Population & age
- Total population
- 363
- Median age
- 51.3
Ben Bolt, TX (78342)
Jim Wells County · Population 363
Fresh.Data current as of Apr 23, 2026
Ben Bolt, TX (ZIP 78342) sits in Jim Wells County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: Health Insurance comes in above the national average at 39.3%. NCES lists 2 schools serving the area, 2 non-charter. 1 college or university serves the area, with median in-state tuition of $9,892. BLS QCEW reports average annual pay of $47,794 per worker, roughly 27% below the US average. CDC's Social Vulnerability Index places this ZIP in the 88th percentile nationally — a highly vulnerable community profile. FEMA has issued 30 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1967 — a high-frequency exposure profile. County Health Rankings reports 14,382 years of potential life lost per 100,000 (2025) — well above the national county median. Fast-food restaurants outnumber grocery stores roughly 4-to-1 per capita (USDA Food Environment Atlas) — a "food swamp" pattern often linked to higher diet-related disease prevalence. Texas has no state income tax (Tax Foundation 2025). New residents arriving here predominantly come from Nueces County, TX (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Both healthcare access and on-paper school density skew lighter than national norms; what shows up here is a snapshot, not a verdict — neighborhood-level texture matters at this scale. Notable: median household income $50,125, fair market rent of $1,000 for a two-bedroom, and a median home value of $21,600. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
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Demographics
Race & ethnicity
- White
- 62.5%
- Black
- 0.0%
- Asian
- 0.0%
- Hispanic / Latino
- 100.0%
- Other / multi-racial
- 37.5%
Income & housing
- Median household income
- $50,125
- Median home value
- $21,600
Education
- Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)
- 12.6%
Employment
- Unemployment rate
- 0.0%
Housing
- Owner-occupied
- 56(50.9%)
- Renter-occupied
- 54(49.1%)
- Vacant units
- 0
- Built (median)
- 1979
Commute
- Public transit
- 0(0.0%)
- Work from home
- 0(0.0%)
- Avg commute
- 19.3 min
Economic wellbeing
- Below poverty line
- 66(18.2%)
- Uninsured
- 0(0.0%)
Digital access
- Broadband access
- 110(100.0%)
Language & nativity
- Foreign-born
- 16(4.4%)
- Non-English at home
- 200(63.1%)
Fair Market Rent
Fresh.HUD SAFMR · May 1, 2026Studio
$760
/month
1 Bed
$760
/month
2 Bed
$1,000
/month
3 Bed
$1,320
/month
4 Bed
$1,470
/month
HUD Fair Market Rents represent the 40th percentile of standard-quality rental housing in this area. FY2026 data.
New housing construction
New housing units permitted
4
Across 4 permitted buildings. Total construction value: $789,700.
Single-family
4
100% of total units
Multifamily (2+ unit)
0
0% of total units
Single-family value
$789,700
construction value
Multifamily value
$0
construction value
Based on county-level data (2024).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (census.gov/construction/bps). Public domain. BPS reports annual residential building permits from local permit-issuing jurisdictions, aggregated to county. A permit reflects intent to build, not a completed unit — actual construction lags by 6-24 months for multifamily projects.
Employment & wages
Average annual pay
$47,794
Average weekly wage
$919
Total employment
15,016
Total establishments
871
That is roughly 27% below the US national average of $65,470 per worker.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (bls.gov/cew). Public domain. QCEW is derived from state unemployment-insurance filings and covers ~95% of US jobs. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches; small-employer cells are suppressed by BLS to protect employer confidentiality.
Unemployment
Unemployment rate
5.2%
That is 1.2 percentage points above the US national unemployment rate of about 4.0%.
Labor force
15,710
Employed
14,897
Unemployed
813
Based on Jim Wells County, TX data (2024).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (bls.gov/lau). Public domain. LAUS publishes monthly and annual labor-force estimates for every US county. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches.
Federal Disaster Declarations
Federally Declared Disasters
30
Date Range
1967–2021
Most Recent Declaration
SEVERE WINTER STORMS
Severe Ice Storm — declared February 19, 2021 (DR-4586)
Incident period: February 11, 2021 – February 21, 2021
Top Incident Types
- Hurricane15 (50%)
- Flood4 (13%)
- Severe Storm3 (10%)
- Severe Ice Storm2 (7%)
- Biological2 (7%)
- Other4 (13%)
Individual Assistance
9
Direct help to disaster survivors
Households Program
5
Housing & temporary lodging support
Public Assistance
25
Repair of public facilities & roads
Hazard Mitigation
13
Funding to reduce future disaster risk
FEMA declares disasters at the county level; counts here include every federally declared disaster touching any county that overlaps this ZIP. Statewide declarations and pre-1964 records without county granularity are excluded. Program flags reflect which FEMA assistance categories were activated (Individual Assistance, Households, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation). Source: fema.gov/openfema. Public domain.
