Many of the buildings in Beeville, including the Bee County Courthouse, were designed by the architect William Charles Stephenson, who came to Beeville from Buffalo, New York.
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,129 people, 4,697 households, and 3,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,149.7 people per square mile (829.6/km²). There were 5,539 housing units at an average density of 906.9/sq mi (350.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.08% White, 2.87% African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 20.63% from other races, and 3.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 67.67% of the population.
There were 4,697 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.1% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,475, and the median income for a family was $27,794. Males had a median income of $26,761 versus $20,411 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,027. About 26.5% of families and 30.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 24.4% of those age 65 or over.