# Frontera Signal

> Business data and news for the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, in English and Spanish, published from McAllen. Six industries (construction and housing, produce and cold chain, freight and customs, retail and auto, health care, restaurants and bars) and all 47 Valley cities in Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties. Every figure carries the date it covers and refreshes on its own schedule: bridge wait times every 15 minutes, border crossings by port, the peso, Gulf Coast diesel, city sales tax, new businesses, bar and restaurant alcohol sales and home health agency ratings. A weekly issue every Sunday covers construction and housing: building permits by city, building input prices, labor, housing supply, commercial projects filed with the state and dated forecasts with grades. Costs are given as ranges, and private bid prices are never published. Contact: hello@fronterasignal.com.

## Read

- [Home (English)](https://fronterasignal.com/): today's numbers for the six industries, the latest analysis and every city
- [Inicio (español)](https://fronterasignal.com/es/)
- [Industries](https://fronterasignal.com/industries/): [Construction and Housing](https://fronterasignal.com/industries/construction/), [Produce and Cold Chain](https://fronterasignal.com/industries/produce/), [Freight and Customs](https://fronterasignal.com/industries/freight/), [Retail and Auto](https://fronterasignal.com/industries/retail/), [Health Care](https://fronterasignal.com/industries/health/), [Restaurants and Bars](https://fronterasignal.com/industries/restaurants/)
- [Industrias (español)](https://fronterasignal.com/es/industrias/): [Construcción y Vivienda](https://fronterasignal.com/es/industrias/construccion/), [Producto Fresco y Cadena de Frío](https://fronterasignal.com/es/industrias/producto-fresco/), [Carga y Aduanas](https://fronterasignal.com/es/industrias/carga/), [Comercio y Autos](https://fronterasignal.com/es/industrias/comercio/), [Salud](https://fronterasignal.com/es/industrias/salud/), [Restaurantes y Bares](https://fronterasignal.com/es/industrias/restaurantes/)
- [All 47 Valley cities](https://fronterasignal.com/cities/): one page per city with its sales tax, bar and restaurant sales, bridges and neighbors, such as [McAllen](https://fronterasignal.com/cities/mcallen/), [Brownsville](https://fronterasignal.com/cities/brownsville/), [San Juan](https://fronterasignal.com/cities/san-juan/) and [Donna](https://fronterasignal.com/cities/donna/)
- [Blog](https://fronterasignal.com/blog/) and [blog en español](https://fronterasignal.com/es/blog/): plain answers to what Valley businesses ask, built from the same numbers
- [Reports](https://fronterasignal.com/reports/): paid monthly reports with the full lists, each with a free sample
- [Weekly issue archive](https://fronterasignal.com/archive/)
- [Methodology](https://fronterasignal.com/methodology/): sources by industry, freshness marks, status labels such as DARK and STALE, and how forecasts are graded
- [About](https://fronterasignal.com/about/): who publishes it and how it stays independent
- [Corrections](https://fronterasignal.com/corrections/): every correction, dated
- [Every Valley city](https://fronterasignal.com/cities/): 47 city pages (Alamo, Alton, Bayview, Brownsville, Combes, Donna, Edcouch, Edinburg, Elsa, Escobares, Granjeno, Harlingen, Hidalgo, La Feria, La Grulla, La Joya, La Villa, Laguna Vista, Los Fresnos, Los Indios, Lyford, McAllen, Mercedes, Mission, Olmito, Palm Valley, Palmhurst, Palmview, Peñitas, Pharr, Port Isabel, Port Mansfield, Primera, Progreso, Progreso Lakes, Rancho Viejo, Raymondville, Rio Grande City, Rio Hondo, Roma, San Benito, San Juan, Santa Rosa, South Padre Island, Starbase, Sullivan City, Weslaco), each with its monthly sales tax and change from a year earlier, bar and restaurant alcohol sales where reported, bridge waits and port crossings where the city has a bridge, and its nearest neighbors, every figure dated; McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, San Juan, Weslaco, Donna, Mercedes, Brownsville, Harlingen also carry weekly permits, metro housing supply, the newest month of housing permits and new commercial projects ([español](https://fronterasignal.com/es/cities/))
- [Full text of every issue](https://fronterasignal.com/llms-full.txt): issues as Markdown, chart data as tables
- RSS: [English](https://fronterasignal.com/rss.xml), [español](https://fronterasignal.com/es/rss.xml)

