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South Padre Island, TX

This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.





Overview


South Padre Island is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Texas. With a population of 2,056 people and just one neighborhood, South Padre Island is the 635th largest community in Texas.

South Padre Island home prices are not only among the most expensive in Texas, but South Padre Island real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Occupations and Workforce

South Padre Island is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 92.32% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, South Padre Island is a town of professionals, managers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in South Padre Island who work in food service (16.67%), management occupations (14.55%), and healthcare (10.45%).

Also of interest is that South Padre Island has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that South Padre Island has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Of important note, South Padre Island is also a town of artists. South Padre Island has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape South Padre Island’s character.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 20.25% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Setting & Lifestyle

Another notable thing is that South Padre Island is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.

One of the nice things about South Padre Island is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 16.70 minutes getting to work every day.

South Padre Island is a small town, and as such doesn't have a public transit system that people use to get to and from their jobs every day.

Demographics

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to South Padre Island, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. South Padre Island is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 53.74% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in South Padre Island in 2022 was $52,745, which is wealthy relative to Texas and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $210,980 for a family of four. However, South Padre Island contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

South Padre Island is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call South Padre Island home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of South Padre Island residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. South Padre Island also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 20.49% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in South Padre Island include English, German, Irish, Scottish, and French.

The most common language spoken in South Padre Island is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in South Padre Island, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.

Real Estate

is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.

In addition, vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 80.1% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 99.9% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.

Length of Commute

Whether walking, biking, riding, or driving, the length of one's commute is an important factor for one's quality of life. The neighborhood stands out for its commute length, according to NeighborhoodScout's analysis. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 71.4% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.

Modes of Transportation

More people in choose to walk to work each day (15.5%) than almost any neighborhood in America. If you are attracted to the idea of being able to walk to work, this neighborhood could be a good choice.

Also, would you like to be able to ride your bike to work? If you are attracted to the idea of getting a little exercise of the two-wheeled type while reducing your carbon footprint, bicycling to work might be the answer. But which neighborhood you live in can make this either impossible, or alternatively, a great and realistic option. NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that the neighborhood is a fantastic option for bicycle commuters, as 3.3% of commuters here do ride their bikes to and from work on a daily basis. This is a higher amount than we found in 96.4% of the neighborhoods in America.

People

If you're nearing retirement age, or in retirement, the is an excellent choice for you to consider for top-quality retirement living. This neighborhood is rated by NeighborhoodScout as among the top 9.2% of retiree-friendly neighborhoods in Texas, combining peace and quiet, safety from crime, and offering diverse housing options from which retirees can choose. Maybe it's because of these amenities that a large proportion of the residents here are college educated seniors, mixed with other age groups. For these and other reasons, NeighborhoodScout identifies this neighborhood as a top-notch place to consider if you are thinking of or planning to retire in Texas.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Romanian and English ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 2.2% of this neighborhood's residents have Romanian ancestry and 20.5% have English ancestry.

The Neighbors

There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in South Padre Island are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 66.5% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 42.6% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 90.6% of U.S. neighborhoods.

The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.

In the neighborhood, 59.8% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 28.9% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (8.2%), and 3.3% in government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions.

Languages

The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 84.0% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the neighborhood in South Padre Island, TX, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (20.5%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (17.2%), and residents who report Mexican roots (16.0%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (6.4%), along with some French ancestry residents (5.1%), among others. In addition, 12.4% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (71.4% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (59.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (15.5%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.


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Economics & Demographics include:
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Household Types
Commute To Work
Migration & Mobility
Race & Ethnic Diversity
Employment Industries & Occupations
Income & Unemployment Rate
Higher Education Attainment
Crime includes:
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Schools include:
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