McAllen loses trade jobs as Brownsville gains, but both metros grow overall

Key takeaways

• The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro added 4,000 jobs in August, a 1.3% increase year over year.
• The Brownsville-Harlingen metro added 2,800 jobs in August, a 1.7% increase year over year.
• Education and healthcare remain the largest industries in both metros, with steady job growth.
• McAllen lost jobs in trade and transportation, while Brownsville recorded gains in the same sector.
• Federal policy changes — including tariffs on Mexican goods and higher border crossing fees — could pressure Valley trade and transportation jobs in the coming months.

The Rio Grande Valley’s two largest metro areas added more jobs in August than during the same month last year, new Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro had 302,700 nonfarm jobs in August, up from 298,700 in August 2024. That’s a gain of 4,000 jobs, or 1.3% year over year.

The Brownsville-Harlingen metro recorded 165,400 nonfarm jobs in August, up from 162,600 a year earlier. That’s an increase of 2,800 jobs, or 1.72% year over year.

By comparison, Texas added 17,600 nonfarm jobs through August, a 1.4% increase. U.S. job growth rose 0.5% in August.

Education, healthcare remain top industries in RGV

Private education and health services remain the largest industry in both metros. The category includes private charter school staff, most hospital jobs — such as nurses or home health aides—and similar roles.

Public school teachers fall under local government, based on how the data is categorized.

The McAllen metro’s biggest increase over the year was an uptick in state government jobs, up 500 from 7,900 in August 2024 to 8,400 in August 2025. 

The biggest decline was in local government, dropping from 45,100 to 43,500 over the year for a loss of 1,600.  

Trade jobs down in McAllen, up in Brownsville

Trade, transportation, and utilities—the second-largest industry in McAllen and a sector tied to cross-border trade — fell by 0.5 percent between August 2024 and August 2025.

In the Brownsville metro area, the biggest gains were local government jobs, which were up 3.5%, while private education and health services increased by 3.2%. 

Trade, transportation, and utilities jobs in Brownsville also increased slightly by 1.8% over the year in August. Meanwhile, state government jobs fell 3.3%, other services dropped 2.7%, and manufacturing declined 2.8%.

RGV faces uncertainty, possible slump from trade policy changes

Over the next few months, changes in federal policy under the Trump administration could affect Rio Grande Valley jobs in trade and transportation.

President Trump recently implemented higher fees for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, even for tourists, students, and temporary workers. They went into effect last week.

And while the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), formerly known as NAFTA, spurred significant cross-border trade, the Trump administration imposed a new 25% tariff on goods from Mexico that are not exempted under the deal.

The U.S. also paused new visas for foreign-born truck drivers, but B-1 visitor visas used by Mexican and Canadian drivers remained unaffected in the change.

In September, the Texas Department of Public Safety halted the issuance and renewal of certain commercial trucking licenses for immigrants with classifications such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, refugee status, or asylum.