Rio Grande Valley job growth rate outpaced the Texas average in September

The Rio Grande Valley’s two largest metro areas added 7,600 more jobs in September than during the same month last year, new Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro had 304,700 nonfarm jobs through September, an increase of 4,100 jobs, or 1.4%, compared to the year before. 

The Brownsville-Harlingen metro recorded 166,200 nonfarm jobs through September, an increase of 3,500 over the previous year, or a 2.2% gain. 

By comparison, Texas added 168,000 jobs through September, a 1.2% increase. U.S. job growth rose in 1.1% September.

That means the Rio Grande Valley outpaced both the state and national average for job growth, data shows. Only the College Station-Bryan metro area grew faster than the Brownsville-Harlingen metro area. At the same time, the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro grew faster than the border-region communities such as El Paso and Eagle Pass, but not Laredo. 

Private education and health services led job growth over the year. 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 the local government, based on how the data is categorized.

The McAllen metro’s most significant increase over the year was an uptick in private education and health service jobs, up from 91,700 to 95,900, adding 4,200 jobs. 

The most significant decline was in government, which dropped from 59,800 to 58,800 over the year, a loss of 1,000.  

Trade, transportation, and utilities—the second-largest industry in McAllen and a sector tied to cross-border trade — fell by 0.2 percent between September 2024 and 2025—a loss of 100 jobs. 

In the Brownsville metro area, the most significant gains were in private education and health services, adding 1,300 jobs for a total of 51,700. Followed by the government adding 1,000 jobs over the year, bringing the total to 29,200. 

Trade, transportation, and utilities jobs in Brownsville also increased by 1.9%, adding 500 jobs over the year. Both manufacturing and other services jobs were down 100 jobs each over the year. 

The U.S. government shutdown delayed the release of Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the metropolitan statistical area until Dec. 11. Employment data for October will not be released because it was not collected. November employment estimates are expected to be released in January 2026.