Climate
30-year averages (1991-2020) from the nearest GHCN-D weather station. Temperature and precipitation values reflect typical annual conditions, not any single year.
Avg. temperature
74°F
63.5° – 84.4°
Annual precipitation
27.1"
Annual snowfall
0.5"
Heating · cooling days
768.6 · 4,071.2
Annual base 65°F
Nearest station: ALICE, TX US, 4.7 miles from the centroid of Ben Bolt, TX (ZIP 78342)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals (ncei.noaa.gov). Public domain.
Community health profile
Years of potential life lost (per 100K)
14,382
That is roughly 6,182 years per 100,000 above the national county median (~8,200).
Premature death is the headline composite outcome CHR reports — age-adjusted, all-cause, before age 75.
Fair or poor health
29%
of adults self-report
Poor physical health days
5.1
avg per adult per month
Poor mental health days
5.7
avg per adult per month
Uninsured
19.0%
of residents under 65
Primary care MDs
31
per 100,000 residents
Preventable hospital stays
2,822
per 100K Medicare enrollees
Food environment (0-10)
5.8
10 = best access & security
Exercise access
48%
residents near a facility
Flu vaccinated
36%
of Medicare enrollees
Low birth weight (under 2,500 g) accounts for 9.6% of live births in this county — an early-life health input that downstream outcomes track against.
Based on Jim Wells data (2025 CHR release).
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (countyhealthrankings.org). Annual release. Underlying source datasets vary by measure (CDC BRFSS, NCHS Vital Statistics, AHA, USDA Food Environment Atlas, and others). Figures are county-level and assigned to every ZIP whose primary county matches.
Food access
Food access status
Moderate food access challenges
21.2% of Jim Wells County, TX residents live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.
Grocery stores
0.17
per 1,000 residents
Supercenters & clubs
—
per 1,000 residents
SNAP-authorized stores
1.36
accepting food benefits
Fast-food restaurants
0.69
per 1,000 residents
Among low-income residents, 9.7% are low-access — those without a supermarket within 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural).
Per-1,000 figures show how many of each store type exist in Jim Wells County, TX for every 1,000 residents. Higher grocery and supercenter density usually means easier access to fresh food; higher convenience-store-only density (with low grocery rate) often signals a food swamp.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Environment Atlas (ers.usda.gov). County-level metrics fanned to ZIP via the primary county in the Census ZCTA-county relationship file. Variable years differ per family (stores ~2020, low-access ~2019).
Safety
FBI publishes crime data at the county level. Numbers below cover the primary county that contains this ZIP. Rates are per 100,000 residents in the area covered by reporting agencies.
Violent crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 37 reports
Property crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 199 reports
Homicide
0
Robbery
0
Burglary
87
Vehicle theft
29
County-level data for Jim Wells (2024)
Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting Program (cde.ucr.cjis.gov). Public domain. Coverage varies by reporting agency; areas with partial agency coverage may understate true crime totals.
Who’s moving in and out
Net migration (2022-2023)
▼−49 people
−68 households • −$2.3M net AGI flow
Moved in
904households
1,889 people • $44.6M AGI
Moved out
972households
1,938 people • $46.8M AGI
Where new residents came from
- Nueces County, TX — 221 households
- Duval County, TX — 80 households
- Bexar County, TX — 56 households
- San Patricio County, TX — 40 households
- Kleberg County, TX — 38 households
Where departing residents went
- Nueces County, TX — 224 households
- Bexar County, TX — 92 households
- Duval County, TX — 84 households
- San Patricio County, TX — 43 households
- Kleberg County, TX — 35 households
Incoming households reported an average AGI of $49,310 versus departing households' $48,184.
Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income, Migration Data (irs.gov). Public domain. Migration is measured by year-over-year changes in the address on individual tax returns; figures are county-level totals attributed to ZIPs whose primary county matches. Foreign migration contributes to inflow/outflow totals but does not appear in the top-county lists. Small flows are suppressed by IRS to protect taxpayer confidentiality.
Taxes & benefits in Texas
State-level rules that apply to every resident of ZIP 78342. Numbers reflect the most recent published year per source.
Tax rates
Income tax
None
No state income tax
Sales tax (combined)
8.20%
State 6.25% · avg local 1.95%
Property tax (effective)
1.42%
Median $1,254/year
Tax burden rank
4 of 50
8.40% of personal income
For ZIP 78342: Applied to this ZIP's typical home value of $21,600, that works out to roughly $307/year in property tax.
Paid family leave
Program
Voluntary (private insurance framework)
Voluntary (private insurance framework)
Safety net
SNAP eligibility
165% FPL
Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (raises gross income limit above federal 130% floor). Asset limit $5,000.