## Issues

- [Rate falls to 7.18% as Valley registrations reach $17.3 million](https://fronterasignal.com/issues/2026-w45/) (2026-11-08, English): The 30-year rate fell to 7.18% from 7.24%. Thirteen new registrations total $17.3 million, led by a civic building in Starbase.
- [Mortgage rate falls to 7.24%, with one new commercial filing at $3.5 million](https://fronterasignal.com/issues/2026-w44/) (2026-11-01, English): The 30-year rate fell to 7.24% from 7.32%. The only new commercial registration is a $3.5 million shell in Mission.
- [Mortgage rate falls to 7.32% as Valley commercial filings reach $57.99 million](https://fronterasignal.com/issues/2026-w43/) (2026-10-25, English): The 30-year rate fell to 7.32% from 7.40%. Sixteen commercial registrations dated Oct 16 through Oct 23 list $57,988,793, and a college bid is due Monday.
- [Mortgage rate holds at 7.40% as new Valley commercial work tops $20 million](https://fronterasignal.com/issues/2026-w42/) (2026-10-18, English): The 30-year rate was unchanged from last week. McAllen still has 8.9 months of supply, and two large packages finished their accessibility reviews.
- [Mortgage rate climbs to 7.40% as Hakes cuts unsold Valley homes](https://fronterasignal.com/issues/2026-w41/) (2026-10-11, English): The 30-year rate rose to 7.40% from 7.28%. McAllen still has 8.9 months of supply, and Hakes is advertising 5.25%.
- [Mortgage rate jumps to 7.28% as McAllen sits on 8.9 months of homes for sale](https://fronterasignal.com/issues/2026-w40/) (2026-10-04, English): The 30-year rate rose a quarter point in a week. McAllen had 8.9 months of supply in July, and Hakes Brothers is advertising a 4.75% fixed rate.
- [Mortgage rates top 7% as McAllen home permits fall again](https://fronterasignal.com/issues/2026-w39/) (2026-09-27, English): The 30-year rate hit 7.03%, and McAllen-area home permits fell to 431 in August. This week's starts are commercial shells and tenant finish-outs.
- [La tasa baja a 7.18% y los registros del Valle llegan a $17.3 millones](https://fronterasignal.com/es/issues/2026-w45/) (2026-11-08, español): La tasa a 30 años bajó a 7.18% desde 7.24%. Trece registros nuevos suman $17.3 millones, con un edificio cívico en Starbase.
- [La tasa hipotecaria baja a 7.24% y el único registro comercial nuevo suma $3.5 millones](https://fronterasignal.com/es/issues/2026-w44/) (2026-11-01, español): La tasa a 30 años bajó de 7.32% a 7.24%. El único registro nuevo es un cascarón de $3.5 millones en Mission.
- [La tasa hipotecaria baja a 7.32% y los registros comerciales del Valle llegan a $57.99 millones](https://fronterasignal.com/es/issues/2026-w43/) (2026-10-25, español): La tasa a 30 años bajó de 7.40% a 7.32%. Dieciséis registros comerciales fechados del 16 oct al 23 oct suman $57,988,793, y una licitación vence el lunes.
- [La tasa a 30 años se mantiene en 7.40% y la obra comercial nueva supera $20 millones](https://fronterasignal.com/es/issues/2026-w42/) (2026-10-18, español): La tasa hipotecaria no se movió frente a la semana pasada. McAllen sigue con 8.9 meses de inventario y dos paquetes cerraron la revisión de accesibilidad.
- [La tasa hipotecaria sube a 7.40% y Hakes recorta casas sin comprador](https://fronterasignal.com/es/issues/2026-w41/) (2026-10-11, español): La tasa a 30 años en EE.UU. pasó de 7.28% a 7.40%. McAllen sigue en 8.9 meses de inventario y Hakes anuncia 5.25%.
- [La tasa hipotecaria salta a 7.28% y McAllen acumula 8.9 meses de inventario](https://fronterasignal.com/es/issues/2026-w40/) (2026-10-04, español): La tasa a 30 años subió un cuarto de punto en una semana. McAllen tenía 8.9 meses de inventario en julio y Hakes Brothers anuncia una tasa fija de 4.75%.
- [La tasa hipotecaria supera el 7% y los permisos de vivienda en McAllen vuelven a caer](https://fronterasignal.com/es/issues/2026-w39/) (2026-09-27, español): La tasa a 30 años llegó a 7.03% y la zona metro de McAllen autorizó 431 viviendas en agosto. Esta semana arrancan cascarones y adecuaciones comerciales.
## Blog

