Population & age
- Total population
- 558
- Median age
- 41.6
Big Spring, TX (79721)
Howard County · Population 558
Fresh.Data current as of Apr 23, 2026
Big Spring, TX (ZIP 79721) sits in Howard County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: Health Insurance comes in above the national average at 47.8%. NCES lists 1 schools serving the area, 1 non-charter. 5 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $2,766. CDC's Social Vulnerability Index places this ZIP in the 86th percentile nationally — a highly vulnerable community profile. FEMA has issued 20 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1989 — a high-frequency exposure profile. County Health Rankings reports 11,672 years of potential life lost per 100,000 (2025) — well above the national county median. 32.6% of residents in this county are flagged low-access by USDA's 2025 Food Environment Atlas — a notable supermarket-access gap. Texas has no state income tax (Tax Foundation 2025). New residents arriving here predominantly come from Midland 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: fair market rent of $1,170 for a two-bedroom and 76.5% foreign-born residents per Census ACS. 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
- 76.0%
- Black
- 6.5%
- Asian
- 3.4%
- Hispanic / Latino
- 77.4%
- Other / multi-racial
- 14.2%
Education
- Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)
- 5.2%
Housing
- Owner-occupied
- 0
- Renter-occupied
- 0
- Vacant units
- 0
Economic wellbeing
- Below poverty line
- 0
- Uninsured
- 0(0.0%)
Digital access
- Broadband access
- 0
Language & nativity
- Foreign-born
- 427(76.5%)
- Non-English at home
- 465(83.3%)
Fair Market Rent
Fresh.HUD SAFMR · May 1, 2026Studio
$920
/month
1 Bed
$920
/month
2 Bed
$1,170
/month
3 Bed
$1,410
/month
4 Bed
$1,720
/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
75
Across 70 permitted buildings. Total construction value: $25.4M.
Single-family
68
91% of total units
Multifamily (2+ unit)
7
9% of total units
Single-family value
$13.9M
construction value
Multifamily value
$11.4M
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.
Business & employment
Business establishments
25
Total employment
213
Annual payroll
$12.7M
Average annual pay
$59,413
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.
Employment & wages
Average annual pay
$65,285
Average weekly wage
$1,255
Total employment
12,785
Total establishments
922
Average annual pay tracks the US national average of about $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
3.4%
That is 0.6 percentage points below the US national unemployment rate of about 4.0%.
Labor force
13,868
Employed
13,399
Unemployed
469
Based on Howard 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.
Hospitals & healthcare facilities
Facilities located inside ZIP 79721 from CMS Provider Data. Star ratings reflect Overall Hospital Quality where applicable; “Not rated” means the facility didn't report enough measures to qualify.
Hospitals (1)
BIG SPRING STATE HOSPITAL
Not rated
Psychiatric
Government - State
1901 NORTH HIGHWAY 87, BIG SPRING, TX, 79721
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Provider Data (data.cms.gov). Public domain.
Federal Disaster Declarations
Federally Declared Disasters
20
Date Range
1989–2021
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
- Fire9 (45%)
- Hurricane3 (15%)
- Severe Storm3 (15%)
- Severe Ice Storm2 (10%)
- Biological2 (10%)
- Other1 (5%)
Individual Assistance
2
Direct help to disaster survivors
Households Program
2
Housing & temporary lodging support
Public Assistance
17
Repair of public facilities & roads
Hazard Mitigation
6
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
64.8°F
51.7° – 77.9°
Annual precipitation
19.6"
Annual snowfall
2"
Heating · cooling days
2,558 · 2,508.1
Annual base 65°F
Nearest station: BIG SPRING, TX US, 4.5 miles from the centroid of Big Spring, TX (ZIP 79721)
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)
11,672
That is roughly 3,472 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
24%
of adults self-report
Poor physical health days
4.6
avg per adult per month
Poor mental health days
5.6
avg per adult per month
Uninsured
19.8%
of residents under 65
Primary care MDs
21
per 100,000 residents
Preventable hospital stays
2,914
per 100K Medicare enrollees
Food environment (0-10)
6.3
10 = best access & security
Exercise access
65%
residents near a facility
Flu vaccinated
29%
of Medicare enrollees
Low birth weight (under 2,500 g) accounts for 10.1% of live births in this county — an early-life health input that downstream outcomes track against.
