Census ZIP area · Census 2020–2024
Median rent and rent burden in ZIP area 78542
- Median monthly gross rent
- $865 ± $55 margin
- Rent burden · 30% or more
- 44.3% ± 7.9 percentage points
- Severe burden · 50% or more
- 26.3% ± 8.1 percentage points
How much income would keep this rent at 30%?
The area’s median gross rent would equal 30% of an annual household income of $34,600. The calculation multiplies monthly rent by 12 and divides by 0.30.
Compare nearby ZIP areas
Among the published ZIP areas within 35 miles, the closest one with a lower, non-overlapping rent range was ZIP area 78538, 8.5 miles away. Its estimated median gross rent was $309 lower per month. That difference compares survey estimates for the same period.
| Area | Miles away | Median gross rent ± margin | Rent burden | Severe burden |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP area 78538 | 8.5 | $556 ± $81 | 50.8% | 24.7% |
| ZIP area 78543 | 10.5 | $844 ± $239 | 81.1% | 23.3% |
| ZIP area 78541 | 11.6 | $961 ± $39 | 51.5% | 27.6% |
Compare with broader areas
| Area | Median gross rent ± margin | Rent burden | Severe burden |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP area 78542 | $865 ± $55 | 44.3% | 26.3% |
| United States | $1,413 ± $2 | 51.1% | 25.9% |
Data and definitions
How to read the estimates
The Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey five-year release provides these survey estimates. America.co matched Census rent tables by geography ID and used the Gazetteer’s representative points to calculate straight-line distance.
- Gross rent includes contract rent and utilities or fuels paid separately. The median describes cash-rent homes surveyed during this period.
- Rent burden means gross rent was at least 30% of household income. Severe rent burden means at least 50%. Both shares use only cash-rent households for which Census could compute the ratio.
- Margins use the Census 90% confidence level. The rent margin is published by Census. The burden margins are approximate and combine the published category margins using the Census sum and proportion formulas. County and ZIP-area pages require at least 100 estimated households with a computed ratio, a rent margin at most 35% of the estimate, and a rent-burden margin of 20 percentage points or less.
- ZIP areas are Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas. A mailing ZIP can differ or have no corresponding Census area. Distances are straight-line distances between representative points.
B25064 for this geography · B25070 for this geography · ACS downloads · Census Gazetteer · Census definitions · Margin-of-error methods · Download the comparison data