Sources: Tax Foundation (state tax rates & brackets), Bipartisan Policy Center (paid family leave), USDA FNS (SNAP categorical eligibility).
Other ZIPs near 78342
Nearby ZIPs by distance
78332 (Alice, 5.7 mi) · 78330 (Agua Dulce, 11.3 mi) · 78343 (Bishop, 19.1 mi) · 78375 (Premont, 19.1 mi) · 78339 (Banquete, 19.6 mi) · 78351 (Driscoll, 19.8 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
Data sources used on this page
SourcesFresh.CDC PLACES · Apr 24, 2026Fresh.NCES CCD via Urban Institute EDP · Apr 23, 2026Fresh.HUD SAFMR · May 1, 2026
All data on this page is sourced from federal government datasets · Not AI-generated · Methodology
Health profile
Crude prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES, derived from BRFSS small-area modeling. Population-level figures only.
Obesity
43.4%
10.4pp above the 33.0% national rate.
High Blood Pressure
41.5%
9.5pp above the 32.0% national rate.
Depression
18.4%
3.6pp below the 22.0% national rate.
Annual Checkup
74.2%
Tracks close to the 76.0% national rate.
Health Insurance
39.3%
26.3pp above the 13.0% national rate.
Diabetes
22.7%
11.7pp above the 11.0% national rate.
Schools in this ZIP
2 schools serve this ZIP, including 2 non-charter.
| School | Type | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| BEN BOLT-PALITO BLANCO EL | Public | -1–6 | 274 |
| BEN BOLT-PALITO BLANCO H S | Public | 7–12 | 247 |
Schools listed from NCES Common Core of Data via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal.
Fresh.NCES CCD via Urban Institute EDP · Apr 23, 2026Colleges & universities nearby
Colleges in this area
1
Median in-state tuition
$9,892
Median earnings (10 yr)
$51,450
- 4-Year
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, TX · 78363
- In-state tuition
- $9,892
- Out-of-state tuition
- $25,746
- Acceptance rate
- 90.9%
- Graduation rate
- 43.6%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $51,450
- Median student debt
- $22,934
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov). Public domain data. Earnings figures reflect median earnings 10 years after entry for federally-aided students.
What these numbers say together
Ben Bolt, TX (ZIP 78342) sits in Jim Wells County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: Health Insurance comes in above the national average at 39.3%. NCES lists 2 schools serving the area, 2 non-charter. 1 college or university serves the area, with median in-state tuition of $9,892. BLS QCEW reports average annual pay of $47,794 per worker, roughly 27% below the US average. CDC's Social Vulnerability Index places this ZIP in the 88th percentile nationally — a highly vulnerable community profile. FEMA has issued 30 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1967 — a high-frequency exposure profile. County Health Rankings reports 14,382 years of potential life lost per 100,000 (2025) — well above the national county median. Fast-food restaurants outnumber grocery stores roughly 4-to-1 per capita (USDA Food Environment Atlas) — a "food swamp" pattern often linked to higher diet-related disease prevalence. Texas has no state income tax (Tax Foundation 2025). New residents arriving here predominantly come from Nueces County, TX (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Both healthcare access and on-paper school density skew lighter than national norms; what shows up here is a snapshot, not a verdict — neighborhood-level texture matters at this scale. Notable: median household income $50,125, fair market rent of $1,000 for a two-bedroom, and a median home value of $21,600. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
The two domains pull in different directions. Healthcare access reads strong, but the on-paper school count is on the lighter side — that’s less a quality signal and more a density one. Households here often look at districts a few ZIPs over for school choice while keeping their providers local.
One concrete reading worth keeping: Depression prevalence sits lower the national rate at 18.4%. Each figure on this page links to the original federal dataset with its retrieval date — this synthesis is a reading, not a substitute for the underlying records.
Frequently Asked Questions — ZIP 78342
What is the obesity rate in ZIP 78342?
43.4%, which is 10.4 percentage points above the national average of 33.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
What is the depression rate in ZIP 78342?
18.4%, which is 3.6 percentage points below the national average of 22.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
What is the high blood pressure rate in ZIP 78342?
41.5%, which is 9.5 percentage points above the national average of 32.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
How many schools are in ZIP 78342?
2 schools serve this ZIP, including 2 public schools (NCES CCD, retrieved Apr 23, 2026). No charter schools are listed in this ZIP by NCES CCD.
Does ZIP 78342 have charter schools?
No charter schools are listed in ZIP 78342 by NCES CCD (retrieved Apr 23, 2026).
Are there high schools in ZIP 78342?
Yes, 1 high school serves this ZIP: Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco H S. (NCES CCD, retrieved Apr 23, 2026).
What is the population of ZIP 78342?
363 people live in ZIP 78342, with a median age of 51.3 (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
What is the median household income in ZIP 78342?