Based on Howard 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
Significant food access concerns
32.6% of Howard 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
1.13
accepting food benefits
Fast-food restaurants
0.77
per 1,000 residents
Among low-income residents, 12.2% 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 Howard 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 · 44 reports
Property crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 288 reports
Homicide
0
Robbery
1
Burglary
40
Vehicle theft
34
County-level data for Howard (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)
▼−129 people
−89 households • −$10.3M net AGI flow
Moved in
828households
1,602 people • $44.6M AGI
Moved out
917households
1,731 people • $54.9M AGI
Where new residents came from
- Midland County, TX — 63 households
- Lubbock County, TX — 25 households
- Tom Green County, TX — 24 households
- Mitchell County, TX — 22 households
- Tarrant County, TX — 22 households
Where departing residents went
- Midland County, TX — 79 households
- Lubbock County, TX — 45 households
- Tom Green County, TX — 35 households
- Tarrant County, TX — 24 households
- Ector County, TX — 22 households
Incoming households reported an average AGI of $53,860 versus departing households' $59,900.
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 79721. 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
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 79721
Other ZIPs in Big Spring
Nearby ZIPs by distance
79720 (Big Spring, 2.2 mi) · 79733 (Forsan, 12.3 mi) · 79748 (13.9 mi) · 79749 (18.1 mi) · 79511 (Coahoma, 20.9 mi) · 79782 (Stanton, 20.9 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
44.7%
11.7pp above the 33.0% national rate.
High Blood Pressure
32.2%
Tracks close to the 32.0% national rate.
Depression
15.1%
6.9pp below the 22.0% national rate.
Annual Checkup
61.3%
14.7pp below the 76.0% national rate.
Health Insurance
47.8%
34.8pp above the 13.0% national rate.
Diabetes
14.7%
3.7pp above the 11.0% national rate.
Schools in this ZIP
1 school serves this ZIP, including 1 non-charter.
| School | Type | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIG SPRING J H | Public | 7–8 | 590 |
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
5
Median in-state tuition
$2,766
Median earnings (10 yr)
$42,026
- 4-Year
Midland College
Midland, TX · 79705
- In-state tuition
- $3,180
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,180
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 19.8%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $43,958
- Median student debt
- $10,670
- 4-Year
Odessa College
Odessa, TX · 79764
- In-state tuition
- $2,688
- Out-of-state tuition
- $4,926
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 32.2%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $42,026
- Median student debt
- $7,750
- 4-Year
The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX · 79762
- In-state tuition
- $9,236
- Out-of-state tuition
- $21,504
- Acceptance rate
- 94.9%
- Graduation rate
- 41.5%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $56,073
- Median student debt
- $17,750
- 2-Year
Howard College
Big Spring, TX · 79720
- In-state tuition
- $2,766
- Out-of-state tuition
- $6,716
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 35.4%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $38,382
- Median student debt
- $9,500
- 2-Year
Southwest College for the Deaf
Big Spring, TX · 79720
- In-state tuition
- $2,766
- Out-of-state tuition
- $14,746
- Acceptance rate
- —
- Graduation rate
- 42.2%
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $38,382
- Median student debt
- $9,500
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
Big Spring, TX (ZIP 79721) sits in Howard County. The page draws on 2 federal data feeds retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: Health Insurance comes in above the national average at 47.8%. NCES lists 1 schools serving the area, 1 non-charter. 5 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $2,766. CDC's Social Vulnerability Index places this ZIP in the 86th percentile nationally — a highly vulnerable community profile. FEMA has issued 20 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1989 — a high-frequency exposure profile. County Health Rankings reports 11,672 years of potential life lost per 100,000 (2025) — well above the national county median. 32.6% of residents in this county are flagged low-access by USDA's 2025 Food Environment Atlas — a notable supermarket-access gap. Texas has no state income tax (Tax Foundation 2025). New residents arriving here predominantly come from Midland 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: fair market rent of $1,170 for a two-bedroom and 76.5% foreign-born residents per Census ACS. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
Both surfaces skew lighter than national averages. That isn’t a verdict — small-area estimates compress real neighborhood-level texture, and a single ZIP reading can miss a district line or a hospital corridor sitting just outside it. Treat this as a starting point for fieldwork, not a conclusion.
