Economic Development in Starr County Leaves Workers Behind

Rose Benavidez boasts about billions. The president of Starr County Industrial Foundation touts figures that would make most economic development directors weep with envy. Over four billion dollars in investments across the past decade. Six thousand jobs created. Wind farms, solar projects, and retail developments transforming one of the poorest counties in America into an emerging powerhouse.

The numbers sound staggering despite Starr County maintaining the highest unemployment rate in the Rio Grande Valley at eight percent. That median household income sits at a pathetic $38,182 annually. That one-third of residents live below the poverty line.

Something doesn't add up. Starr County Industrial Foundation celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in November 2024 by patting itself on the back for transforming the region. Development projects exceeded $4.1 billion in the last decade alone. Benavidez herself admitted that SCIF officials now consider fifty million dollar projects "small." The foundation secured billions in renewable energy investments, built cold storage facilities near the Starr-Camargo International Bridge, and orchestrated the Rio Grande Village development that promised to stop Starr County residents from having to drive to Hidalgo County for basic shopping.

Yet unemployment persists at levels that dwarf neighboring counties. Hidalgo County maintains 5.3 percent unemployment. Cameron County sits at 4.7 percent. Starr County languishes at eight percent, double the state average. This represents improvement from the 48 percent unemployment rate of 1990, but celebrating an eight percent jobless rate in 2024 reveals how low the bar has fallen.

The problem crystallizes when examining what these billion-dollar investments actually deliver. Benavidez acknowledged in 2018 that energy projects generate high employment during construction, then employment dwindles dramatically. Wind and solar farms require minimal staff once operational. The thirty to fifty year lease agreements primarily enrich property owners, not workers desperate for stable employment. County Judge Eloy Vera estimated Rio Grande Village would eventually create 600 jobs when fully built out. That number represents a fraction of what's needed in a county of nearly 66,000 residents where thousands remain unemployed.

The most common job categories in Starr County remain construction, healthcare support, and education. These aren't the transformative careers that lift families out of poverty. Many residents commute to neighboring counties for work, reflecting the persistent gap between promised economic development and actual local employment opportunities.

Billion-dollar investments haven't paved the broken streets. They haven't created public transportation. They haven't shortened the hours-long waits at food banks where families line up for boxes of food. A long-promised highway loop finally broke ground after two decades of waiting, but completion remains years away. The disconnect between celebrated economic development and crumbling daily infrastructure unmasks where investment priorities actually lie.

Benavidez defended her work in November 2025 against critics who questioned whether development benefited the entire county or just favored cities and political allies. She insisted growth in one part of Starr County doesn't require decline elsewhere. That both Roma and Rio Grande City could thrive simultaneously. Her defensiveness confirms uncomfortable truths. When economic developers must publicly refute accusations of favoritism, it signals something rotten beneath the glossy press releases.

The foundation operates with predictable tactics. Follow the money and a pattern emerges. The foundation gives developers tax breaks while using public money to fund private projects. Taxpayers pay upfront costs for promised benefits that may never materialize. The Rio Grande Village project received $1.25 million from federal sources, $2.25 million from the city's economic development corporation, plus additional city and county commitments. These millions in public investment raise questions about whether such subsidies were necessary to attract development.

The foundation celebrates reduced unemployment from historic highs. Benavidez pointed to the county's progress from 9.2 percent unemployment in August 2018. She highlighted sales tax increases and expanding tax bases. These incremental improvements mask the fundamental failure to create broadly shared prosperity. Economic development that enriches property owners and generates tax revenue while leaving thousands unemployed hasn't succeeded. It's simply redistributed poverty's burden while claiming victory.

The real question isn't whether Starr County attracted investment. Money clearly flows into renewable energy and retail development. The question is who benefits from these billions. Property owners lease land for wind turbines. Developers profit from subsidized retail centers. County officials celebrate tax revenue increases. Workers remain unemployed or underemployed at rates that shame wealthier Texas counties.

Fifty-one years of economic development. Billions in investment. And still, it has the highest unemployment in the Valley. And in Texas. What did all that money actually buy? Starr County Industrial Foundation built an empire of press releases and ribbon cuttings while residents continue driving to Hidalgo County for both shopping and decent jobs.

@Santitos

@salinasmariasantos

Copyright © 2025 Maria Santos Salinas for FRONTeras.

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