How much do Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors make in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?

Percentile spread

For Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, the published 10th percentile is $30,710 and the 90th percentile is $48,320. The difference is $17,610, which is 44.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $36,400 to the 75th at $48,320, covers $11,920.

The mean annual wage is $40,650, which sits above the median of $39,670. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Brownsville-Harlingen, TX median is 20.2% lower than the national median of $49,690 for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. In 2024 national prices the local median is $46,141, which is 7.1% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 14.4% lower than the Texas median of $46,330.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Brownsville-Harlingen, TX is 85.975, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $39,670 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors at $46,141 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

3 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX ranks 3rd of 4 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX is 48 miles away, with a median of $29,140 and employment of 130. That median is 26.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,925, against $46,141 here.
• Corpus Christi, TX is 124 miles away, with a median of $48,940 and employment of 250. That median is 23.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,810, against $46,141 here.
• Victoria, TX is 182 miles away, with a median of $39,860 and employment of 30. That median is 0.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $44,368, against $46,141 here.

Employment share

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors accounts for 0.05% of wage-and-salary employment in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX (80 of 157,450). Nationally the occupation is 0.09% of employment (147,240 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.54 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.