Power of the Purse: Contributions of Hispanic Americans in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metro Area

New research from the American Immigration Council underscores the crucial role Hispanic Texans play in the metro area’s labor force, population growth, and economy. This new fact sheet was prepared in partnership with the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Texans for Economic Growth.

Key findings:

• Hispanic Texans in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission Metro Area contribute nearly $3 billion in taxes and hold more than $9 billion in spending power. In 2019, Hispanic households earned $12.2 billion in income, with $1.7 billion going to federal taxes and $1.1 billion going to state and local taxes, leaving them with $9.4 billion in spending power that can be reinvested in local communities. Robust consumer spending by Hispanic households supports small businesses and keeps local economic corridors vibrant.
• Hispanic Texans are helping drive population growth in the metro area. The Hispanic population grew by 13.7 percent from 90.7 percent of the total population in 2010 to 92.5 percent in 2019, reaching nearly 804,000.
• Hispanic Texans play a crucial role in the metro area’s labor force. In 2019, 60.4 percent of the overall Hispanic population and 55.7 percent of the foreign-born Hispanic population, were active in the labor force, compared with 44.1 percent of the non-Hispanic population.
• Hispanic Texans in the metro area hold substantial voting power. In 2019, the Hispanic population made up 89 percent of eligible voters in the metro area, including Hispanic naturalized citizens, who on their own made up 13.6 percent.