data from the 1997 Economic Census by the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income was $21,699 for Cameron County (an increase of 25.2 percent since 1990) and $34,478 for the State of Texas. Median household income data for Harlingen will be available from the 2000 Census in 2002.

Spanish Speaking

SOf the total population of 48,735 in the City of Harlingen in 1990, 28,465 persons, or 58.4 percent, spoke Spanish at home. Of those who spoke Spanish at home, 4,919 felt they spoke English "not well or not well at all." These statistics from the 2000 Census will be available in 2002.

Educatinal Attainment

In 1990, 59.4 percent of persons 18 years and older in Harlingen had a high school diploma or equivalent. Statistics on educational achievement from the 2000 Census will be available in 2002.

Households

The total number of households in the City of Harlingen in 2000 was 19,021, an increase of 3,566, or 23 percent, over 1990. A household includes all of the people who occupy a housing unit. People not living in households are classified by the census as living in group quarters. Statistics and details for population in households for each TAZ are provided in Chapter 11 and associated Appendix 11-1.

Household Characteristics

Of the 19,021 households in Harlingen in 2000, 14,358 were family households and 4,663 were non-family households, as shown in Table 2-12 and Figure 2-7. The census defines as a family household as one where one or more one or more people who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption live. Family households comprised 75.5 percent of all households. A non-family household is a householder living alone or with non-relatives only. The average household size is 2.9 persons, and the average family size is 3.4 persons. Demographic characteristics for family households in Harlingen are provided as Table 2-12.

Families are classified by type as either a "married-couple family" or an "other family" according to the presence of a spouse. "Other family'' is further broken out according to the sex of the householder. Of all family households in Harlingen, 10,576 are married couples, and 3,088 are female householder (no husband present). The remaining family households (694) are not defined by census reports, but may be households with no wife present.

Family households with children under 18 years of age represent 7,339, or 51.1 percent of all family households. There are a total of 8,331 households with children under 18 years of age. Of all householders reporting, 5,732 said persons 65 years of age and older lived in the household.

More detailed household characteristics will be available in 2002 when the results of the 2000 Census sample are made public. Detailed household characteristics at the place level will be available between March and May of 2002. The Census Bureau anticipates releasing tract and block group level data between June and September 2002.

Table 2-12
CITY OF HARLINGEN PROFILES OF GENERAL DEMOGRAPHIC
CHARACTERISTICS 2000
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

Table 2-7
AGE AND GENDER PYRAMID
CITY OF HARLINGEN - 2000 POPULATION
Harlingen's Vision 2020 Comprehensive Plan
Harlingen, Texas

Source: LKC Consulting Services, Inc. from 2000 Census of Population and Housing Profiles of General Demographic Characteristics