RGV ranks nationally with nearly $10B in exports

THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Rio Grande Valley’s (RGV) $9.887 billion in exports would rank 32nd nationally and fifth in Texas if the McAllen and Brownsville areas were combined, according to the RGV Partnership,

Out of 400 metro areas measured by the International Trade Administration (ITA) in 2013, the McAllen area ranked 54th Brownsville ranked 58th.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area exported $5.265 billion in trade during 2013, a 1.3 percent increase over 2012, and the Brownsville-Harlingen area shipped out $4.622 billion, up 1 percent.

Total exports of the RGV outperformed larger metro areas such as Austin-Round Rock, Kansas City, Baltimore, Milwaukee and Tampa-St. Petersburg. Rankings only account exports, not if the exported goods were produced in a particular market.

The McAllen area ranks in the exportation of computer and electronic product manufacturing, electrical equipment, appliances components, transportation equipment and machinery manufacturing. The Brownsville area’s primary exports were nearly the same while also exporting chemical manufacturing.

Other Texas metro areas making the list were Houston at the top with $115 billion, Dallas ninth, San Antonio 16th, El Paso 22nd, Austin 37th, Beaumont 39th, Laredo 50th and Corpus Christi 56th.

See the full ITA report here.