The Border: On the Brink
March 2001This report tells it like it is for the 14 actual border counties. The study "Bordering the Future," issued by this office in 1998, looked at statistics for the original 43-county Border region which was really a South Texas border region. This report provides a closer look at the Actual Border Region which includes the 14 Texas counties whose boundaries touch the U.S.-Mexico Border at some point. Statistics have also been developed for a second group based on the federal definition of the border from the La Paz Agreement with Mexico. This region contains 32 counties and includes the 14 Actual Border counties as well as any county within 100 kilometers of the Rio Grande. See map.
| The 14-county Actual Border region |
The 32-county Sub-border (La Paz) region |
The 43-county South Texas Border region | The 211-county Non-border region | Texas | Year of Data | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poverty rate | 34.0% | 33.9% | 26.8% | 14.3% | 16.7% | 1997 |
| Percent of schoolchildren in poverty | 40.5% of 5-to 17-year olds | 40.6% of 5-to 17-year olds | 33.8% of 5-to 17-year olds | 18.9% of 5-to 17-year olds | 22.1% of 5-to 17-year olds | 1997 |
| Unemployment rate | 11.4% | 11.4% | 7.5% | 4.0% | 4.6% | 1999 |
| Birth rate | 23.6 live births per 1,000 population | 23.1 live births per 1,000 population | 20.1 live births per 1,000 population | 16.3 live births per 1,000 population | 17.1 live births per 1,000 population | 1999 |
| Death rate from hepatitis and other liver diseases | 13.0 deaths per 100,000 population | 13.4 deaths per 100,000 population | 14.3 deaths per 100,000 population | 8.8 deaths per 100,000 population | 10.0 deaths per 100,000 population | 1998 |
| Death rate from diabetes mellitus | 32.6 deaths per 100,000 population | 33.5 deaths per 100,000 population | 32.7 deaths per 100,000 population | 22.8 deaths per 100,000 population | 24.8 deaths per 100,000 population | 1998 |
| Percent of population that is 5 to 17 years old | 24.8% | 24.8% | 22.8% | 19.0% | 20.4% | 1999 |
| Property crime rate | 5,008.6 crimes per 100,000 population | 4,818.3 crimes per 100,000 population | 5,275.2 crimes per 100,000 population | 4,420.9 crimes per 100,000 population | 4,595.8 crimes per 100,000 population | 1998 |
| Average annual population growth rate during the 1990s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 1.9% | 2.0% | 1990-1999 |
| Average annual employment growth | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 1990-1998 |
| Department of Defense active military and civilian direct employment | 12,421 | 12,421 | 69,960 | 74,933 | 148,828 | 1999 |
| Per-capita spending on elementary and secondary education | 1,268.8 | 1,280.5 | 1,151.7 | 942.8 | 985.6 | 1996 |
| Department of Defense installations | 3 | 3 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 1999 |
| Total area | 34,670.4 square miles | 67,543.3 square miles | 79,422.9 square miles | 187,854.1 square miles | 267,277 square miles | 1990 |
| Marriage rate | 9.4 marriages per 1,000 population | 9.1 marriages per 1,000 population | 8.6 marriages per 1,000 population | 9.1 marriages per 1,000 population | 9.0 marriages per 1,000 population | 1998 |
| Growth in number of business establishments | 19.4% | 17.7% | 16.2% | 17.6% | 17.3% | 1990-1998 |
| Violent crime rate | 551.5 crimes per 100,000 population | 531.0 crimes per 100,000 population | 502.8 crimes per 100,000 population | 581.9 crimes per 100,000 population | 565.7 crimes per 100,000 population | 1998 |
| Death rate from HIV/AIDS | 2.2 deaths per 100,000 population | 2.2 deaths per 100,000 population | 3.3 deaths per 100,000 population | 5.1 deaths per 100,000 population | 4.8 deaths per 100,000 population | 1998 |
| Population | 1.9 million | 2.1 million | 4.1 million | 16.0 million | 20.0 million | 1999 |
| Civilian labor force | 757,215 | 824,531 | 1.8 million | 8.4 million | 10.2 million | 1999 |
| Total personal income | $27.2 billion | $29.5 billion | $74.2 billion | $425.9 billion | $508.6 billion | 1998 |
| Average annual pay in retail trade | 14,485 | 14,367 | 15,867 | 18,021 | 17,691 | 1999 |
| Average annual pay in government | 27,706 | 27,321 | 29,323 | 29,539 | 29,491 | 1999 |
| Average annual pay in finance, insurance and real estate | 27,572 | 27,368 | 35,985 | 44,661 | 43,338 | 1999 |
| Number of farms | 5,192 | 10,258 | 19,834 | 174,467 | 194,301 | 1997 |
| Average annual pay in mining | 34,917 | 35,127 | 39,999 | 70,708 | 69,584 | 1999 |
| Average annual pay in wholesale trade | 28,416 | 28,265 | 32,647 | 51,267 | 49,236 | 1999 |
| Average annual pay in transportation, communications and public utilities | 29,318 | 29,350 | 34,696 | 45,870 | 44,307 | 1999 |
| Recent growth in annual average pay | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.9% | 4.6% | 4.4% | 1998-1999 |
| Average annual pay | 22,368 | 22,159 | 25,287 | 33,712 | 32,254 | 1999 |
| Infant mortality rate | 4.9 deaths of infants under 1 year old per 1,000 live births | 5.0 deaths of infants under 1 year old per 1,000 live births | 5.7 deaths of infants under 1 year old per 1,000 live births | 6.6 deaths of infants under 1 year old per 1,000 live births | 6.4 deaths of infants under 1 year old per 1,000 live births | 1999 |
