Population & age
- Total population
- 1,601
- Median age
- 48.4
Gonzales County · Population 1,601
Waelder, TX (ZIP 78959) sits in Gonzales County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: Health Insurance comes in above the national average at 25.7%. NCES lists 1 schools serving the area, 1 non-charter. 23% of returns claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (IRS), a higher share than most ZIPs. CDC's Social Vulnerability Index places this ZIP in the 78th percentile nationally — a highly vulnerable community profile. FEMA has issued 41 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1967 — a high-frequency exposure profile. 22.6% of residents under 65 lack health insurance per the 2025 County Health Rankings — a notable access gap. Per USDA's Food Environment Atlas, 42.5% of residents in this county live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket — a deep food-access gap. Texas has no state income tax, saving the local median household (AGI $55,172) approximately $2,538/year vs the US average effective state tax rate. New residents arriving here predominantly come from Bexar County, TX (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Healthcare access is the area's quieter strength; school options sit on the lighter side, so families may find themselves looking at districts a few ZIPs over. Notable: median household income $57,610, fair market rent of $1,760 for a two-bedroom, and a typical home value of $311,779, down 7.4% over the past year. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
Studio
$1,400
/month
1 Bed
$1,490
/month
2 Bed
$1,760
/month
3 Bed
$2,240
/month
4 Bed
$2,600
/month
HUD Fair Market Rents represent the 40th percentile of standard-quality rental housing in this area. FY2026 data.
$311,779
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) · as of March 2026
-7.4%
vs. March 2025
-1.6%
vs. March 2021
Source: Zillow Research, ZHVI All Homes (SFR, Condo/Co-op) Time Series (zillow.com/research/data). Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) is copyrighted by Zillow, Inc.
New housing units permitted
2,401
Across 2,105 permitted buildings. Total construction value: $613.9M.
Single-family
1,961
82% of total units
Multifamily (2+ unit)
440
18% of total units
Single-family value
$538.6M
construction value
Multifamily value
$75.2M
construction value
Aggregated from 4 counties touching this ZIP (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.
Tax returns filed
930
Average AGI
$55,172
Avg property tax
—
EITC participation
22.6%
Income distribution
Avg mortgage interest
—
Avg charitable contribution
—
Avg capital gains
$4,008
Avg total income tax
—
Source: IRS Statistics of Income — Individual Income Tax Statistics by ZIP Code (irs.gov). Public domain. Dollar columns reported in thousands by the IRS; figures here display real dollars. Total ZCTA AGI for the area was $51.3M across all reported brackets.
Business establishments
27
Total employment
575
Annual payroll
$31.4M
Average annual pay
$54,548
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Business Patterns (census.gov). Public domain. ZBP covers establishments with paid employees; Census suppresses employment and payroll values when fewer employers operate in a ZIP than would protect their confidentiality.
Average annual pay
$54,216
Average weekly wage
$1,043
Total employment
7,180
Total establishments
550
That is roughly 17% 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 rate
3.8%
That is 0.2 percentage points below the US national unemployment rate of about 4.0%.
Labor force
8,740
Employed
8,407
Unemployed
333
Based on Gonzales 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.
FTA tracks transit service at the urbanized-area level. Numbers below reflect the agencies and modes serving the area that contains this ZIP, not stop-level coverage.
Service status
Available
San Marcos, TX
Reporting agencies
2
Largest: City of San Marcos
Annual ridership
—
unlinked trips · 2024
Source: U.S. Federal Transit Administration, National Transit Database (transit.dot.gov). Public domain.
Public-library outlets
1
Single library outlet
One public-library outlet serves this ZIP — typical of suburban and small-town areas. Card holders also have full access to the rest of the system's branches.
Buildings
1
1 central
Avg hours / week
—
across outlets in this ZIP
Avg square feet
1,008
per outlet
Outlets in this ZIP
Public libraries provide free WiFi, computer access, children's programming, job-seeking resources, and meeting space — community infrastructure beyond books. FY2023 outlet inventory from the federal Public Libraries Survey.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services (imls.gov). Per-ZIP counts of active public-library outlets — central buildings, branches, and bookmobiles — operated by federally reporting library systems.
Federally Declared Disasters
41
Date Range
1967–2024
Most Recent Declaration
HURRICANE BERYL
Hurricane — declared July 9, 2024 (DR-4798)
Incident period: July 5, 2024 – July 9, 2024
Top Incident Types
Individual Assistance
7
Direct help to disaster survivors
Households Program
8
Housing & temporary lodging support
Public Assistance
38
Repair of public facilities & roads
Hazard Mitigation
20
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.
