The Starr County Advantage

We sit at the heart of the U.S.–Mexico trade corridor—a gateway where interstate highways, rail, and international bridges converge.

What that means for your business

  • Same-day, cross-border supply chains that cut logistics costs and time-to-market.

  • Direct reach to 70 million consumers across Texas and northern Mexico—without metro-area congestion.

  • Lower landed costs by staging U.S. and Mexican production steps just minutes apart.

Duty Free

Manufacturing

A winding river flowing through a desert landscape with mountains in the distance, sparse vegetation, and cactus plants in the foreground at sunset.

Starr County is home to a federally-designated Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ #95), established in 1983 for warehousing and distribution of machinery, equipment, and other goods. This designation offers significant competitive advantages for manufacturers seeking to optimize their global supply chains and reduce operational costs.

Key benefits of our Foreign Trade Zone include:

  • Duty Exemption on Re-exports: No duties are paid on merchandise that is re-exported or shipped to another FTZ and then re-exported

  • Relief from Inverted Tariffs: When foreign merchandise is brought into the FTZ and manufactured into a product with a lower duty rate, the lower rate applies

  • Duty Elimination on Waste and Scrap: No duty is charged on most waste and scrap from production in the FTZ

  • No Duty on Rejected or Defective Parts: Merchandise found to be defective may be returned to the country of origin for repair or destroyed without paying duty

Our Workforce Edge

Starr County’s median age is 29—nearly a decade younger than the U.S. average—and 97 % bilingual Hispanic, giving you culturally aligned teams for Latin-American trade and collaboration. 

We partner with South Texas College, UTRGV, and Workforce Solutions to tailor curricula and secure state grants that cover up to $1,800 per trainee—so you get skilled operators without the ramp-up burn.

Reshoring in Starr County

    • $0 duty on re-exports — import parts, assemble, and ship abroad without paying U.S. customs.

    • Inverted-tariff relief — manufacture inside the zone and apply the lower finished-product rate.

    • No duty on scrap or rejects — dispose of waste or defective units without extra cost.

    • Quality control & IP protection on U.S. soil.

    • “Made in USA” labeling that resonates with buyers.

    • Competitive wages that keep unit costs low but talent close to headquarters.

    • Two-nation labor flexibility—operate Mexican maquila lines and U.S. finishing under a single-day truck hop.

  • We customize incentive packages that may include:

    • Infrastructure improvements and waived permitting fees

    • Freeport and enterprise-zone tax exemptions

    • Property-tax abatements tied to job creation

    • State training dollars and cash grants

    (All programs undergo a transparent economic-impact review, ensuring a win-win for your board and our community.)

 FAQs

  • Starr County may layer county property-tax abatements (up to 100 % for 10 years), Chapter 380/381 sales-tax rebates, Texas Enterprise Fund cash grants ($1k–$10k per net new job), and FTZ #95 duty savings.

    All packages undergo an easy economic-impact review to ensure transparency.

  • With pre-titled sites and an integrated permitting task-force, most projects move from LOI to site-prep in about 67 days—half the state’s large-metro average.

  • Starr County offers dual 138 kV feeds, >200 MW of head-room, redundant water lines up to 10″, dark fiber, and Tier III natural-gas capacity within ¼ mile of our primary parks. Custom substation build-outs can be executed in under nine months.

  • Within a 90-minute drive you’ll tap 10,000+ annual STEM and skilled-trade grads from South Texas College, UTRGV, and aligned high-school apprenticeship programs. State training grants cover up to $1,800 per new hire.

  • Same-day truck lanes reach Texas assembly plants in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas while connecting southbound to Monterrey’s OEM clusters—all without the congestion premiums of larger metros.

  • Manufacturing in Starr County keeps production under U.S. legal protections while still leveraging near-shore labor and supplier networks, closing the risk gap on IP theft and long transit times.

  • Share a high-level RFI through our Contact page or email info@starrcounty.org. We’ll return a custom site menu, incentive outline, and permitting timeline within one to three business days, under NDA if required.