| Average annual pay in services | 19,974 | 19,653 | 22,801 | 32,814 | 31,195 | 1999 |
| Motor vehicles per capita | 0.59 | 0.6 | 0.69 | 0.87 | 0.84 | 1999 |
| Death rate | 524.7 deaths per 100,000 population | 548.5 deaths per 100,000 population | 640.1 deaths per 100,000 population | 734.1 deaths per 100,000 population | 714.9 deaths per 100,000 population | 1999 |
| Divorce rate | 1.3 divorces per 1,000 population | 1.4 divorces per 1,000 population | 2.8 divorces per 1,000 population | 4.8 divorces per 1,000 population | 4.4 divorces per 1,000 population | 1998 |
| Average annual pay in manufacturing | 24,282 | 24,083 | 28,802 | 44,175 | 42,341 | 1999 |
| Average annual pay in construction | 20,671 | 20,595 | 26,450 | 33,869 | 32,761 | 1999 |
| Per-capita personal income | 14,224 | 14,180 | 18,390 | 27,165 | 25,803 | 1998 |
| Number of children under age 19 who are uninsured | 221,000 | 238,000 | 401,000 | 1.0 million | 1.4 million | 1999 |
| Percent of children under age 19 who are uninsured | 31.2% | 31.2% | 29.5% | 23.6% | 25.0% | 1999 |
| Total State Expenditures Allocable to Counties | $5.6 billion | $6.2 billion | $10.7 billion | $37.0 billion | $47.7 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of Total State Allocable Expenditures | 11.8% | 12.9% | 22.4% | 77.6% | not applicable | FY2000 |
| State Expenditures for Highway Construction and Maintenance | $292 million | $349 million | $542 million | $2.7 billion | $3.2 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of Statewide Expenditures for Highway Construction and Maintenance | 9.1% | 10.8% | 16.8% | 83.2% | not applicable | FY2000 |
| State Expenditures for Public Assistance | $2.1 billion | $2.3 billion | $4.0 billion | $10.3 billion | $14.3 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of Statewide Expenditures for Public Assistance | 14.8% | 16.2% | 27.9% | 72.1% | not applicable | FY2000 |
| State Expenditures for Intergovernmental Payments | $2.6 billion | $2.9 billion | $4.7 billion | $10.8 billion | $15.5 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of Statewide Expenditures for Intergovernmental Payments | 17.0% | 18.5% | 30.2% | 69.8% | not applicable | FY2000 |
| State Expenditures for Labor Costs * | $497 million | $559 million | $1.2 billion | $6.0 billion | $11.2 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of Statewide Expenditures for Labor Costs * | 6.9% | 7.8% | 16.4% | 83.6% | 62.8% | FY2000 |
| State Statewide Expenditures for Operating Expenses * | $35 million | $38 million | $112 million | $743 million | $1.0 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of State Expenditures for Operating Expenses * | 4.1% | 4.4% | 13.1% | 86.9% | 84.7% | FY2000 |
| State Expenditures for Capital Outlays * | $16 million | $16 million | $58 million | $340 million | $0.497 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of Statewide Expenditures for Capital Outlays * | 4.0% | 4.12% | 14.6% | 85.5% | 80.2% | FY2000 |
| State Expenditures for Miscellaneous * | $29 million | $33 million | $131 million | $842 million | $2.1 billion | FY2000 |
| Share of Statewide Expenditures for Miscellaneous * | 3.0% | 3.4% | 13.5% | 86.5% | 46.3% | FY2000 |
* For these expenditure categories, total state expenditures outside of Travis County were used. For state labor costs, operating expenses, capital outlays and miscellaneous expenditures, Travis County represents an unusually large percent. For further information on the definitions of expenditure categories, see the Comptroller publication "Texas 2000 State Expenditures by County."
NOTE: For this analysis, the Texas Actual Border region includes these 14 Texas counties touching the U.S-Mexico border: Brewster, Cameron, Duval, El Paso, Hidalgo, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Kinney, Maverick, Presidio, Starr, Terrell, Val Verde, Webb, Zapata.
NOTE: For this analysis, the federal La Paz border region includes these 32 Texas counties either touching the U.S-Mexico border or touching a county on the border: Brewster, Brooks, Cameron, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, El Paso, Frio, Hidalgo, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Kenedy, Kinney, La Salle, McMullen, Maverick, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Reeves, Starr, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala.
NOTE: For this analysis, the South Texas border region includes these 43 Texas counties south of Interstate 10 and west of Interstate 37: Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Brewster, Brooks, Cameron, Crockett, Culberson, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, El Paso, Frio, Hidalgo, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Nueces, Pecos, Presidio, Real, Reeves, San Patricio, Starr, Sutton, Terrell, Uvalde, Val Verde, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala.
SOURCES: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Agriculture Statistics Service, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, Texas Department of Health, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Workforce Commission.