McAllen metro posts modest job gains, while Brownsville remains nearly flat

The Rio Grande Valley’s two largest metro areas added 3,700 more jobs through May than during the same month last year, new Bureau of Labor Statistics data shared by the Texas Workforce Commission shows. 

The majority of those jobs came from the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area. 

The McAllen metro added 3,600 jobs over the year for a total of 310,300 nonfarm jobs in May. That’s a 1.17% increase.

Private education and health services remained the largest sector in the McAllen metro, with 98,000 jobs. It also grew the fastest over the year, up 3.5% in May. That was followed by the information sector — which includes jobs in the technology industry. That sector was up 2.8% in May for a total of 3,400 jobs. 

The industry that saw the largest decline was professional and business services, which dropped by 4.42% to 23,800 jobs. It was followed by federal government jobs, which were down 2%, to 4,900 jobs in May.  

Trade, transportation, and utilities — which include trucking — were up about half a percent over the year to 57,300 jobs. 

The overall growth of the job market has cooled significantly. Between 2021 and 2023, the McAllen metro added jobs at a rate of 3% to 5%. In 2024, it slowed to 2%, and in 2025, it dropped even further to 1.82%. Now it’s closer to 1%. 

The Brownsville-Harlingen metro area added only 100 jobs over the year, for a total of 159,400 nonfarm jobs in May, an increase of 0.06%. 

The industry that saw the largest decline was the information sector, which dropped by 7.14% over the year to 1,300 jobs. It was followed by financial activities, which declined by 1.69% to 5,800 jobs in May. 

Federal government jobs there grew the fastest, by 14.29% in one year, to 3,200 jobs. The manufacturing sector followed with an increase of 7.46% to 6,200 jobs; then mining, logging, and construction recorded 3,600 jobs in May. 

The private education and health services sector remained the largest employer in the Brownsville Metro, with 46,800 jobs. That sector grew 0.21% over the year through May. 

The pace of job growth in the Brownsville metro is even slower than in recent years, when it was below 2%. 

By comparison, Texas added 98,000 nonfarm jobs through May, an increase of 0.68% — which is not seasonally adjusted. That’s slightly faster than the Brownsville metro and slower than the McAllen metro. The U.S. job market added 435,000 jobs through May, an increase of 0.27%. 

Some major changes over the past year that have affected the Rio Grande Valley include a major decrease in international migration into the region, significantly higher gas and diesel prices, and higher food prices due to inflation.