McAllen is the twentieth most populous city in Texas as well as largest city in Hidalgo County. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the American South. Its southern boundary is located on the Rio Grande River across the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio Grande, and about 70 miles west of South Padre Island and the Gulf of Mexico. The 2010 census put the city’s population at 129,877 and the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission metropolitan area at 774,769. The Reynosa–McAllen Metropolitan Area counts with a population of nearly 1.7 million.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,641, and the median income for a family was $36,050. Males had a median income of $30,089 versus $22,480 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,939. About 20.9% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.5% of those under age 13 and 20.3% of those age 65 or over.