Competitive Advantages of Doing Business in Brownsville

Greater Brownsville offers companies countless advantages for companies expanding into Texas. The Port of Brownsville, four international bridges, and excellent rail offer unparalleled connectivity to markets in the U.S., Mexico, and beyond. 

Global access meets industrial strength, and bold ideas are matched by the infrastructure to make them real. Companies come for the proximity to international markets and stay for the talent, the cost advantages, and the room to scale. 

Major businesses have already chosen to move their business to South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border, like SpaceX Starbase, Texas LNG, and Rich Products Corporation. Understand the reasons to move your business to Brownsville, then get in touch to make it happen. 

Positioned for Global Leverage 

Geography sparks opportunity in Brownsville, where four international bridges connect into Mexico. The B&M International Bridge, Gateway Bridge, and Veterans Bridge carry the region's vehicle and pedestrian traffic, while the West Rail International Bridge, opened in 2015, moves freight by rail. Together, they promote trade and movement between the regions, ensuring companies in Brownsville have access to Mexico's industrial north. 

Companies benefit from Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 62, a federally designated economic zone administered by the Port of Brownsville. Several secured sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley allow businesses to delay, reduce, or eliminate customs duties on imported goods. FTZ No. 62 has ranked in the top three nationally for export value for twelve consecutive years, reaching #3 in the U.S. in 2024 with $7 billion in exports in the most recent reporting year. 

Additionally, Brownsville’s proximity to major distribution hubs makes it a winning choice for dominating regional and international markets. The city enables access to 10+ million consumers within a three-hour drive of the border thanks to Interstate 69E/USMCA. Connections to three major railroads provide even more options for transportation of goods to Midwestern markets. The Port of Brownsville streamlines access to the U.S. Gulf Coast and beyond. 

Businesses in Brownsville don’t just reach markets from Latin America, the U.S. heartland, and global ports. They command them. 

Infrastructure Built to Move

Brownsville’s solid infrastructure supports movement and high-volume operations. The Port of Brownsville's deepwater Gulf ship channel stretches 17 miles and covers 40,000-acres, making it the largest land-owning public port authority in the U.S.  

People and goods come and go at the region's two international airports, Brownsville South Padre Island International and Valley International, with airlines including American Airlines, United Airlines, and Breeze Airways connecting the region to major hubs like Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and Orlando. Three Class 1 railways ensure the most advanced freight movement by train, including BNSF, Union Pacific, and CPKC.  

Brownsville is also the only city-owned electric utility south of San Antonio. Brownsville Public Utilities Board provides key accounts service to ensure seamless operations for energy-intensive operations like manufacturing. 

Whether you’re shipping, receiving, assembling, or launching, Brownsville is ready to move things along—and keep the lights shining. 

Talent that Crosses Borders

The Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area and the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area boast nearly 600,000 workers in the region. Strong pipelines from technical colleges and workforce partners keep the labor engine humming.  

The Brownsville Campus of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public research university in the region. It’s joined by the community college, Texas Southmost College, and a technical college, Texas State Technical College, that provide public and vocational education and workforce training adapted to local industries   

Professional networks like Workforce Solutions Cameron connect local employers with qualified talent and support individuals as they build their careers. 

Local talent is also diverse, with 83.6% of locals speaking a language other than English at home, meaning bilingual talent is readily available to facilitate global operations. 
 
Wages in Brownsville run about 34 percent below the national average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of why Site Selection magazine ranked the city #2 nationally for lowest manufacturing operating costs in 2025. 

Cost Control Without Compromise

Brownsville features ample business incentives for manufacturing, aerospace, and logistics companies investing here. The Greater Brownsville EDC administers a quarter cent sales tax dedicated to economic development, offering customized incentive packages to support job creation, capital investment, and strategic industry growth.  

With no state-level corporate income tax in Texas, Chapter 380 and 381 economic development agreements allow the Brownsville region to develop its own incentives to attract businesses. Expedited permitting and fast-track development coordination in Brownsville help commercial investors bypass traditional bureaucratic bottlenecks to get projects off the ground faster. 

By establishing operations within Brownsville's Foreign-Trade Zone, investors can defer, reduce, or entirely eliminate customs duties to protect cash flow and lower production costs for international companies. 

Brownsville's Cameron County includes 16 federally designated Opportunity Zones, offering investors long-term tax advantages for qualifying investments in commercial and industrial real estate under a program Congress recently made permanent. 

With so many attractive incentives, Brownsville gives business leaders breathing room in their budgets without shrinking their potential.   

The Momentum Is Real

Global manufacturers and space launch systems are pouring millions of dollars into Brownsville’s economy. SpaceX has poured $650 million into its Starbase operations in the Brownsville region, anchoring the area's role in the company's space program 

But SpaceX isn’t alone. NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG has generated $450 million in economic impact since 2023. In 2026, a $500 million investment in Texas LNG is boosting development of liquified natural gas at the Port of Brownsville.  

You’ll be in good company in Brownsville, where heavy industry, frontier tech, and future-focused businesses and organizations converge to build the future. Every dollar funneled into the community improves life for residents, and makes the region even more attractive for continued investment. 
 

To explore how Brownsville can support your business objectives, contact: 

Jerry Briones, Executive Vice President, Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation 

Email: jbriones@greaterbrownsville.com

Phone: (956) 561-4133