State
County
Land Area
257.4 sq mi
Density
2,662.70/sq mi
2020 Growth Rate
0.27%
Growth Since 2010
5.59%
Rank in State
Rank in Country
Metro Population
849,146
El Paso is a city located in Texas. With a 2020 population of 685,434, it is the 6th largest city in Texas and the 22nd largest city in the United States. El Paso is currently growing at a rate of 0.27% annually and its population has increased by 5.59% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 649,121 in 2010. El Paso reached it's highest population of 685,434 in 2021. Spanning over 258 miles, El Paso has a population density of 2,663 people per square mile.
The average household income in El Paso is $64,025 with a poverty rate of 19.09%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to $837 per month, and the median house value is $127,400. The median age in El Paso is 32.9 years, 31.1 years for males, and 35.1 years for females. For every 100 females there are 96.0 males.
The estimated population of El Paso gives it a population density of 2,500 people per square mile (980/square mile). The larger metropolitan area, covering all of Hudspeth and El Paso counties, has a population of 837,000 while the El Paso-Las Cruces CSA has a population of 1.05 million. Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso form a broad international metropolitan area often called the Paso del Norte or the El Paso-Juarez-Las Cruces with more than 2.7 million residents. This constitutes the Western Hemisphere's largest bilingual, binational work force.
El Paso has been ranked as one of the top three safest large U.S. cities since 1997 and the safest for the last three years. The city is known for its strong military presence, including Biggs Army Airfield and Fort Bliss -- one of the largest U.S. Army military complexes and the country's largest training area. El Paso is also the headquarters for the U.S. Border Patrol Special Operations Group, the Joint Task Force North, and the El Paso Intelligence Center.
While the Texas population grew by 20% from 2000 to 2010, El Paso grew by 15% during the same period. A great deal of the growth is attributed to people leaving the fringe communities and moving into the large urban center of El Paso. The increase in the Hispanic population is attributed to immigration and high fertility rates. It's believed Hispanics and Latinos will have an 85% share of the population by 2020, although the military presence and university will maintain diversity in the city.
The El Paso area has been inhabited for thousands of years, initially by maize farmers. When the Spanish arrived, the Suma, Manso, and Jumano people lived in the area and were incorporated later into the Mestizo culture with immigrants from other parts of Texas.
Spanish explorer Don Juan de Onate was the first New Spain or Mexican explorer to see the Rio Grande near El Paso, celebrating Thanksgiving Mass in the area in 1598, which was decades before the famous Pilgrims' Thanksgiving.
Fray Garcia de San Francisco established the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission of El Paso del Norte in 1659. It was the construction of this mission that allowed the village of El Paso del Norte to grow.
The Texas Revolution in 1836 did not affect the area much, although Texas claimed the El Paso area as part of a treaty with Mexico. The village of El Paso remained a self-governing community with Texan and Mexican representatives until Texas took full control in 1846. Americans continued settling in the area during this time.
The city of El Paso experienced a booming population when the railroads arrived, with the population exploding by more than 9,000 between 1881 and 1890. Most were Americans from Texas. The city became a violent boomtown called the Six Shooter Capital with gambling and prostitution flourishing until WWI when the Army pressured authorities to crack down on the city's vices.
By 1920, the population was more than 100,000 with a white majority. It wasn't until 1965 that Hispanics once more claimed a majority in the city.
The first bridge crossing the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte was constructed more than 250 years ago. There are now several bridges serving the area, including the Santa Fe Street Bridge, the Bridge of the Americas, and the Ysleta Bridge.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of El Paso was:
2019 and 2020 population is estimated by projecting the raw 2018 numbers.
Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | 849,146 | 2,511 | 0.30% |
2020 | 846,635 | 2,511 | 0.30% |
2019 | 844,124 | 2,511 | 0.30% |
2018 | 841,613 | -392 | -0.05% |
2017 | 842,005 | 2,802 | 0.33% |
2016 | 839,203 | 3,764 | 0.45% |
2015 | 835,439 | -1,650 | -0.20% |
2014 | 837,089 | 2,886 | 0.34% |
2013 | 834,203 | -1,464 | -0.18% |
2012 | 835,667 | 12,359 | 1.48% |
2011 | 823,308 | 16,260 | 1.97% |
2010 | 807,048 | 0.00% |
Race | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 544,353 | 80.07% |
Some Other Race | 77,476 | 11.40% |
Black or African American | 24,644 | 3.63% |
Two or More Races | 18,570 | 2.73% |
Asian | 9,788 | 1.44% |
American Indian and Alaska Native | 3,897 | 0.57% |
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 1,085 | 0.16% |
Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
---|---|---|---|
All | 226,787 | 2.97 | 58.9 |
Married | 105,207 | 3.72 | 71.1 |
Non Family | 65,996 | 1.18 | 45.6 |
Female | 41,783 | 3.72 | 49.7 |
Male | 13,801 | 3.51 | 56.2 |
3.62
Average Family Size
2.97
Average Household Size
Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Less Than 9th Grade | 47,998 | 11.35% |
9th to 12th Grade | 35,340 | 8.36% |
High School Graduate | 97,433 | 23.05% |
Some College | 101,334 | 23.97% |
Associates Degree | 34,625 | 8.19% |
Bachelors Degree | 70,710 | 16.73% |
Graduate Degree | 35,338 | 8.36% |
Name | Total | High School | Bachelors |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 335,351 | 256,189 | 69,506 |
White | 62,153 | 59,415 | 26,922 |
Other Race | 48,406 | 32,191 | 7,014 |
Black | 15,268 | 14,613 | 4,663 |
Multiple Races | 8,173 | 7,321 | 2,333 |
Asian | 6,846 | 6,169 | 3,696 |
Native American | 2,534 | 2,032 | 509 |
Islander | 461 | 447 | 139 |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 96.96%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 53.99%.
$31,358
Average Earnings
$36,824
Average Male
$25,748
Average Female
31.24% of El Paso residents speak only English, while 68.76% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 66.57% of the population.
Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Hispanic | 547,712 | 114,850 | 20.97% |
Other | 75,283 | 20,321 | 26.99% |
White | 85,673 | 8,938 | 10.43% |
Multiple | 18,148 | 3,270 | 18.02% |
Black | 23,771 | 2,509 | 10.55% |
Asian | 9,687 | 1,222 | 12.61% |
Native | 3,822 | 760 | 19.88% |
Islander | 1,085 | 645 | 59.45% |
19.09%
Overall Poverty Rate
17.11%
Male Poverty Rate
20.98%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in El Paso is Islander, with 59.45% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in El Paso is White, with 10.43% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 4.97%. Among those working part-time, it was 21.63%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.72%.
44.5%
Overall Marriage Rate
47.0%
Male Marriage Rate
42.2%
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 | 33,023 | 8.39% |
Hispanic | 22,191 | 5.62% |
Black | 5,785 | 36.63% |
Other | 1,903 | 3.34% |
2 or More | 1,207 | 11.87% |
Asian | 536 | 7.29% |
Indian | 351 | 12.59% |
Hawaiian | 23 | 3.07% |
6.26%
Veteran Poverty Rate
26.84%
Veteran Disability Rate
62.3%
Labor Force Participation
56.4%
Employment Rate
6.1%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
76.87%
Native Born
23.13%
Foreign Born
11.70%
Non Citizen
11.43%
Naturalized
76.87% of El Paso residents were born in the United States, with 58.10% having been born in Texas. 11.70% 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 | 685,434 | 1,853 | 0.27% |
2020 | 683,581 | 1,853 | 0.27% |
2019 | 681,728 | 1,853 | 0.27% |
2018 | 679,875 | -1,468 | -0.22% |
2017 | 681,343 | 1,388 | 0.20% |
2016 | 679,955 | 3,713 | 0.55% |
2015 | 676,242 | -993 | -0.15% |
2014 | 677,235 | 2,427 | 0.36% |
2013 | 674,808 | -133 | -0.02% |
2012 | 674,941 | 10,537 | 1.59% |
2011 | 664,404 | 13,733 | 2.11% |
2010 | 650,671 | 87,009 | 1.45% |
2000 | 563,662 | 48,320 | 0.90% |
1990 | 515,342 | 90,083 | 1.94% |
1980 | 425,259 | 102,998 | 2.81% |
1970 | 322,261 | 45,574 | 1.54% |
1960 | 276,687 | 146,202 | 7.81% |
1950 | 130,485 | 33,675 | 3.03% |
1940 | 96,810 | -5,611 | -0.56% |
1930 | 102,421 | 24,861 | 2.82% |
1920 | 77,560 | 38,281 | 7.04% |
1910 | 39,279 | 23,373 | 9.46% |
1900 | 15,906 | 5,568 | 4.40% |
1890 | 10,338 | 9,638 | 30.90% |
1880 | 700 | 0.00% |