ZIP Code 79821 — Vinton, TX

Conditions here fall into the Challenging range on the health score scale, reflecting a rating of 16.7 out of 100 for ZIP code 79821 in Vinton, Texas. The area sits within El Paso County and is home to 6,550 residents. The economics profile is Mixed, meaning the economic picture here does not fall neatly into a single pattern. What stands out most distinctly in the available measures is the walkability score of 0.0 out of 5 shoes, indicating that most errands require a vehicle rather than travel on foot.

At a glance: 77.7% homeownership · Step Score 0.0/5 · hot desert climate · hazard risk relatively high (drought, hail, cold wave).

The Census Bureau asks race and Hispanic or Latino origin as two separate questions, and a person of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race. The categories above are the constructed mutually exclusive form — each race is “alone, not Hispanic or Latino” — so they sum to 100% and none double-counts another. These are five-year survey estimates, not a census count.

The median age in ZIP 79821 is 35.9 years, and the area's 1,839 households have a median household income of $58,171, with a per capita income of $21,106. Homeownership stands at 77.7%, and 11.9% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. The poverty rate is 16.6%, and the unemployment rate is 6.3%. Just over a quarter of residents — 26.5% — were born outside the United States, and only 25.2% speak English at home exclusively, reflecting a community where languages other than English are widely used.

The housing-cost index for ZIP 79821 stands at 18.8 out of 100, a figure the area's housing-cost label classifies as More Affordable. The poverty rate is 16.6% and the unemployment rate is 6.3%, and the overall affordability picture, as measured by the Piggy rating, comes in at 2.5 out of 5, indicating a Moderate level of affordability. Business density sits at 11.93 businesses per square mile, with Retail Trade the largest sector by count at 36 establishments, followed by Accommodation & Food at 19 and Construction at 12. The area carries a market opportunity label of Emerging Opportunity and an OurZip economics score of 51.3 out of 100, rated Mixed.

The median home value in ZIP 79821 stands at $220,781, up 1.5% over the past year, and sits below the median U.S. ZIP code value of $280,574. At a home value-to-income ratio of 3.8, a buyer would need roughly 3.8 times the area's median household income to match the current median home price, placing affordability in the moderate range. Homeownership is the dominant housing arrangement here, with 77.7% of residents owning their homes.

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Enrolment splits 2,364 public and 0 private. These are schools located inside the ZIP code — attendance boundaries do not follow ZIP boundaries.

Six public schools are located in ZIP code 79821, with no private schools present. The schools span two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, and two combined-grade schools. Together, the public schools enroll 2,364 students. Among adults aged 25 and older who live in this ZIP code, 75.0% hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and 11.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher — figures that describe the resident population, not the schools themselves.

El Paso County Sheriff's Office covers a wider area than this ZIP code, of which 79821 is about 6%. The counts below are for the agency's whole jurisdiction, not for 79821 alone.

Public safety figures for ZIP 79821 come from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, which covers a jurisdiction of 111,217 people — and because the ZIP holds roughly 6 percent of that population, the counts below describe the agency's entire service area, not Vinton specifically. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program for 2025, the Sheriff's Office recorded 305 violent offenses and 903 property offenses across its jurisdiction, translating to rates of 274.2 and 811.9 per 100,000 people, respectively. Both rates fall below the national benchmarks of 329.1 per 100,000 for violent crime and 1,551.6 per 100,000 for property crime, and below the Texas figures of 348.6 and 1,811.9 per 100,000 for the same period. Within the property offense total, larceny accounted for 585 incidents and motor vehicle theft for 170 — the largest single contributor and a notable share of the overall count. Among violent offenses, assault made up the majority at 221 incidents, with 9 homicides and 25 robberies also recorded across the jurisdiction.

Ozipedia does not publish modelled crime estimates. The figures above are counts reported by the agency itself; we will not use algorithms or inference to attribute them to a ZIP code, because fair and accurate reporting matters more to us than a number that merely looks precise. Any law-enforcement agency able to supply ZIP-level figures is warmly invited to get in touch — it would directly serve our aim of being the most comprehensive ZIP code resource anywhere. Corrections and data offers are welcome at /corrections.

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Air quality is the one county figure in this chart — the EPA publishes its annual AQI summary by county, so that row describes El Paso County, which contains 79821. Every other row is measured for this ZIP code.

Chronic-disease measures here run better than the median U.S. ZIP code; the composite is held down by air quality (median AQI 67).

ZIP 79821 carries an OurZip Health Score of 16.7, rated Challenging, reflecting strain across several health dimensions tracked by CDC PLACES and EPA. Air quality is a notable concern: the EPA-tracked median Air Quality Index stands at 67.0, and only 22.1% of days register as good air quality days, meaning the air meets cleaner standards on fewer than one in four days of the year. On chronic disease, the diabetes rate of 16.3% is particularly elevated — well above the 12.7% recorded at the median U.S. ZIP code — while the uninsured rate of 32.5% stands sharply higher than the 8.7% at the median U.S. ZIP code, limiting access to the routine and preventive care that can catch conditions early. Preventive care utilization reflects that gap: dental visit rates (46.8%) and colorectal screening rates (52.2%) both trail the median U.S. ZIP code figures of 62.0% and 66.0%, respectively.