$50,125 per year (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
Is ZIP 78342 mostly renters or homeowners?
In ZIP 78342, 50.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 49.1% are renter-occupied (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
How do people commute in ZIP 78342?
In ZIP 78342, 0.0% of workers work from home. Public transit is used by 0.0% of commuters (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
What is the poverty rate in ZIP 78342?
18.2% of the population in ZIP 78342 lives below the federal poverty line (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
What percentage of households in ZIP 78342 have broadband internet?
100.0% of households in ZIP 78342 have broadband internet access (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
How vulnerable is ZIP 78342 to disasters and public health emergencies?
According to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (2022), ZIP 78342 ranks in the 88th percentile nationally for social vulnerability — a very high vulnerability profile (retrieved May 3, 2026).
What is the biggest vulnerability factor in ZIP 78342?
Household Characteristics is the highest-scoring CDC SVI theme for ZIP 78342, ranking in the 99th percentile nationally (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022, retrieved May 3, 2026).
How many federally declared disasters has ZIP 78342 experienced?
FEMA has recorded 30 federal disaster declarations affecting ZIP 78342 between 1967–2021 (FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What kinds of disasters most often hit ZIP 78342?
Hurricane is the most common federally declared disaster type affecting ZIP 78342, accounting for 15 of 30 declarations (50%, FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What was the most recent disaster declared for ZIP 78342?
The most recent FEMA disaster declaration affecting ZIP 78342 was "SEVERE WINTER STORMS" — a severe ice storm declared in 2021 (DR-4586) (FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What colleges are near ZIP 78342?
1 college or university is listed near ZIP 78342 by the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, including Texas A&m University-Kingsville (retrieved May 2, 2026).
What is the average tuition at colleges near ZIP 78342?
Median in-state tuition across 1 nearby institution is $9,892 (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
What do graduates earn from colleges near ZIP 78342?
Graduates of nearby colleges earn a median of $51,450 ten years after entry (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
What is the climate like in ZIP 78342?
ZIP 78342 has an average annual temperature of 74.0°F and 27.1" of annual precipitation based on the ALICE, TX US weather station 4.7 miles from the ZIP centroid (NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, retrieved May 8, 2026).
What taxes apply in ZIP 78342?
Texas has no state income tax. The combined state and local sales tax rate is 8.20% (Tax Foundation 2025).
Does Texas have paid family leave?
Texas runs an active paid family leave program offering up to — weeks of paid leave per year (Bipartisan Policy Center 2026).
What data is available for ZIP 78342?
This page covers health outcomes from CDC PLACES (33 metrics), school information from NCES CCD (2 schools), demographics from the Census ACS 5-Year (2022), colleges from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (1 institution), social vulnerability scores from the CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022), federal disaster declarations from FEMA OpenFEMA (30 on record), climate normals from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020), county-level crime data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024), and state-level tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Data is refreshed on Mubboo's standard schedule.
How current is this data?
Health data retrieved Apr 24, 2026 from CDC PLACES. School data retrieved Apr 23, 2026 from NCES CCD. Demographics retrieved Apr 30, 2026 from Census ACS 5-Year (2022). College data retrieved May 2, 2026 from U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard. Social vulnerability scores retrieved May 3, 2026 from CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022). Federal disaster declarations retrieved May 3, 2026 from FEMA OpenFEMA (30 on record). Climate normals retrieved May 8, 2026 from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020). County-level crime data retrieved May 4, 2026 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024). State-level tax rates retrieved 2026-05-05 15:58:22.284+00 from the Tax Foundation.
Other ZIPs near 78342
Nearby ZIPs by distance
78332 (Alice, 5.7 mi) · 78330 (Agua Dulce, 11.3 mi) · 78343 (Bishop, 19.1 mi) · 78375 (Premont, 19.1 mi) · 78339 (Banquete, 19.6 mi) · 78351 (Driscoll, 19.8 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
More Info topics
Have a specific question about ZIP 78342?
Ask Mubboo — launching Q4 2026.
Data refreshed via Mubboo's ETL pipeline; oldest source on this page retrieved Apr 23, 2026.
Social Vulnerability Index
Overall SVI
88th percentile
Very High Vulnerability
Based on 1 census tract, population 34
Vulnerability Themes
Households Without Vehicle
1
Limited English Speakers
1
Persons with Disability
8
Without HS Diploma
6
Without Health Insurance
4
Adults Age 65+
6
The Social Vulnerability Index uses U.S. Census data to identify communities most at risk during public health emergencies and natural disasters. Higher percentiles indicate greater vulnerability. Tract-level scores are aggregated to this ZCTA via Census 2020 ZCTA→Tract crosswalk, weighted by land-area share. Source: atsdr.cdc.gov. Public domain.