- [Rio Grande Valley Building Material Prices: October 2026](https://fronterasignal.com/blog/building-material-prices-rio-grande-valley/) (2026-11-03): Valley big box shelf prices as of Oct 29, 2026: 2x4 stud $3.98, OSB $14.51 a sheet, #3 rebar $7.38, drywall $14.98. OSB rose 7.6% by mid October.
- [Valley new business permits outpaced Texas in September 2026](https://fronterasignal.com/blog/valley-new-business-permits-september-2026/) (2026-10-28): 797 places of business in Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties got a state sales tax permit in September 2026, twice the September 2025 count. Texas rose 78%.
- [Home health agency ratings in the Rio Grande Valley, city by city](https://fronterasignal.com/blog/home-health-agency-ratings-rio-grande-valley/) (2026-10-26): As of Oct 21, 2026, the Valley's 74 rated home health agencies average 2.33 of 5 federal quality stars, and just 7 of them hold 4 stars or higher.
- [Pharr bridge wait time for commercial trucks and Valley truck counts](https://fronterasignal.com/blog/pharr-bridge-commercial-wait-times/) (2026-10-26): Commercial trucks waited 10 minutes at the Pharr bridge on Oct 26, 2026. Valley ports moved 87,393 trucks in September 2026, 16.2% fewer than a year earlier.
- [McAllen restaurant and bar sales in 2026, city by city across the Valley](https://fronterasignal.com/blog/rio-grande-valley-restaurant-bar-sales-2026/) (2026-10-26): McAllen bars and restaurants sold $6,632,479 in alcohol in September 2026, up 0.7% from a year earlier, while Valley sales fell 0.9% to $17,442,435.
- [San Juan, Donna, Mercedes and Alton sales tax climbs in 2026](https://fronterasignal.com/blog/san-juan-donna-mercedes-alton-sales-tax-2026/) (2026-10-26): San Juan, Donna, Mercedes and Alton drew larger state sales tax allocations in October 2026 than a year earlier, led by Alton, up 19.5% to $204,478.


## Data for agents

- [Free JSON, latest 4 weeks](https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/index.json): no payment, no key
- [Free samples](https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/index.json): one real answer per paid endpoint
- [Industry summaries](https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/industries/index.json): free headline numbers for construction, produce, freight, retail, health and restaurants, refreshed on their own (bridge waits every 15 minutes)
- [Live values](https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/live.json): every live number on the site, formatted in English and Spanish, with its date
- [API catalog](https://fronterasignal.com/api/v1): paid endpoints, prices, parameters and when to use each
- [OpenAPI 3.1](https://fronterasignal.com/openapi.json): response schemas, examples and every error code
- [x402 discovery](https://fronterasignal.com/.well-known/x402) and [agent card](https://fronterasignal.com/.well-known/agent-card.json)
- [Health](https://fronterasignal.com/api/v1/health) and [changelog](https://fronterasignal.com/api/v1/changelog.json)
- [MCP server](https://fronterasignal.com/mcp): free and read-only, Streamable HTTP. Tools: list_endpoints, get_sample, how_to_pay, get_free_series
- [A2A agent](https://fronterasignal.com/a2a): free and read-only, A2A 1.0 over JSON-RPC (header A2A-Version: 1.0). Name an endpoint or a Valley city; it answers with the paid URL and price
- [Parcel match check](https://fronterasignal.com/api/v1/parcel/match?address=800+S+10th+St&city=McAllen): free, 20 lookups a minute per IP address. Use before /api/v1/parcel so you only pay for addresses that match. Same parameters, same matching, no charge.

Paid calls use x402 v2, USDC on Base; retry with PAYMENT-SIGNATURE. An unpaid request returns HTTP 402 with a JSON body (price, what the call returns, a free sample, docs) and a PAYMENT-REQUIRED header. Bad or unknown parameters get a free 400, and a valid query with nothing to return gets a free 404, before any payment. The nearby and parcel endpoints look up the address after the payment is verified; if they cannot place it, the answer is a 404 and the payment is not settled. Ask the Valley (/api/v1/ask?q=...) takes one question in plain English or Spanish and answers from the same data with the numbers, the endpoints read and their date.

Prices per call: building material shelf prices $0.01, bridge wait times now $0.01, peso exchange rate $0.01, gulf Coast diesel price $0.01, city construction snapshot $0.02, company track record $0.02, city sales tax by month $0.02, industry snapshot $0.02, new commercial projects $0.03, projects near an address $0.03, filed cost per square foot $0.03, bridge waits by hour of week $0.03, border crossings by month $0.03, home health agencies $0.03, parcel record for an address $0.04, full history of a weekly series $0.05, housing permits by month $0.05, new business outlets $0.05, bar and restaurant alcohol sales $0.05, weekly briefing as JSON $0.25, ask the Valley $0.25.

