Mercedes, Texas

Geography Mercedes is located at 26°8'58" North, 97°55'7" West (26.149315, -97.918675)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.4 km² (8.6 mi²). 22.2 km² (8.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.69% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 13,649 people, 4,170 households, and 3,348 families residing in the city. The population density is 614.2/km² (1,591.2/mi²). There are 5,455 housing units at an average density of 245.5/km² (636.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 79.42% White, 0.36% African American, 0.89% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 16.95% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. 90.01% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,170 households out of which 41.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% are married couples living together, 21.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% are non-families. 18.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.27 and the average family size is 3.75.

In the city the population is spread out with 32.9% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $23,064, and the median income for a family is $25,339. Males have a median income of $19,945 versus $18,387 for females. The per capita income for the city is $8,658. 36.4% of the population and 30.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 49.4% are under the age of 18 and 30.3% are 65 or older.