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
67.9°F
56.8° – 79.1°
Annual precipitation
37.9"
Diurnal range
22.3°F
Day-night swing
Heating · cooling days
1,634.5 · 2,735.1
Annual base 65°F
Nearest station: FLATONIA 4SE, TX US, 15 miles from the centroid of Waelder, TX (ZIP 78959)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals (ncei.noaa.gov). Public domain.
Years of potential life lost (per 100K)
10,412
That is roughly 2,212 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
26%
of adults self-report
Poor physical health days
4.8
avg per adult per month
Poor mental health days
5.9
avg per adult per month
Uninsured
22.6%
of residents under 65
Primary care MDs
41
per 100,000 residents
Preventable hospital stays
1,967
per 100K Medicare enrollees
Food environment (0-10)
6.1
10 = best access & security
Exercise access
48%
residents near a facility
Flu vaccinated
39%
of Medicare enrollees
Low birth weight (under 2,500 g) accounts for 8.5% of live births in this county — an early-life health input that downstream outcomes track against.
Based on Gonzales 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 status
Limited food access for many residents
42.5% of Gonzales County, TX residents live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.
Grocery stores
—
per 1,000 residents
Supercenters & clubs
—
per 1,000 residents
SNAP-authorized stores
1.17
accepting food benefits
Fast-food restaurants
0.67
per 1,000 residents
Among low-income residents, 17.5% 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 Gonzales 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).
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 · 270 reports
Property crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 803 reports
Homicide
2
Robbery
11
Burglary
163
Vehicle theft
162
County-level data for Bastrop (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.
Net migration (2022-2023)
▼−6 people
−11 households • +$4.5M net AGI flow
Moved in
497households
988 people • $31.7M AGI
Moved out
508households
994 people • $27.3M AGI
Where new residents came from
Where departing residents went
Incoming households reported an average AGI of $63,873 versus departing households' $53,717.
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.
State-level rules that apply to every resident of ZIP 78959. Numbers reflect the most recent published year per source.
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 78959: A household at this ZIP's median AGI of $55,172 keeps approximately $2,538 more annually than residents of the typical income-tax state. Applied to this ZIP's typical home value of $311,779, that works out to roughly $4,438/year in property tax.
Program
Voluntary (private insurance framework)
Voluntary (private insurance framework)
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).
Nearby ZIPs by distance
78941 (Flatonia, 8.8 mi) · 78632 (Harwood, 10.3 mi) · 78953 (Rosanky, 10.5 mi) · 77975 (Moulton, 15.8 mi) · 78949 (16.7 mi) · 77984 (Shiner, 17.5 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
All data on this page is sourced from federal government datasets · Not AI-generated · Methodology
Crude prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES, derived from BRFSS small-area modeling. Population-level figures only.
40.0%
7.0pp above the 33.0% national rate.
42.0%
10.0pp above the 32.0% national rate.
20.1%
Tracks close to the 22.0% national rate.
76.4%
Tracks close to the 76.0% national rate.
25.7%
12.7pp above the 13.0% national rate.
18.1%
7.1pp above the 11.0% national rate.
1 school serves this ZIP, including 1 non-charter.
| School | Type | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAELDER SCHOOL | Public | -1–12 | 298 |
Schools listed from NCES Common Core of Data via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal.
Fresh.NCES CCD via Urban Institute EDP · Apr 23, 2026Waelder, TX (ZIP 78959) sits in Gonzales County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: Health Insurance comes in above the national average at 25.7%. NCES lists 1 schools serving the area, 1 non-charter. 23% of returns claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (IRS), a higher share than most ZIPs. CDC's Social Vulnerability Index places this ZIP in the 78th percentile nationally — a highly vulnerable community profile. FEMA has issued 41 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1967 — a high-frequency exposure profile. 22.6% of residents under 65 lack health insurance per the 2025 County Health Rankings — a notable access gap. Per USDA's Food Environment Atlas, 42.5% of residents in this county live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket — a deep food-access gap. Texas has no state income tax, saving the local median household (AGI $55,172) approximately $2,538/year vs the US average effective state tax rate. New residents arriving here predominantly come from Bexar County, TX (IRS SOI Migration, 2022-2023). Healthcare access is the area's quieter strength; school options sit on the lighter side, so families may find themselves looking at districts a few ZIPs over. Notable: median household income $57,610, fair market rent of $1,760 for a two-bedroom, and a typical home value of $311,779, down 7.4% over the past year. 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 near the national rate at 20.1%. 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.
40.0%, which is 7.0 percentage points above the national average of 33.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
20.1%, which is 1.9 percentage points below the national average of 22.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
42.0%, which is 10.0 percentage points above the national average of 32.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
1 school serves this ZIP, including 1 public school (NCES CCD, retrieved Apr 23, 2026). No charter schools are listed in this ZIP by NCES CCD.
No charter schools are listed in ZIP 78959 by NCES CCD (retrieved Apr 23, 2026).
