Skip navigation
Top navigation skipped.
Population Growth,
South Texas REGION
The 28-county South Texas region covers about 35,500 square miles, stretching along the Mexican border from Del Rio to Brownsville and up the Gulf Coast past Rockport to Aransas Pass and San Antonio Bay.
METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
Brownsville-Harlingen, Corpus Christi, Eagle Pass, Laredo, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS:
Alice, Beeville, Del Rio, Kingsville, Raymondville, Rio Grande City-Roma, Uvalde, Zapata
South Texas TEXAS REGION
GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, 2023
$122.5
BILLION
4.7% OF TEXAS’ GDP
Population Growth,
2014 to 2024
THE South Texas REGION’S POPULATION ROSE 3.7% BETWEEN 2014 AND 2024.
Hidalgo and San Patricio counties saw the greatest percentage gains at 10.3% and 7.2%, respectively.
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
IN 2023, 73.7% OF THE REGION HAD AT LEAST A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND 20.2% HAD EARNED AT LEAST A BACHELOR’S DEGREE.
Demographics
Population Change by Age Group,
2014 to 2024
| Age group | Percent Change |
|---|---|
| Age 0 to 4 years: | -15.4% |
| Age 5 to 19 years: | -1.9% |
| Age 20 to 34 years: | 5.9% |
| Age 35 to 49 years: | 3.3% |
| Age 50 to 64 years: | 6.9% |
| Age 65 years or older: | 23.2% |
COMPONENTS OF ANNUAL POPULATION CHANGE, 2014 to 2024
Population Data
| Year | Natural Increase | Net International Migration | Net Domestic Migration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 27,423 | 4,427 | -10,246 |
| 2015 | 27,216 | 4,798 | -14,636 |
| 2016 | 25,767 | 5,071 | -15,918 |
| 2017 | 22,691 | 1,899 | -18,041 |
| 2018 | 20,810 | 657 | -17,322 |
| 2019 | 20,479 | 1,208 | -12,018 |
| 2020 | 19,277 | 1,260 | -9,093 |
| 2021 | 8,481 | 1,644 | -2,411 |
| 2022 | 13,500 | 7,940 | -8,694 |
| 2023 | 16,892 | 9,925 | -6,002 |
| 2024 | 17,266 | 12,521 | -9,416 |
Jobs and Wages
MORE THAN 880,000 PEOPLE WERE EMPLOYED IN THE REGION IN 2024, UP NEARLY 10% FROM 2014.
AVERAGE ANNUAL WAGES IN THE REGION WERE ABOUT $49,000 IN 2024.
Industry
Industries often aggregate based on unique regional characteristics, such as natural resources or worker skill sets, which give the region a comparative advantage.
- FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURING,
- HOME HEALTH CARE SERVICES,
- AND FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION ARRANGEMENT
are six to 13 times more concentrated in the South Texas region on average than anywhere else in the U.S.
EXPLORE MORE DATA ON ALL THE REGIONS OF TEXAS.
Data current as of September 2025
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; JobsEQ; Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
KELLY HANCOCK
ACTING TEXAS COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS