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The six-county Upper Rio Grande region covers about 21,700 square miles, stretching 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.
Upper Rio Grande Region Counties:
- Brewster
- Culberson
- El Paso
- Hudspeth
- Jeff Davis
- Presidio
$49.3 Billion
Upper Rio Grande region
gross domestic product, 2022
About 2.1 percent of Texas’ GDP of $2.4 trillion.
Population Change (2012 to 2022)
REGION
4.0%
TEXAS
15.1%
U.S.
6.2%
The region’s population grew by nearly 4 percent between 2012 and 2022, with El Paso and Hudspeth counties leading regional growth at 4.4 percent and 2.4 percent respectively.
Jobs & Wages
The region added more than 41,300 jobs from 2012 to 2022, a 14.4 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 individual and family services industry led regional job gains between 2012 and 2022.
Percent change in total jobs, 2012 to 2022
The number of jobs in the Upper Rio Grande Region increased 14.4%, in Texas 23.5% and in the U.S. 13.9%.
Top Industries by Location Quotient, 2022
View the LQ data
| Industry | Employment | Average Annual Wages | Location Quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footwear Manufacturing | 699 | $39,281 | 27.65 |
| Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 1,018 | $33,116 | 6.39 |
| Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 796 | $78,775 | 6.09 |
| Hardware Manufacturing | 311 | $74,022 | 5.79 |
| Business Support Services | 9,140 | $30,065 | 5.24 |
Industries with Largest Total Jobs Growth, 2012 to 2022
View the job growth data
| Industry | Employment Change, 2012 to 2022 | Percent Employment Change, 2012 to 2022 | Average Annual Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual and Family Services | 4,372 | 135.1% | $24,186 |
| Household Appliances and Electrical and Electronic Goods Merchant Wholesalers | 1,075 | 127.0% | $53,410 |
| Warehousing and Storage | 1,275 | 118.0% | $44,539 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 2,205 | 117.6% | $71,305 |
| General Freight Trucking | 2,505 | 46.1% | $54,332 |
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