Valley new business permits outpaced Texas in September 2026

In September 2026, 797 places of business in Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties received a state sales tax permit. For September 2025 the count is 398, so the Valley’s number doubled in a year. Texas as a whole rose 78%, from 10,428 to 18,515.

These counts include only permits that are still active. A shop that opened last September and has since closed is no longer counted, which makes every yearly gain look bigger than it was. That is true in every Texas county, so the comparison holds: the Valley is adding businesses faster than the state. A business with several locations counts once for each one.

How many new businesses opened in the Rio Grande Valley in 2026?

From January through September 2026, 5,738 Valley outlets received a sales tax permit, up 67% from 3,432 in the same months of 2025. Statewide the count rose 61%. Every month of 2026 so far has topped every month of 2025, and September was the busiest month in the two years we checked.

Month	2025	2026
January	393	560
February	326	522
March	350	646
April	347	681
May	373	554
June	411	606
July	426	656
August	408	716
September	398	797

Which Valley cities added the most new businesses in September 2026?

Brownsville led the Valley with 173 new permits, ahead of McAllen’s 125. A year earlier the two were close, at 74 and 67. Cameron County went from 130 to 302, a gain of 132%, and Hidalgo County went from 248 to 465, up 88%.

City	September 2026	September 2025	Change
Brownsville	173	74	+134%
McAllen	125	67	+87%
Edinburg	89	39	+128%
Mission	66	34	+94%
Harlingen	55	24	+129%
Weslaco	45	19	+137%
Pharr	35	29	+21%
San Juan	22	11	+100%
San Benito	22	11	+100%
Alamo	21	6	+250%
Los Fresnos	20	7	+186%
Mercedes	17	11	+55%
Rio Grande City	16	15	+7%
Donna	11	10	+10%

Pharr, Rio Grande City and Donna barely moved. In a small city a few permits swing the percentage a lot: Alamo’s 250% gain is 15 more businesses.

What kinds of businesses are opening in the Valley?

Of the 797 September permits, 553 were filed under a business name. The rest were filed under a person’s own name. Among the 553:

• Restaurants and bars: 81
• Online sellers: 53
• Small specialty stores: 44
• Salons, laundries and other personal services: 37
• Clothing stores: 31
• Wholesalers of equipment and other durable goods: 28
• Repair and maintenance shops: 27
• Auto dealers and parts stores: 25
• General merchandise stores: 25
• Food and beverage stores: 17

The same month brought 83 new trucking companies based in the four counties, led by Brownsville with 13, Mission with 10, and Pharr and Edinburg with 9 each. Sixteen bars and restaurants got a new license to serve alcohol on site.

Who should read the list of new Valley businesses?

In its first months every new business needs a bank account, insurance, a card reader, a bookkeeper, signs and supplies. If you sell any of those in the Valley, this list tells you who to call this month.

New Business Leads lists every one of them by business name, city, line of business and permit date, with a CSV file, for $29 a month. A free sample is on the same page.