South Padre Island, TX

Overview

South Padre Island is a very small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Texas. With a population of 2,056 people and just one neighborhood, South Padre Island is the 635th largest community in Texas.

South Padre Island home prices are not only among the most expensive in Texas, but South Padre Island real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Occupations and Workforce

South Padre Island is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 92.32% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, South Padre Island is a town of professionals, managers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in South Padre Island who work in food service (16.67%), management occupations (14.55%), and healthcare (10.45%).

Also of interest is that South Padre Island has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that South Padre Island has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Of important note, South Padre Island is also a town of artists. South Padre Island has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape South Padre Island’s character.

A relatively large number of people in South Padre Island telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 20.25% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Setting & Lifestyle

Another notable thing is that South Padre Island is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, South Padre Island’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

One of the nice things about South Padre Island is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

Residents of the town have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 16.70 minutes getting to work every day.

As is often the case in a small town, South Padre Island doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Demographics

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to South Padre Island, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. South Padre Island is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 53.74% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in South Padre Island in 2022 was $52,745, which is wealthy relative to Texas and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $210,980 for a family of four. However, South Padre Island contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

South Padre Island is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call South Padre Island home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of South Padre Island residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. South Padre Island also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 20.49% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in South Padre Island include English, German, Irish, Scottish, and French.

The most common language spoken in South Padre Island is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

Real Estate

Do you like a coastal setting? If so, this neighborhood may be to your liking. The neighborhood is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Often such coastal places have amenities and recreational activities on the waterfront that are attractive to residents and visitors alike. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.

In addition, despite all of the residential real estate here in the neighborhood, NeighborhoodScout has discovered that much of it is vacant. In resort or second-home vacation areas, this naturally occurs because homes and apartments are seasonally occupied, and empty for a portion of the year. In non-vacation or resort areas, however, this can be an indicator of property abandonment or a weak real estate market. The vacancy rate here is 80.1%, which is higher than 99.9% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

Length of Commute

Regardless of the means by which residents commute, this neighborhood has a length of commute that is notable. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 71.4% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.

Modes of Transportation

In the neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 15.5% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 97.3% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!

Also, would you like to be able to ride your bike to work? If you are attracted to the idea of getting a little exercise of the two-wheeled type while reducing your carbon footprint, bicycling to work might be the answer. But which neighborhood you live in can make this either impossible, or alternatively, a great and realistic option. NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that the neighborhood is a fantastic option for bicycle commuters, as 3.3% of commuters here do ride their bikes to and from work on a daily basis. This is a higher amount than we found in 96.4% of the neighborhoods in America.

People

If you're nearing retirement age, or in retirement, the is an excellent choice for you to consider for top-quality retirement living. This neighborhood is rated by NeighborhoodScout as among the top 9.2% of retiree-friendly neighborhoods in Texas, combining peace and quiet, safety from crime, and offering diverse housing options from which retirees can choose. Maybe it's because of these amenities that a large proportion of the residents here are college educated seniors, mixed with other age groups. For these and other reasons, NeighborhoodScout identifies this neighborhood as a top-notch place to consider if you are thinking of or planning to retire in Texas.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Romanian and English ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 2.2% of this neighborhood's residents have Romanian ancestry and 20.5% have English ancestry.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in South Padre Island are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 66.5% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 42.6% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 90.6% of U.S. neighborhoods.

The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.

In the neighborhood, 59.8% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 28.9% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (8.2%), and 3.3% in government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions.

Languages

The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 84.0% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.

In the neighborhood in South Padre Island, TX, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as English (20.5%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (17.2%), and residents who report Mexican roots (16.0%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (6.4%), along with some French ancestry residents (5.1%), among others. In addition, 12.4% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (71.4% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (59.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (15.5%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.

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This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.

Overview

Occupations and Workforce

Setting & Lifestyle

Demographics

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

Real Estate

Length of Commute

Modes of Transportation

People

Diversity

The Neighbors

Languages

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Getting to Work

Popular real estate nearby

comparable neighborhoods nearby

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South Padre Island, TX

This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.

Overview

Occupations and Workforce

Setting & Lifestyle

Demographics

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

Real Estate

Length of Commute

Modes of Transportation

People

Diversity

The Neighbors

Languages

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Getting to Work

Popular real estate nearby

comparable neighborhoods nearby