Starr County residents say job prospects are few and far between. 

Many who do work are employed outside the county, seeking better pay and benefits.

According to the latest employment report from the Texas Workforce Commission, Starr County has the highest unemployment rate of the four counties in the Rio Grande Valley.

Starr County’s unemployment rate is at 8%. Willacy County has an unemployment rate of 5.8% while Hidalgo and Cameron counties have an unemployment rate of 5.3% and 4.7%, respectively.

Leaders in Starr County are working to bring the unemployment rate down, adding that the current rate is encouraging.

“We had been battling double digits for a long time, Rio Grande City Economic Development Corporation Director Dalinda Guillen said, adding that the county first hit the single digit milestone in October 2023. 

Guillen says they hope to connect jobs with those seeking them through job fairs.

“This uptick that we just saw in this last report by .3% is still important to look at, but we're confident that we'll be able to change that trend,” Guillen said.

Watch the video above for the full story.