The Town Files

Palmer, Texas

Community in Cameron County · population 1,082 (2020 Census)

Map: where Palmer is in TexasPalmer
Household income
$18,675
Jan low / Jul high
51° / 97°
Snow a year
0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
22
Median age
18.5

Palmer is a community of 1,082 people in Cameron County, Texas. It ranks better for families than 73% of Texas towns.

Palmer in our rankings:

How Palmer 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.

Palmer lifestyle rankings vs other Texas townsRetirement14th pctFamilies73rd pctQuiet34th pctWalkability31st pctFirst-time buyersbottomYoung professionals12th pctVibrancy44th pctHip & trendy2nd pctCollege town60th pctUpscale24th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCyclingbottomTransitbottomDriving33rd pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

72.5% of households own their home.

Palmer vs Cameron County vs typical Texas townPalmerCameron CountyTypical Texas townHousehold income$18,675$52,601$65,842
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Texas towns with 500+ people.
HousingPalmerTypical Texas town
Median home value—$184,100
Median rent—$1,086
Median household income$18,675$65,842
Home value ÷ income—×2.9×
Homeownership72.5%72.9%
Median year built19951985
Seasonal / vacation homes0.0%—

Who lives in Palmer

PeoplePalmerTypical Texas town
Median age18.537.1
Age 65 and over4.8%15.6%
Under 1847.3%—
Bachelor's degree or higher0.0%18.9%
Below the poverty line76.2%13.1%
Veterans0.0%—
Born outside the U.S.30.5%—
Work from home0.0%7.8%
Average commute23.7 min26.1 min
Homes with broadband67.2%89.2%

Weather in Palmer

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.

Palmer 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 (9.4 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

22 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palmer since 1950, compared with 21 for the typical Texas town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F3, struck on May 12, 1969 about 3.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 11, 2012.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Palmer by decade01950s41960s21970s41980s51990s42000s32010s02020s
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 24 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 Palmer itself the ACS puts it at 0%.

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 Palmer

Palmer questions

Is Palmer, Texas a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Palmer scores better for retirees than 14% of Texas towns and quieter than 34%. 4.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 18.5).

What is the weather like in Palmer?

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 Palmer get tornadoes?

22 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Palmer 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 Palmer's Census boundary (GEOID 4854748). 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.