Job growth in McAllen to hit 1% increase through August, Brownsville’s official data shows nearly 1% decline
About two dozen employers from industries including construction, healthcare, and technology looked to hire workers for STEM and information technology roles during a job fair in Edinburg. Photo Credit | Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza

The Rio Grande Valley’s two largest metro areas added 1,800 jobs through August 2026 over the year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data compiled by the Texas Workforce Commission. 

The job gains in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area hit 2,900 jobs or nearly 1% increase over the year, compared to the Brownsville-Harlingen metro area losing 1,100 jobs or roughly 1% decline. 

In the McAllen metro there were 308,100 non-farm jobs compared to about 159,500 in the Brownsville metro area. 

Gains in the federal government sector led percentage wise growth over the year but it’s not the largest workforce along the Texas-Mexico border region. 

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