County outline
Where Cameron County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 69.7% of Cameron County’s measured area and water for 30.3%. Its combined area converts to 3,314.4 square kilometers or approximately 818,999 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 891.668 | 2,309.41 | 570,667.5 |
| Water | 388.018 | 1,004.962 | 248,331.5 |
| Total | 1,279.686 | 3,314.372 | 818,999 |
How Cameron County compares
By original Census land area, Cameron County ranks #159 of 254 in Texas and #886 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.981 times the Texas county-equivalent median of 908.7 square miles. It accounts for 0.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Texas ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Cameron County
The Census Bureau estimates that 433,946 people lived in Cameron County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #174 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #13 of 254 in Texas. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 421,127, the population has grown by 12,819 (+3%), compared with +8.8% for Texas as a whole.
With 891.7 square miles of land, that is 487 people per square mile (188 per km²), placing Cameron County #343 nationally for density and #15 in Texas. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Texas median is 22. Put another way, there are about 1.3 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 421,504 | 422,635 | 425,841 | 428,906 | 432,952 | 433,946 |
| Change | — | +1,131 | +3,206 | +3,065 | +4,046 | +994 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Cameron County
17 incorporated places lie at least partly in Cameron County. Together they are home to 337,615 people (77.8%); the other 96,331 (22.2%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Brownsville city, with 192,957 residents in the county. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Rio Hondo city grew fastest since then (+14.5%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville cityCounty seat | 192,957 | +3.6% | 122.1 |
| Harlingen city | 72,467 | +0.8% | 41.6 |
| San Benito city | 24,980 | −0% | 15.8 |
| Los Fresnos city | 8,703 | +6.8% | 4.391 |
| La Feria city | 7,222 | +5.2% | 4.392 |
| Primera town | 5,478 | +4.2% | 2.777 |
| Port Isabel city | 5,302 | +5.3% | 18.3 |
| Laguna Vista town | 3,780 | +7.2% | 4.827 |
| Combes town | 3,255 | +3.6% | 3.247 |
| Rancho Viejo town | 2,851 | +0.7% | 2.053 |
| Santa Rosa town | 2,355 | −4.3% | 0.772 |
| Rio Hondo city | 2,332 | +14.5% | 1.689 |
| South Padre Island town | 2,086 | +0.4% | 2.688 |
| Palm Valley city | 1,340 | −4.8% | 0.598 |
| Los Indios town | 1,059 | +4.4% | 1.875 |
Show the other 2 places
| Name | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Lake town | 892 | +6.2% | 0.23 |
| Bayview town | 556 | +21.1% | 3.884 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Cameron County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Cameron County is a central county of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. Cameron County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the metro area has the same 891.7 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #295 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #128 by population. It belongs to the Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville, TX Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cameron County; 16 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
7852078521785267853578550785527855978566785677856978575785787858378586785927859378597
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Cameron County
Cameron County shares a land border with 2 county equivalents. It has more land than 1 of them. The largest neighbor is Hidalgo County (1,571.2 mi²) and the smallest is Willacy County (590.6 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Cameron County forms a block of 3,053.5 mi² of land, of which it holds 29.2%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Cameron | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidalgo County | 1,571.2 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Willacy County | 590.6 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Cameron County compared with U.S. states?
Cameron County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.2 times as much. Texas’s county land could hold about 293 areas the size of Cameron County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 29.9 miles (48.1 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Cameron County?
Cameron County has more land than 2,336 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Cameron County at #546 nationally by total area, 340 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 30.3%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 29.2 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Cameron County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #885 | Lynn County, Texas | 891.9 | Compare |
| #886 | Cameron County, Texas | 891.7 | This county |
| #887 | Hardin County, Texas | 890.6 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 26.102923, -97.478958. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 2,309,410,447 m²; AWATER: 1,004,962,030 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Cameron County?
Cameron County, Texas has 891.7 square miles (2,309.4 km²) of land and 388 square miles of water, for a total area of 1,279.7 square miles. It ranks #886 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Cameron County the largest county in Texas?
No. Cameron County ranks #159 of 254 in Texas by land area. The largest is Brewster County, with 6,183.8 square miles of land.
What counties border Cameron County?
Cameron County shares a land border with Willacy County and Hidalgo County.
What is the population of Cameron County?
The Census Bureau estimates Cameron County had 433,946 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #174 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 487 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Cameron County?
The county seat of Cameron County is Brownsville.
What cities and towns are in Cameron County?
Cameron County has 17 incorporated places. The most populous five are Brownsville city, Harlingen city, San Benito city, Los Fresnos city, and La Feria city; 96,331 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Cameron County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Cameron County?
17 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Cameron County, and 16 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Cameron County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Cameron County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 570,668 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 818,999 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.