Yes, 1 high school serves this ZIP: Waelder School. (NCES CCD, retrieved Apr 23, 2026).
1,601 people live in ZIP 78959, with a median age of 48.4 (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
$57,610 per year (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
In ZIP 78959, 77.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 22.2% are renter-occupied (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
In ZIP 78959, 15.9% of workers work from home. Public transit is used by 0.0% of commuters (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
13.0% of the population in ZIP 78959 lives below the federal poverty line (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
79.7% of households in ZIP 78959 have broadband internet access (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
The typical home value in ZIP 78959 is $311,779, down 7.4% from a year ago (Zillow Home Value Index, retrieved May 1, 2026).
Home values are down 7.4% over the past year and down 1.6% over the past five years (Zillow Home Value Index, retrieved May 1, 2026).
The average Adjusted Gross Income reported on tax returns from ZIP 78959 (Waelder, TX) is $55,172 per return (IRS SOI Tax Year 2022, retrieved May 2, 2026).
Tax returns from ZIP 78959 report an average of $0 per return in real-estate tax deductions (IRS SOI Tax Year 2022, retrieved May 2, 2026).
3.2% of tax returns from ZIP 78959 (Waelder, TX) report Adjusted Gross Income of $200,000 or more (IRS SOI Tax Year 2022, retrieved May 2, 2026).
As of 2022, 27 business establishments operated in ZIP 78959 employing 575 workers (Census ZIP Business Patterns, retrieved May 3, 2026).
The average annual pay across all local establishments in ZIP 78959 is $54,548, based on Census ZIP Business Patterns 2022 data (retrieved May 3, 2026).
According to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (2022), ZIP 78959 ranks in the 78th percentile nationally for social vulnerability — a very high vulnerability profile (retrieved May 3, 2026).
Household Characteristics is the highest-scoring CDC SVI theme for ZIP 78959, ranking in the 82th percentile nationally (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022, retrieved May 3, 2026).
FEMA has recorded 41 federal disaster declarations affecting ZIP 78959 between 1967–2024 (FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, retrieved May 3, 2026).
Fire is the most common federally declared disaster type affecting ZIP 78959, accounting for 16 of 41 declarations (39%, FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
The most recent FEMA disaster declaration affecting ZIP 78959 was "HURRICANE BERYL" — a hurricane declared in 2024 (DR-4798) (FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
ZIP 78959 has an average annual temperature of 67.9°F and 37.9" of annual precipitation based on the FLATONIA 4SE, TX US weather station 15.0 miles from the ZIP centroid (NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, retrieved May 8, 2026).
Yes — ZIP 78959 is part of the San Marcos, TX urbanized area, primarily served by City of San Marcos (National Transit Database 2024, retrieved May 4, 2026).
Texas has no state income tax. For a household earning the local median AGI of $55,172, this saves approximately $2,538 per year compared to the national average effective state tax rate. The combined state and local sales tax rate is 8.20% (Tax Foundation 2025).
Texas runs an active paid family leave program offering up to — weeks of paid leave per year (Bipartisan Policy Center 2026).
This page covers health outcomes from CDC PLACES (33 metrics), school information from NCES CCD (1 school), demographics from the Census ACS 5-Year (2022), home values from the Zillow Home Value Index, income & tax statistics from the IRS SOI (Tax Year 2022), local business & employment from Census ZIP Business Patterns (2022), social vulnerability scores from the CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022), federal disaster declarations from FEMA OpenFEMA (41 on record), climate normals from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020), county-level crime data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024), public transit coverage from the National Transit Database (2024), and state-level tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Data is refreshed on Mubboo's standard schedule.
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). Home values retrieved May 1, 2026 from Zillow Research. Income & tax statistics retrieved May 2, 2026 from IRS SOI (Tax Year 2022). Business & employment retrieved May 3, 2026 from Census ZBP (2022). Social vulnerability scores retrieved May 3, 2026 from CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022). Federal disaster declarations retrieved May 3, 2026 from FEMA OpenFEMA (41 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). Transit coverage retrieved May 4, 2026 from the National Transit Database (2024). State-level tax rates retrieved 2026-05-05 15:58:22.284+00 from the Tax Foundation.
Nearby ZIPs by distance
78941 (Flatonia, 8.8 mi) · 78632 (Harwood, 10.3 mi) · 78953 (Rosanky, 10.5 mi) · 77975 (Moulton, 15.8 mi) · 78949 (16.7 mi) · 77984 (Shiner, 17.5 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
Have a specific question about ZIP 78959?
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
78th percentile
Very High Vulnerability
Based on 5 census tracts, population 1,967
Vulnerability Themes
Households Without Vehicle
69
Limited English Speakers
144
Persons with Disability
404
Without HS Diploma
280
Without Health Insurance
333
Adults Age 65+
426
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.