One concrete reading worth keeping: Depression prevalence sits lower the national rate at 15.1%. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions — ZIP 79721
What is the obesity rate in ZIP 79721?
44.7%, which is 11.7 percentage points above the national average of 33.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
What is the depression rate in ZIP 79721?
15.1%, which is 6.9 percentage points below the national average of 22.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
What is the high blood pressure rate in ZIP 79721?
32.2%, which is 0.2 percentage points above the national average of 32.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
How many schools are in ZIP 79721?
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.
Does ZIP 79721 have charter schools?
No charter schools are listed in ZIP 79721 by NCES CCD (retrieved Apr 23, 2026).
Are there high schools in ZIP 79721?
No high schools are listed in this ZIP by NCES CCD (retrieved Apr 23, 2026).
What is the population of ZIP 79721?
558 people live in ZIP 79721, with a median age of 41.6 (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
How many businesses are in ZIP 79721?
As of 2022, 25 business establishments operated in ZIP 79721 employing 213 workers (Census ZIP Business Patterns, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What is the average salary in ZIP 79721?
The average annual pay across all local establishments in ZIP 79721 is $59,413, based on Census ZIP Business Patterns 2022 data (retrieved May 3, 2026).
How vulnerable is ZIP 79721 to disasters and public health emergencies?
According to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (2022), ZIP 79721 ranks in the 86th percentile nationally for social vulnerability — a very high vulnerability profile (retrieved May 3, 2026).
What is the biggest vulnerability factor in ZIP 79721?
Housing Type & Transportation is the highest-scoring CDC SVI theme for ZIP 79721, ranking in the 95th percentile nationally (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022, retrieved May 3, 2026).
How many federally declared disasters has ZIP 79721 experienced?
FEMA has recorded 20 federal disaster declarations affecting ZIP 79721 between 1989–2021 (FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What kinds of disasters most often hit ZIP 79721?
Fire is the most common federally declared disaster type affecting ZIP 79721, accounting for 9 of 20 declarations (45%, FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What was the most recent disaster declared for ZIP 79721?
The most recent FEMA disaster declaration affecting ZIP 79721 was "SEVERE WINTER STORMS" — a severe ice storm declared in 2021 (DR-4586) (FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
What colleges are near ZIP 79721?
5 colleges and universities are listed near ZIP 79721 by the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, including Midland College, Odessa College, and The University Of Texas Permian Basin (retrieved May 2, 2026).
What is the average tuition at colleges near ZIP 79721?
Median in-state tuition across 5 nearby institutions is $2,766 (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
What do graduates earn from colleges near ZIP 79721?
Graduates of nearby colleges earn a median of $42,026 ten years after entry (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
What is the climate like in ZIP 79721?
ZIP 79721 has an average annual temperature of 64.8°F and 19.6" of annual precipitation based on the BIG SPRING, TX US weather station 4.5 miles from the ZIP centroid (NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, retrieved May 8, 2026).
What hospitals are in ZIP 79721?
1 hospital is located in ZIP 79721 (CMS Hospital Compare, 2024).
What taxes apply in ZIP 79721?
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 79721?
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), colleges from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (5 institutions), local business & employment from Census ZIP Business Patterns (2022), social vulnerability scores from the CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022), federal disaster declarations from FEMA OpenFEMA (20 on record), climate normals from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020), county-level crime data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024), hospitals from CMS Hospital Compare, 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. 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 (20 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 79721
Other ZIPs in Big Spring
Nearby ZIPs by distance
79720 (Big Spring, 2.2 mi) · 79733 (Forsan, 12.3 mi) · 79748 (13.9 mi) · 79749 (18.1 mi) · 79511 (Coahoma, 20.9 mi) · 79782 (Stanton, 20.9 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 79721?
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
86th percentile
Very High Vulnerability
Based on 1 census tract, population 21
Vulnerability Themes
Limited English Speakers
5
Persons with Disability
1
Without HS Diploma
6
Without Health Insurance
2
Adults Age 65+
1
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.