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DRIP
Data Report, Insights & Projections from BCIC Research
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Issue
No. 02
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Quarter
Q3 2026
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Coverage
JUL-SEP
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Visitors to Brownsville spent more per trip this summer
Visitor card spending in Brownsville rose 18.9% over last summer, even as visitor trips fell 8.2%. Discount and dollar stores grew fastest, El Pato led the restaurant brands that gained ground, and out-of-state visitors kept spending well above their share of trips.
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The quarter in numbers
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Estimated visitor spending
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$29.9M
▲ +18.9% vs. same dates 2025 (Jul 1 to Sep 19)
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Visitor spend per trip
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$228.65
▲ +12.6% vs. last year
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Repeat visitors
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79.6%
▲ +2.5 pts vs. last year
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Fastest-growing category
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Discount & dollar
▲ +6.9% vs. Q3 2025
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Average visitor stay
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3.3 days
▲ +0.3 days vs. last year
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Development pipeline
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122+ projects
67+ under construction, 55+ in planning
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Picking up from Q2
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Fitness
Gym visits were climbing in Q2. This summer they ran 2.1% ahead of last year, with the growth going to smaller names like Crunch, Gold’s and Anytime Fitness while Planet Fitness and TruFit slipped.
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Discount and dollar stores
Discount and dollar stores were gaining in Q2 while fast food cooled. That continued: discount and dollar visits rose 6.9% over last summer, the most of any category, and Dollar General grew 10%.
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Dallas-Fort Worth and Corpus Christi
Dallas passed Corpus Christi as a source of visitors in Q2. The two swapped back this quarter, 6.0% of trips for Corpus to 5.9% for Dallas, and Dallas visitors still stay the longest, about four days. Houston stayed on top through both quarters, sending 14.1% of all trips this summer.
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Overnight stays
Visitors who stayed overnight spent more on lodging, $363 per trip, up from $286, even though overnight trips slipped 5.5 points to 24% of trips.
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Where Brownsville shopped this summer
Discount and dollar stores drew 6.9% more visits than last summer, the biggest gain of any category we track, led by Dollar General at 10%. Fast food went the other way, down 4.4%, with McDonald’s off 8.1%. Superstores and fitness also grew, while hotels and groceries dipped.
Visits by category, Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026, change vs. same dates 2025. Categories use different visit thresholds and aren’t added together.
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Where South Texas favorites still beat the nationals
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Taco Palenque
#4 in restaurants, ahead of Olive Garden and IHOP.
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207.2K
visits
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Stars Drive-In
Out-draws Wendy’s, KFC and Popeyes. 27 of its 37 drive-ins are in the Valley.
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207.7K
visits
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RGV banks
IBC, Texas Regional and Lone Star National together trail only Wells Fargo and Chase.
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226.7K
visits
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TruFit Athletic Clubs
Still the #2 gym in the metro, behind Planet Fitness.
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216.9K
visits
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Restaurant brands with the biggest jumps
Seven of the 12 busiest restaurant brands across the Brownsville-Harlingen metro drew more visits than last summer. El Pato led them all, up 16%, followed by Bubba’s 33 at 12%. Next issue, we’ll see whether those gains hold through the holidays.
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South Texas brands |
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National chains |
| El Pato |
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+16.1% |
| Bubba’s 33 |
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+12.4% |
| LongHorn Steakhouse |
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+4.4% |
| Chili’s |
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+3.4% |
| Olive Garden |
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+2.7% |
| Cracker Barrel |
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+0.9% |
| Jason’s Deli |
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+0.2% |
Brands among the metro’s 12 busiest that gained visits, Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026 vs. same dates 2025.
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What each district has going for it
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DISTRICT 1
616K
Visits to UTRGV and Texas Southmost College this quarter
The reason the district’s daytime population runs 22% above its resident count.
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DISTRICT 2
+4.1%
Visitors from outside the district, vs. Q3 2025
Two Walmart supercenters lead the district, at 819K and 731.5K visits.
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DISTRICT 3
9.5M
Non-resident visits, up 3.9% vs. Q3 2025
The busiest district in the city, led by Sunrise Mall at 1.8M visits.
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DISTRICT 4
+3%
Resident growth vs. 2023, the fastest in the city
Morrison Crossing drew 1.5M visits this quarter.
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Houston still sends the most visitors
Corpus Christi moved back ahead of Dallas-Fort Worth this quarter, and San Antonio, Austin and Laredo all gained share.
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Jul-Sep 2025 |
Jul-Sep 2026 |
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| Dallas-Ft. Worth |
6.7% |
5.9% |
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Share of trips into Brownsville by home market, Datafy, Jul 1 to Sep 19 each year. The Harlingen-Brownsville market counts as local and sits outside this list.
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Out-of-state visitors still spend above their share
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Top source of visitors
Houston’s share of trips, up from 13.6%
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14.1%
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Out-of-state share of spending
Only 22.8% of trips
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29.7%
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Lodging spend per trip
Up from $286 last summer
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$363
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Longest stays
Dallas-Ft. Worth visitors, vs. 2.6 days for the local market
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4.0 days
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Highest spend per trip
El Paso-Las Cruces visitors
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$257
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Visitors who pay for a room also spend on dining, fuel and groceries on the same trip, so every overnight stay reaches well past the hotel.
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Heading into the holidays
Discount and dollar stores have now grown over last year for two straight quarters, and holiday shopping will show whether that holds while fast food keeps cooling. We’ll be watching whether visitors keep spending more per trip, with lodging already up to $363 from $286 last summer, and whether smaller gyms like Crunch and Gold’s carry their momentum into the new year. We’ll also keep a close eye on local restaurants in the months ahead.
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Site selection, available properties, and corridor data on request.
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Source info
DRIP draws on foot-traffic and chain visit counts from Placer.ai for the Brownsville-Harlingen metro area, and visitor-economy data from Datafy (Caladan 1.2 model, transactional data by Affinity Solutions) for Brownsville. Local and visitor follow Datafy’s line: within 50 miles versus 50+ miles out. Spend totals are modeled estimates.
Datafy figures cover Jul 1 to Sep 19 in both years, the latest available at publication.
Category and restaurant figures cover the full Brownsville-Harlingen metro, including Harlingen.
Development pipeline counts reflect projects mapped by Placer.ai as in planning or under construction for Jul 1 to Sep 30, 2026; on-hold projects are excluded.
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Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation
1304 E. Adams St., Brownsville, TX 78520
Copyright © 2026 BCIC. All rights reserved.
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