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Upper Rio Grande Region
gross domestic product,
2020
About 2 percent of Texas’ GDP of $1.8 trillion.
Upper Rio Grande Region Counties:
- Brewster
- Culberson
- El Paso
- Hudspeth
- Jeff Davis
- Presidio
The six-county Upper Rio Grande region covers about 21,700 square miles. It stretches from the most western part of the state, where the state line meets at the border with Mexico, along the Rio Grande past Big Bend and up again to the New Mexico state line around the area of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
The region includes one metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the El Paso MSA. The region’s economic center is the city of El Paso.
Population Change
The region’s population grew by nearly 8 percent between 2010 and 2020, on par with the national average growth.
REGION
7.6%
TEXAS
15.9%
U.S.
7.4%
Jobs & Wages
The region added more than 26,600 jobs from 2010 to 2020, an 8.6 percent increase. Manufacturing-related industries are among the most concentrated. These industries have a location quotient (LQ) of 1.25 or higher, indicating they’re unique to the regional economy. The business support services industry led regional job gains between 2015 and 2020.
Percent change in total jobs, 2010 to 2020
Employment growth in the Upper Rio Grande Region was 8.6%, compared to Texas at 17.1% and the U.S. at 7.8%.
Top Industries by Location Quotient, 2020
| Industry | Employment | Average Annual Wages | Location Quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footwear Manufacturing | 530 | $31,876 | 21.83 |
| Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 1,268 | $31,137 | 6.57 |
| Hardware Manufacturing | 324 | $74,431 | 6.11 |
| Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 719 | $73,105 | 5.53 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation | 216 | $38,666 | 4.91 |
Industries with Largest Total Jobs Growth, 2015 to 2020
| Industry | Average Annual Wages | Employment Change, 2015 to 2020 | Percent Employment Change, 2015 to 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Support Services | $29,758 | 2,358 | 32.0% |
| Outpatient Care Centers | $64,559 | 1,616 | 57.8% |
| Individual and Family Services | $23,549 | 1,454 | 26.5% |
| Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools | $60,077 | 1,038 | 20.3% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $60,465 | 1,037 | 8.9% |
THE Upper Rio Grande REGION IS ONE OF THE COMPTROLLER’S 12 ECONOMIC REGIONS.
Sources: JobsEQ; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts