Hunt Institute Border Facts
Southern border counties generate $1 trillion in GDP.
A bilingual fact sheet from the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at 茄子视频 and the U.S.-Mexico Foundation highlights the economic scale of the U.S. side of the Southern border region.
Border economy dashboard
Scale in motion
Border economy in view
Movement across a $1 trillion region.
A wide border image anchors the header while glass panels reveal the scale of the region as the reader moves through the story.
The Big Picture
One of North America’s most important economic regions is also one of its least understood.
The U.S. Southern border is one of North America’s most important economic regions and one of its least understood.
The bilingual fact sheet developed by the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness at 茄子视频, in collaboration with the U.S.-Mexico Foundation, highlights the scale of the U.S. side of the Southern border region, including GDP, trade, employment and commercial crossings.
Why It Matters
The border is a national economic engine.
The data frames the border as a major driver of national economic activity.
Together, those border counties generate a $1 trillion GDP, comparable to Pennsylvania’s economy and equivalent to the sixth-largest state economy in the United States.
Comparable to Pennsylvania’s economy
$1 trillion
The fact sheet shows the U.S. Southern border region as an economy with national scale, equivalent to the sixth-largest state economy in the United States.
By the Numbers
People, jobs and educational strength at scale.
The region is home to 12.6 million people, supports 5.5 million jobs and includes 3 million residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
12.6M
People
The U.S. Southern border region is home to a population larger than many states.
5.5M
Jobs
Border counties support millions of jobs across industries, institutions and trade corridors.
3M
Bachelor’s degree or higher
The region includes a large base of residents with postsecondary educational attainment.
Growth
Border counties outpaced national growth.
From 2014 to 2024, border counties outpaced national growth in GDP, population, employment and educational attainment.
2014–2024 growth comparison
Each row compares border county growth with the U.S. growth rate for the same indicator.
Trade and Movement
A major corridor for U.S. trade and commercial crossings.
In 2025, Southern border states processed $1.7 trillion in trade, representing 30% of total U.S. trade. Commercial crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border reached 9.8 million, growing nearly three times faster over the past decade than crossings along the U.S.-Canada border.
Trade processed by Southern border states
$1.7T
Southern border states processed 30% of total U.S. trade in 2025, underscoring the region’s role in national competitiveness and supply chains.
Commercial crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border
9.8M
Commercial crossings reached 9.8 million, growing nearly three times faster over the past decade than crossings along the U.S.-Canada border.
Bottom Line
A concise tool for understanding the border economy.
The fact sheet provides policymakers, researchers and regional leaders with a concise data tool to understand the border’s role in U.S. competitiveness, supply chains and the country’s economic relationship with Mexico.
