Unemployment, currently at 16.4 percent, peaked in 1986 at 21.6 percent. The region witnessed its greatest employment growth in 1993, when 4,750 new jobs were created during a period of expansions in service industries, trade and government. Some of the area's largest employers are the health care services, public schools and oil and gas drilling companies. Oil and gas production and trade remain important sources of income. The bulk of the region's production value comes from natural gas.
Cattle ranching and vegetable production also are important income sources.
Several major devaluations of the Mexican peso have had an negative impact on the South Texas region. Still, the region has experienced significant growth over the past decade. Surprisingly, the region's mining sector grew by 47 percent during the past decade at the same time that the industry has been shrinking in many other parts of the state. Beef cattle and vegetables are the dominant agricultural enterprises. The initial impact of the devaluation of the peso in December 1994, and subsequent aftershocks, should slow the growth of the economy of the South Texas region for the next few years.