## When to call what

- City construction snapshot, $0.02: /api/v1/snapshot?city=McAllen. One Valley city's (or the whole Valley's) latest permits, monthly housing permits by structure type, sales tax receipts, housing supply, building-input and material prices, labor conditions, newest commercial projects and this morning's mortgage rate, 10-year yield and diesel price, every value dated. Answers questions like "Is McAllen's housing market oversupplied and are building costs rising this week?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/snapshot.json
- New commercial projects, $0.03: /api/v1/projects?city=McAllen&limit=5. Commercial projects filed with the state before they build: name, address, owner, design firm, estimated cost, square feet, start and end dates, newest first. Answers questions like "What commercial projects were registered in Hidalgo County since Sept 1, who owns them and how big are they?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/projects.json
- Company track record, $0.02: /api/v1/companies?name=independent+school+district. For each matching owner, design firm or licensed contractor business: project count, total and largest filed cost, cities, first and last filing, its 10 newest projects and its state trade licenses (type, current or expired, expiry, county). Answers questions like "How many projects has this developer filed in the Valley since 2024, and how large was the biggest one?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/companies.json
- Projects near an address, $0.03: /api/v1/nearby?address=1201+E+Capote+Central+Ave&city=Pharr&radius_mi=2. Filed commercial projects within a radius of a Valley street address: how many, their summed and largest filed cost, a split by type of work, and each project with its distance and map point, nearest first. Answers questions like "How many commercial projects were filed within two miles of 1201 E Capote Central Ave, Pharr, and what are they worth?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/nearby.json
- Parcel record for an address, $0.04: /api/v1/parcel?address=800+S+10th+St&city=McAllen. The Hidalgo County parcel at a street address: parcel and map ids, property class, acres, year built, building square feet, last deed date and type, market, appraised and assessed values with their date, taxing units, the owner when it is an organization, and flood map status. Answers questions like "What is the parcel id, building size and market value of 800 S 10th St, McAllen?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/parcel.json
- Filed cost per square foot, $0.03: /api/v1/cost-per-sqft?county=Hidalgo. Median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) of filed cost per square foot by county and type of work, with n and the date range. Answers questions like "What does new commercial construction cost per square foot in Hidalgo County right now?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/cost-per-sqft.json
- Building material shelf prices, $0.01: /api/v1/materials?item=osb. Dated shelf prices for common building materials at Valley big box stores and a local yard, newest price per item and store first. Answers questions like "What does a sheet of 7/16 OSB cost in McAllen this week?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/materials.json
- Building permits by week, $0.05: /api/v1/series/permits-weekly. Building-permit counts by Valley city, permit class and ISO week, each row reported, dark or no_reading. Answers questions like "Are McAllen single family permits up or down over the last two months?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/series-permits-weekly.json
- Housing permits by month, $0.05: /api/v1/series/permits-monthly?place=Brownsville&from=2026-01. New housing units and buildings authorized by permit each month, by structure type (single family, 2 units, 3-4 units, 5 or more) with valuation, for Valley cities and unincorporated county areas, plus each year to date total. Answers questions like "How many single family homes did Brownsville permit each month this year?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/series-permits-monthly.json
- Building input prices by week, $0.05: /api/v1/series/cost-basket-weekly. Level, unit and direction (up, down, flat) of framing lumber, studs, OSB, drywall, rebar, copper, diesel, the 30 year mortgage rate and the construction producer price index, by week. Answers questions like "Has framing lumber gone up or down since August?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/series-cost-basket-weekly.json
- Housing supply by week, $0.05: /api/v1/series/absorption. Months of supply, homes for sale, homes sold, days on market and typical home value for the McAllen and Brownsville metros, as read each week. Answers questions like "Is the McAllen metro carrying more than six months of housing supply?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/series-absorption.json
- Labor and financing conditions, $0.05: /api/v1/series/labor-ranges. Build time for a 2,100 sq ft house, the immigration-enforcement climate and the construction-loan trend in the Valley, by week. Answers questions like "How long does it take to build a 2,100 sq ft house in the Valley right now?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/series-labor-ranges.json
