Rio Grande Valley could add 109,500 residents by 2060, but not all counties are expected to grow

The Rio Grande Valley is on track to add 109,500 new residents over the next 33 years, or a 7.5% growth rate, according to state estimates for the four-county region. 

That’s like if a new city roughly the size of Edinburg was added to the border communities between 2027 and 2060. 

But the region is on track to receive less federal support than infrastructure needs would suggest because residents are chronically undercounted during the U.S. Census tabulation, a representative from the Texas Demographic Center told the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council during a recent presentation. 

“If we don’t have good population data, then we could potentially not get the funding that is really deserved at the local level,” said Monica Cruz, state data center lead for the Texas Demographic Center, who hails from Brownsville.