State
County
Land Area
159.7 sq mi
Density
2,048.50/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.09%
Growth Since 2010
7.18%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
429,678
Corpus Christi is a city located in Texas. With a 2020 population of 327,144, it is the 8th largest city in Texas and the 60th largest city in the United States. Corpus Christi is currently growing at a rate of 0.09% annually and its population has increased by 7.18% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 305,215 in 2010. Corpus Christi reached it's highest population of 327,144 in 2021. Spanning over 489 miles, Corpus Christi has a population density of 2,048 people per square mile.
The average household income in Corpus Christi is $75,511 with a poverty rate of 16.12%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $1,028 per month, and the median house value is $141,100. The median age in Corpus Christi is 35.2 years, 34.2 years for males, and 36.3 years for females. For every 100 females there are 97.9 males.
Corpus Christi is the county seat of Nueces County, Texas, with a large metropolitan area that extends into surrounding Kleberg, San Patricio, and Aransas counties. Corpus Christi is a coastal city in South Texas and the 9th largest city in the state, as well as home to the Port of Corpus Christi, the 5th largest port in the U.S. It's the central city of the three-county Corpus Christi metro area and part of the six-county Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice Combined Statistical Area (CSA).
Corpus Christi was recently ranked as the second least literate city in the United States by Central Connecticut State University.
Corpus Christi's economy is primarily driven by oil and tourism. Popular attractions in the area include the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, the Texas State Aquarium, North Beach, and the Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens and Nature Center.
Several major movies have been filmed in the city, including Selena (1997) about Corpus Christi native singer Selena, The King (2005), The Open Road (2009), and Pearl Harbor (2001), for which the USS Lexington was part of the set.
Corpus Christi has several high learning institutions, most notably Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Del Mar College.
Corpus Christi was the first major city to provide city-wide free Wi-Fi in 2005, although Earthlink later purchased the network and turned into a paid service two years later.
While the explosion of gas and oil activity transformed most of South Texas, Corpus Christi was left mostly unaffected for some time as nearby cities experienced a massive population boom. Corpus Christi has remained chiefly a tourism city, although this has started to change as drillers have begun to migrate closer.
It's estimated that by 2020, the population of Corpus Christi's metropolitan area will reach 460,000 to 485,000.
The tribe that initially settled in the area were known as Karankawa. Numerous explorers came through the area or attempted settlements that were short-lived until Colonel Henry Kinney came in with a partner and built a trading post in 1839. The city of Corpus Christi was incorporated in September 1852.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Corpus Christi was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 429,678 | 327 | 0.08% |
2020 | 429,351 | 327 | 0.08% |
2019 | 429,024 | 327 | 0.08% |
2018 | 428,697 | 252 | 0.06% |
2017 | 428,445 | -508 | -0.12% |
2016 | 428,953 | 1,332 | 0.31% |
2015 | 427,621 | 4,308 | 1.01% |
2014 | 423,313 | 4,233 | 1.00% |
2013 | 419,080 | 5,881 | 1.40% |
2012 | 413,199 | 5,478 | 1.33% |
2011 | 407,721 | 3,045 | 0.75% |
2010 | 404,676 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 291,863 | 89.59% |
Black or African American | 13,303 | 4.08% |
Asian | 7,421 | 2.28% |
Some Other Race | 6,093 | 1.87% |
Two or More Races | 5,425 | 1.67% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 1,462 | 0.45% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 213 | 0.07% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 116,952 | 2.71 | 56.7 |
Married | 52,940 | 3.37 | 75 |
Non Family | 38,428 | 1.28 | 40.5 |
Female | 18,119 | 3.54 | 42.1 |
Male | 7,465 | 3.38 | 45.7 |
3.32
Average Family Size
2.71
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 14,672 | 6.91% |
9th to 12th Grade | 20,629 | 9.72% |
High School Graduate | 61,637 | 29.05% |
Some College | 50,531 | 23.82% |
Associates Degree | 17,684 | 8.33% |
Bachelors Degree | 30,510 | 14.38% |
Graduate Degree | 16,517 | 7.78% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 125,375 | 96,224 | 17,468 |
White | 71,365 | 66,706 | 24,570 |
Black | 8,371 | 7,278 | 1,601 |
Asian | 5,116 | 4,736 | 2,752 |
Other Race | 4,507 | 3,380 | 457 |
Multiple Races | 2,900 | 2,599 | 756 |
Native American | 816 | 757 | 159 |
Islander | 213 | 213 | 17 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100.00%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 53.79%.
$36,354
Average Earnings
$44,140
Average Male
$30,240
Average Female
64.92% of Corpus Christi residents speak only English, while 35.08% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 32.45% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 201,945 | 35,908 | 17.78% |
White | 92,814 | 10,571 | 11.39% |
Black | 12,489 | 3,186 | 25.51% |
Other | 6,093 | 1,272 | 20.88% |
Asian | 7,321 | 1,216 | 16.61% |
Multiple | 5,359 | 978 | 18.25% |
Native | 1,462 | 122 | 8.34% |
16.12%
Overall Poverty Rate
13.98%
Male Poverty Rate
18.21%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Corpus Christi is Black, with 25.51% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Corpus Christi is Native, with 8.34% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.82%. Among those working part-time, it was 20.90%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 24.03%.
45.3%
Overall Marriage Rate
46.2%
Male Marriage Rate
44.5%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.
Name | Veterans | % of Total |
---|---|---|
White | 21,251 | 9.71% |
Hispanic | 10,896 | 7.35% |
Black | 1,297 | 13.18% |
2 or More | 470 | 13.58% |
Other | 433 | 8.75% |
Asian | 277 | 4.78% |
Indian | 135 | 14.23% |
Hawaiian | 20 | 9.39% |
6.76%
Veteran Poverty Rate
27.67%
Veteran Disability Rate
63.1%
Labor Force Participation
59%
Employment Rate
5.5%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
90.72%
Native Born
9.28%
Foreign Born
5.87%
Non Citizen
3.40%
Naturalized
90.72% of Corpus Christi residents were born in the United States, with 73.42% having been born in Texas. 5.87% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.
Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 327,144 | 279 | 0.09% |
2020 | 326,865 | 279 | 0.09% |
2019 | 326,586 | 279 | 0.09% |
2018 | 326,307 | 739 | 0.23% |
2017 | 325,568 | -218 | -0.07% |
2016 | 325,786 | 1,114 | 0.34% |
2015 | 324,672 | 3,907 | 1.22% |
2014 | 320,765 | 3,722 | 1.17% |
2013 | 317,043 | 4,653 | 1.49% |
2012 | 312,390 | 4,287 | 1.39% |
2011 | 308,103 | 2,831 | 0.93% |
2010 | 305,272 | 27,818 | 0.96% |
2000 | 277,454 | 20,001 | 0.75% |
1990 | 257,453 | 25,319 | 1.04% |
1980 | 232,134 | 27,609 | 1.27% |
1970 | 204,525 | 36,835 | 2.01% |
1960 | 167,690 | 59,403 | 4.47% |
1950 | 108,287 | 50,986 | 6.57% |
1940 | 57,301 | 29,560 | 7.52% |
1930 | 27,741 | 17,219 | 10.18% |
1920 | 10,522 | 2,300 | 2.50% |
1910 | 8,222 | 3,519 | 5.75% |
1900 | 4,703 | 316 | 0.70% |
1890 | 4,387 | 1,130 | 3.02% |
1880 | 3,257 | 1,157 | 4.49% |
1870 | 2,100 | 1,900 | 26.51% |
1860 | 200 | 0.00% |