- Forecast track record, $0.05: /api/v1/series/calls. Every dated forecast Frontera Signal has made, with its resolve-by date and grade (HIT, MISS, PUSH, OPEN). Answers questions like "How many of Frontera Signal's forecasts have been graded HIT?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/series-calls.json
- Weekly briefing as JSON, $0.25: /api/v1/issue?week=2026-W37&lang=en. One weekly briefing as JSON: title, summary, key figures with dates and sources, chart data and the full text, in English or Spanish. Answers questions like "What changed in Valley construction this week?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/issue.json
- Bridge wait times now, $0.01: /api/v1/bridge-wait?mode=commercial. The current wait at every Valley border crossing (Brownsville B&M, Gateway and Veterans, Los Indios, Progreso, Donna, Pharr, Hidalgo, Anzalduas, Rio Grande City, Roma) by lane: commercial standard and FAST, passenger standard, SENTRI and Ready, pedestrian: delay minutes, lanes open, status and reading time, plus the shortest wait by mode. Answers questions like "Which Valley bridge has the shortest commercial wait right now?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/bridge-wait.json
- Bridge waits by hour of week, $0.03: /api/v1/bridge-hourly?crossing=pharr&mode=commercial. The typical wait (median, 75th and 90th percentile, shortest and longest, number of weeks) at each Valley crossing and lane for an hour of the week, from hourly readings kept for up to 8 weeks. Answers questions like "How long is the Pharr commercial line usually on a Monday at 2 pm?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/bridge-hourly.json
- Border crossings by month, $0.03: /api/v1/crossings?port=hidalgo&measure=trucks. Monthly inbound trucks, personal vehicles, vehicle passengers, pedestrians and buses at the five Valley ports of entry, with the change from a year earlier, year to date totals and up to 26 months of history. Answers questions like "Are truck crossings at Hidalgo and Pharr up from last year?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/crossings.json
- Peso exchange rate, $0.01: /api/v1/peso. Pesos per US dollar by business day, with the latest rate, its daily, 30-day and 12-month change and the 52-week high and low. Answers questions like "How many pesos does a dollar buy, and how has it moved this month?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/peso.json
- Gulf Coast diesel price, $0.01: /api/v1/diesel. The weekly Gulf Coast retail diesel price in US dollars per gallon, with the weekly and yearly change and the 52-week high and low. Answers questions like "What does diesel cost this week on the Gulf Coast, and what did it cost a year ago?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/diesel.json
- City sales tax by month, $0.02: /api/v1/sales-tax?city=McAllen. Each Valley city's monthly local sales tax allocation with the change from the same month a year earlier, year to date totals, 13 months of history and the Valley total. Answers questions like "Is McAllen's sales tax up from a year ago?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/sales-tax.json
- New business outlets, $0.05: /api/v1/new-outlets?city=McAllen&industry=restaurants&limit=10. New business outlets with a sales tax permit in the four Valley counties: counts for the last 90 days by city, county, industry and NAICS group, and the newest outlets by name with city, NAICS code and permit date. Answers questions like "How many new restaurants opened in McAllen in the last 90 days, and which ones?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/new-outlets.json
- Bar and restaurant alcohol sales, $0.05: /api/v1/alcohol-sales?city=McAllen&limit=10. Monthly alcohol sales (liquor, wine, beer and cover charges) at every bar and restaurant with a mixed beverage permit in the four Valley counties, ranked, with each location's trailing 12-month total, city totals and the change from a year earlier. Answers questions like "Which McAllen bars sold the most alcohol last month?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/alcohol-sales.json
- Home health agencies, $0.03: /api/v1/home-health?city=McAllen&min_stars=4. Every certified home health agency in the four Valley counties with its city, address, quality of patient care star rating, services offered and years certified, plus counts and the average rating by city. Answers questions like "Which home health agencies in McAllen rate 4 stars or higher?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/home-health.json
- Industry snapshot, $0.02: /api/v1/industry?industry=freight. One Valley industry's headline numbers (construction, produce, freight, retail, health or restaurants) with every live value behind them and their tables, each value dated. Answers questions like "What changed for Valley freight and customs this week?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/industry.json
- Ask the Valley, $0.25: /api/v1/ask?q=What+does+a+2x4+cost+in+McAllen+this+week%3F&lang=en. A short plain answer to one question about the Rio Grande Valley, written from Frontera Signal data, with the numbers it used, the endpoints they came from and the newest date behind them, in English or Spanish. Answers questions like "What does a 2x4 cost in McAllen this week?" Sample: https://fronterasignal.com/data/v1/samples/ask.json

## Terms

Free data may be reused with attribution to Frontera Signal. Terms: https://fronterasignal.com/terms/