The border region is home to about 10 million people. About 9.2 million of these people live in the pairs of sister cities along the boundary. The population of the border is growing at an enormous rate. The Texas border is one of the poorest areas in the nation. Over half of all children under 18 live in poverty.
Unemployment rates are often as much as much as twice the state average.
Educational attainment is low. Health conditions on the Texas-Mexico border are among the worst in the U.S. Cases of hepatitis A, tuberculosis, and dysentery occur at a rate at least twice the statewide average. Although housing prices are about the same as the rest of the state, border wages trail the state average. A quickly growing population contributes to the problem, resulting in an acute lack of affordable housing. Whereas the border is seen as a relatively poor area by people in the U.S., it is an area of growth and prosperity in Mexico.