FEMA publishes the National Risk Index by county. The hazard figures below are for El Paso County, which contains 79821 and is considerably larger than it. The percentiles rank that county against every county in the United States.

All 18 hazards FEMA lists · 15 rated — 2 very high, 1 high, 1 moderate, 5 low, 6 very low · 3 not rated. Event counts follow each hazard's own FEMA definition and are not comparable between rows — lightning is counted in recorded strikes, tornado in recorded tornadoes. The percentile is the comparable figure. FEMA does not rate 3 of them in this county; they are listed rather than omitted, because a hazard absent from the list is indistinguishable from one nobody asked about.

ZIP code 79821 carries a Hot Desert climate classification, with summer average highs reaching 93.9°F and lows of 71.3°F, while winter average highs reach 58.7°F and lows drop to 35.5°F. The area averages 65.1°F annually. Precipitation is scarce, totaling 9.1 inches per year across roughly 20 rainy days, and recorded snowfall at the nearby LA TUNA 1 S station amounts to 0.0 inches. According to the FEMA National Risk Index, El Paso County, which contains 79821, carries an overall risk level of Relatively High, with drought ranked as the most severe concern — placing the county at the 96th percentile nationally among U.S. counties, with an average of about 40.0 drought events recorded per year. Hail risk ranks at the 89th percentile nationally among U.S. counties and averages 0.43 events per year, while cold wave risk falls at the 71st percentile nationally, underscoring that despite the generally warm climate, cold weather episodes remain a documented hazard for the county.

The mean commute time in ZIP 79821 is 23.9 minutes, and 7.0% of workers in the area work from home. Getting around on foot is limited: the area holds a Step Score of 0.0 out of 5, meaning virtually all errands require a vehicle rather than walking. The walkability composite sub-scores reflect this — transit access registers at 0.28 and street connectivity at 1.7, both indicating minimal support for non-vehicle travel. OpenStreetMap maps 2 transit stops and 0 rail stations within the ZIP boundary.

Counts are features mapped in OpenStreetMap inside the ZIP boundary. OpenStreetMap is maintained by volunteers and its coverage is uneven, so a low count can mean little has been mapped here rather than little exists. Something missing or wrong? Tell us.

Residents of ZIP code 79821 are represented in the U.S. Senate by John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and in the U.S. House of Representatives by Veronica Escobar of District 16. At the state level, César Blanco serves in the Texas Senate and Joe Moody serves in the Texas House of Representatives.

Taxes in ZIP 79821 are shaped by Texas's absence of a state income tax, meaning residents owe no state-level tax on wages or salaries. The state sales tax rate stands at 6.25%, with an average local rate of 1.95% bringing the combined sales tax to 8.2%. Property owners in El Paso County face an effective property tax rate of 2.09%, which produces a median annual property tax bill of $3,490. All figures are sourced from the Tax Foundation.

The EPA publishes its annual air-quality summary by county, so these figures describe El Paso County, which contains 79821. There is no ZIP-level air-quality measurement to report.

For El Paso County, which contains 79821, the median Air Quality Index for the year was 67.0, placing it in the EPA's Moderate category. Good-air days — the EPA's highest category — made up 22.1% of days in the year.

Is 79821 a safe neighborhood?

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office, which serves 111,217 people across its jurisdiction, recorded 305 violent offences and 903 property offences in 2025. Because ZIP code 79821 represents approximately 6% of the agency's service area, these figures reflect the entire jurisdiction rather than Vinton alone. For context, the national violent crime rate is 329.1 per 100,000 people.

What is the average home price in 79821?

The median home value in ZIP code 79821 is $220,781. Relative to the area's median household income of $58,171, that represents a home value-to-income ratio of 3.79.

What is the cost of living in 79821?

Texas levies no state income tax, so residents of 79821 pay a 0% state income tax rate on their earnings. The median household income in the ZIP code is $58,171, and the median home value stands at $220,781.

What are the natural hazards in 79821?

Drought is the most prominent hazard in 79821, rated Very High risk and ranking at the 95.5th percentile among U.S. ZIP codes, with an average of 40.03 drought events recorded per year. Hail also carries a Very High risk rating, at the 89.1st percentile, averaging 0.43 events per year, while Cold Wave risk is rated High at the 70.7th percentile, averaging 0.2 events per year. The area's climate is classified as Hot Desert, which is consistent with the elevated drought figures.

How walkable is 79821?

ZIP code 79821 has a walkability score of 0.0 out of 5, meaning that virtually all errands require a vehicle. The area also carries a health score of 16.7 out of 100, which is classified as Challenging.

1. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year
2. Zillow Research — ZHVI and ZORI
3. FBI Crime Data Explorer (Uniform Crime Reporting / NIBRS), 2025
4. CDC PLACES
5. U.S. EPA Air Quality System
6. NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals
7. FEMA National Risk Index
8. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — Step Score inputs and mapped amenities
9. NCES Common Core of Data 2024 — public schools
10. Tax Foundation
11. Congress.gov and OpenStates

Data compiled April 2026. Page last updated August 2026. Every figure on this page traces to a value in the 79821 data payload; where a value was absent, the section it belongs to is not published. Scores prefixed “OurZip” are our own — see how each is calculated.