McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Area of Economic Development

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Region for Business

On the U.S.-Mexico border, population growth and diverse economic growth leads the way.

Located 45 minutes west of Brownsville-Harlingen and 30 minutes north of the Mexico border, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission is a key economic player in South Texas. Top manufacturers, health services providers and more operate in the area for its access to key markets, a solid multimodal transportation network and a talent pool that is continually deepened by area colleges and universities enrolling more than 60,000 students in total.

Rankings

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#5 Top 10 Places for Middle Income Americans to Buy Homes (McAllen)

Realtor.com 2022
White tents serving food are lined up next to the riverfront in McAllen, Texas

#3 Cheapest U.S. Cities to Live in (McAllen)

Kiplinger 2022

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Economic Strengths

Learn more about the economic strengths and business advantages that this metro area offers.

People walk through a tall building with high ceilings and blue and white light fixtures.
A white brick sign outside a college building reads "Texas A&M University McAllen Teaching Center"
Cars and a truck pass through a toll on a highway in McAllen, Texas.
  • Business Climate
  • Talent
  • Infrastructure
Business Climate
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Diverse South Texas Economy

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission’s area economy is balanced across key industries, anchored by big names like Frito-Lay and H-E-B.

Major business clusters in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission include food and beverage production, health services, retail and transportation. Major employers in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission include Duro Bag Manufacturing, Frito-Lay, Inc., H-E-B, Hi-Tech Plastics, Inc., Mission Paving, Mission Shippers, T-Mobile USA and Texas Citrus Exchange.

Talent
A white brick sign outside a college building reads "Texas A&M University McAllen Teaching Center"

Large Higher Ed Systems

From one of the state’s largest community colleges to a Texas A&M campus, higher education is diverse and powerful in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, ranked as the #13 most affordable university in the nation by Best Value Schools in 2020, offers 120 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 30,000 students.

With 32,000 students, South Texas College has the largest enrollment among higher education institutions south of San Antonio and is the only community college in Texas to offer five baccalaureate degrees.

The Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen opened in 2018 with undergraduate degrees in agricultural economics, biomedical sciences, engineering and more, as well as a Master of Public Health degree program.

Infrastructure
Cars and a truck pass through a toll on a highway in McAllen, Texas.

Connected Border Town

Located on the U.S.-Mexico border, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission has fast multimodal service between major U.S. and Mexico markets.

McAllen International Airport serves more than 2 million passengers annually, with enplanements and deplanements up 16% and 18%, respectively, from 2019 to 2020. The airport’s 15 daily nonstop destinations include Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Mexico City.

Major companies provide reliable rail service, while I-2 and I-69C highways provide convenient access by road.