Five industries that drive Brownsville’s economy. Each page lists sources, employers and the person to contact.
Home to SpaceX launch site near Boca Chica, Brownsville is at the forefront of the future space industry in the United States. BCIC has embraced the new frontier where space and tech converge. We empower entrepreneurs in the new space industry to create a cutting-edge workforce training environment for the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.
Brownsville’s health and life sciences industry is supported by institutions like UTRGV and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville. Local entrepreneurship in biotech is supported by programs like Startup Texas and resources like the eBridge Center. Brownsville also features community health initiatives, bike-friendly environments, community gardens, and unique wellness programs.
Brownsville, Texas’s 18th-largest city (192,957 residents in 2025) and the third-largest on the Texas–Mexico border after El Paso and Laredo, offers five modes of international transportation: water, rail, highway, air, and space.
Brownsville and Matamoros form a cross-border manufacturing region. In Brownsville, Fisher Dynamics and Creative Liquid Coatings make automotive and heavy-truck parts, Inteva Products supports its Matamoros plants, and Rich Products runs a large food-processing plant. Matamoros has about 100 maquiladoras, including Fisher Dynamics and Inteva plants. The proximity to Mexico makes it ideal for automotive market supply or standalone manufacturing operations.
BCIC aims to foster scalable businesses in our region and provide local entrepreneurs access to capital and commercialization opportunities. Brownsville partners with innovators to bring their visions to life, supporting new ventures without long-term space commitments. The 36,000-square-foot eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization, in the historic Casa de Nylon building, is a flagship facility for early-stage companies. BCIC developed it with the City of Brownsville and partners, and UTRGV runs an incubator there.
