Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Metro Area Immigration

Population

The Brownsville-Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) population 1/ increased from 123,222 in 1970 to 406,220 in 2010. That was an increase of 189.4 percent.

The foreign-born (FB) population increased from 17,146 in 1970 to 99,367 in 2010. That was an increase of 479.5 percent. The foreign-born share changed from 12.2 percent to 24.5 percent.

The share of the overall population that was native-born (NB) increased by 149.0 percent.

	Brownsville MSA: Population  1960-2010

Sources of Population Change

The primary sources of population change are:

Natural Change [Births minus Deaths or B-D];
Net Domestic Migration [NDM - movement between states]; and
Net International Migration [NIM - movement into and out of the country].
There is also a residual "other" amount that isn't placed in one of those three categories.

The first chart below shows the three population change factors for three periods adjusted for annual average amounts. Natural change (B-D) was the primary factor in population increase in all periods, with NDM negative in all periods.

The second chart shows the same data but with an adjustment to reflect births to immigrants shifted to NIM. In it, NIM became the major source of population increase in all periods.

	Brownsville MSA: Sources of Population Change 1990-2014 	Brownsville: Sources of Population Change (Adjusted) 1990-2014

		B-D	NDM	 NIM						B-D	NDM	NIM	
	90-'99	69.0%   neg.	31.0%					90-'99	28.2%	 neg.	71.8%
	00-'09	80.5%   neg.	19.5%					00-'09	29.3%	 neg.	70.7%
	10-'14	88.1%   neg.	11.9%					10-'14	46.7%	 neg.	53.3%

1/ Cameron County.

Links:

MSA Factsheets by state, and alphabetically.

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