Binational Population Data in Sister Cities along the Rio Grande in Texas
Population has grown significantly in the sister cities along the Rio Grande, which forms the border between Texas and four Mexican states.
Population growth in the sister cities that straddle the Rio Grande, which forms the border between Texas and its four neighboring Mexican states—Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas—has been significant in recent decades.
The table and bar chart below show the data for seven sister-city pairs for the period 2000-2020 (see map of the Texas/ Mexico border).
|
City/Municipio, State |
2000 Population (Census) |
2010 Population (Census) |
2000-2010 |
2020 Population (Census) |
2010-2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Paso, Texas MSA* |
679,622
|
800,647
|
17.8
|
868,859
|
8.5
|
| Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua |
1,217,818
|
1,332,131
|
9.4
|
1,512,450
|
13.5
|
| Presidio, Texas |
4,167
|
4,426
|
6.2
|
3,264
|
-26.3
|
| Ojinaga, Chihuahua |
24,313
|
26,304
|
8.2
|
24,534
|
-6.7
|
| Del Rio, Texas |
33,867
|
35,591
|
5.1
|
34,653
|
-2.6
|
| Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila |
110,388
|
136,755
|
23.9
|
160,220
|
17.2
|
| Eagle Pass, Texas |
22,413
|
26,248
|
17.1
|
28,130
|
7.2
|
| Piedras Negras, Coahuila |
127,898
|
152,806
|
19.5
|
173,959
|
13.9
|
| Laredo, Texas MSA* |
193,117
|
250,304
|
29.6
|
255,205
|
2.0
|
| Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas |
310,277
|
384,033
|
23.8
|
425,058
|
10.7
|
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas MSA* |
569,463
|
774,769
|
36.1
|
872,856
|
12.7
|
| Reynosa, Tamaulipas |
419,776
|
608,891
|
45.0
|
671,000
|
10.3
|
| Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito, Texas MSA* |
335,227
|
406,220
|
21.2
|
421,480
|
3.8
|
| Matamoros, Tamaulipas |
416,428
|
489,193
|
17.5
|
541,979
|
10.8
|
| All seven Texas population centers |
1,837,876
|
2,298,205
|
25.0
|
2,484,447
|
8.1
|
| All seven Mexican population centers |
2,626,898
|
3,130,113
|
19.2
|
3,509,200
|
12.1
|
| Total of seven sister-city pairs |
4,464,774
|
5,428,318
|
21.6
|
5,993,647
|
10.4
|
| For Comparison - State of Texas |
20,851,820
|
25,145,561
|
20.5
|
29,145,505
|
15.9
|
* When a U.S. city has significant numbers of people living near but not in the city, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is delineated, with boundaries beyond the jurisdiction of the city, and populations are determined for those full MSAs. In this table, MSAs are used instead of cities for those population centers where appropriate. In Mexico, the only subdivision of a state is a municipio; municipios (municipality/city) are the only unit of local government and together they cover the entire state. In most cases, a municipio is self-contained with respect to population.
Sources: Data on Texas cities and MSAs were obtained from the website of CensusScope , accessed on March 3, 2025 except for Presidio, which was obtained at the website of the Texas Data Center also accessed on March 3, 2025. Data on Mexican municipios were obtained from the website of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía , accessed on March 3, 2025.
Population has grown significantly in the sister cities along the binational Rio Grande, which forms the border between Texas and four Mexican states.