The Brownsville–Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, is an area consisting of one county–
Cameron–in the
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...
region of
South Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, anchored by the cities of
Brownsville and
Harlingen. The 2012 U.S. Census Bureau estimate places its metropolitan area population at 415,557, ranking as the eighth most populous metropolitan area in the state of Texas. It is also a component of the Brownsville–Harlingen–
Raymondville combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
, which covers two counties (Cameron and
Willacy) and had an estimated population of 416,766 as of July 1, 2009.
Brownsville is frequently cited as having one of the highest
poverty rates in the United States, with more than 35% of area residents living under the federal poverty line. The typical Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas household earns $32,093 a year, or $21,564 less than the typical American household. 64.6% of Brownsville area adults have at least a high school diploma, 22.3 percentage points fewer than the national average. About 29% of area households rely on food stamps, the third highest percentage of any metro area in the country.
Counties
*
Cameron
Communities
Incorporated places
*
Town of Bayview
*
City of Brownsville (Principal city)
*
Town of Combes
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City of Harlingen (Principal city)
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Town of Indian Lake
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Town of Laguna Vista
*
City of Los Fresnos
*
Town of Los Indios
*
City of Palm Valley
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City of Port Isabel
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Town of Primera
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Town of Rancho Viejo
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Village of Rangerville
*
City of Rio Hondo
*
City of San Benito
*
Town of Santa Rosa
*
Town of South Padre Island
Census-designated places (unincorporated)
See also
*
Texas census statistical areas
The U.S. currently has 84 statistical areas that have been delineated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). On March 6, 2020, the OMB delineated 13 combined statistical areas, 25 metropolitan statistical areas, and 46 micropolitan stat ...
References
Metropolitan areas of Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Geography of Cameron County, Texas
{{CameronCountyTX-geo-stub