The Town Files

Palm Valley, Texas

City in Cameron County · population 1,413 (2020 Census)

Map: where Palm Valley is in TexasPalm Valley
Median home
$275,000
Household income
$99,438
Jan low / Jul high
51° / 97°
Snow a year
0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
26
Median age
39.5

Palm Valley is a city of 1,413 people in Cameron County, Texas. The median home is worth $275,000, above the typical Texas town ($184,100). It ranks hipper than 96% of Texas towns, more walkable than 90% of Texas towns, more upscale than 81% of Texas towns.

Palm Valley in our rankings:

How Palm Valley ranks

Percentile among Texas towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Texas towns.

Palm Valley lifestyle rankings vs other Texas townsRetirement65th pctFamilies51st pctQuiet20th pctWalkability90th pctFirst-time buyersbottomYoung professionals70th pctVibrancy80th pctHip & trendy96th pctCollege town62nd pctUpscale81st pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCyclingbottomTransitbottomDriving32nd pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Palm Valley is worth $275,000, above the typical Texas town ($184,100). Homes cost about 2.8 times the median household income of $99,438, which is more affordable than 56% of Texas towns. Median rent is $1,340 a month. 80.5% of households own their home.

Palm Valley vs Cameron County vs typical Texas townPalm ValleyCameron CountyTypical Texas townHome value$275,000$136,500$184,100Household income$99,438$52,601$65,842Monthly rent$1,340$912$1,086
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Texas towns with 500+ people.
HousingPalm ValleyTypical Texas town
Median home value$275,000$184,100
Median rent$1,340$1,086
Median household income$99,438$65,842
Home value ÷ income2.8×2.9×
Homeownership80.5%72.9%
Median year built19801985
Seasonal / vacation homes4.0%—

Who lives in Palm Valley

PeoplePalm ValleyTypical Texas town
Median age39.537.1
Age 65 and over22.7%15.6%
Under 1826.2%—
Bachelor's degree or higher41.9%18.9%
Below the poverty line2.6%13.1%
Veterans14.3%—
Born outside the U.S.11.7%—
Work from home13.4%7.8%
Average commute27.5 min26.1 min
Homes with broadband97.6%89.2%

Weather in Palm Valley

July highs average 96.6°F and January lows 51.1°F. About 28.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.1 inches of snow (typical Texas town: 0.2 in). Expect about 151 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 1 nights at or below freezing.

Palm Valley monthly temperatures and precipitation50°60°70°80°90°100°72°51°Jan76°55°Feb81°60°Mar86°66°Apr91°72°May95°76°Jun97°77°Jul98°77°Aug93°74°Sep88°67°Oct80°59°Nov73°53°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue1.21.21.52.32.72.42.42.15.83.12.01.60.1
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Harlingen station (5.0 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

26 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palm Valley since 1950, compared with 21 for the typical Texas town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on May 12, 1969 about 4.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 8, 2024.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Palm Valley by decade31950s21960s41970s31980s71990s42000s22010s12020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 34 times; the largest was 2.00 inches on June 4, 2023.

Severe weather in Cameron County since 1996

Storm events in Cameron County since 1996 by typeHail70Heat112Flood49Drought170Tornado33High Wind20Heavy Rain40Flash Flood93
NOAA Storm Events Database, Cameron County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 11 deaths recorded.

Cameron County has been included in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, other.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
May 21, 2025FloodDR-4871: Severe Storms And Flooding
July 9, 2024HurricaneDR-4798: Hurricane Beryl
February 19, 2021Severe Ice StormDR-4586: Severe Winter Storms
February 14, 2021Severe Ice StormEM-3554: Severe Winter Storm
August 24, 2020HurricaneEM-3540: Tropical Storms Marco And Laura

Jobs and pay in Cameron County

Cameron County had 156,619 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $44,590 a year. Unemployment was 5.4% in 2023; in Palm Valley itself the ACS puts it at 4.2%.

Largest industries in Cameron CountyHealth care & social assistan…46,282 jobs · $36,440Retail17,538 jobs · $33,102Hotels & restaurants17,369 jobs · $21,179Administrative & support9,401 jobs · $36,225Manufacturing7,110 jobs · $62,212Professional & technical serv…5,508 jobs · $109,183
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Cameron County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023Cameron 5.4%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Palm Valley

Palm Valley questions

Is Palm Valley, Texas a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Palm Valley scores better for retirees than 65% of Texas towns and quieter than 20%. 22.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 39.5).

How much does a house cost in Palm Valley?

The median owner-occupied home in Palm Valley is valued at $275,000 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $99,438, so homes cost about 2.8 times income. Median rent is $1,340 a month.

What is the weather like in Palm Valley?

July highs average 96.6°F and January lows 51.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 28.2 inches of precipitation a year and 0.1 inches of snow.

Does Palm Valley get tornadoes?

26 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palm Valley since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F3 on May 12, 1969. The typical Texas town has had 21.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Palm Valley's Census boundary (GEOID 4854798). Comparisons use the median of Texas towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.