Customer Support Specialist salary in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Hiring a customer support specialist costs less in Brownsville-Harlingen than in Texas or the country as a whole. The median is $38,350 a year1: 5.1% below the Texas statewide median of $40,420 and 14.3% below the US median of $44,770. Nationally it ranks #357 of 520 areas. About 4,880 customer support specialists work here, 1% of the Texas total.
BLS occupation 43-4051, area Brownsville-Harlingen, TX. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Brownsville-Harlingen against Texas and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $27,460 | $38,350 | $44,000 | |
| Texas | $29,320 | $40,420 | $59,590 | |
| United States | $31,750 | $44,770 | $63,590 |
The middle half of customer support specialists in Brownsville-Harlingen earns $31,520–$38,350. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $44,000, only 1.6 times the bottom tenth, against 2.0 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($36,110) is no higher than the median, so few high earners skew the figures here. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $6,830 wide, against $12,880 across Texas and $14,910 nationally: employers in Brownsville-Harlingen pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a customer support specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $27,460 | $2,288 | $13.20 | $35,432 |
| 25th percentile | $31,520 | $2,627 | $15.15 | $40,671 |
| Median | $38,350 | $3,196 | $18.44 | $49,484 |
| 75th percentile | $38,350 | $3,196 | $18.44 | $49,484 |
| 90th percentile | $44,000 | $3,667 | $21.15 | $56,774 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $0 a year in pay and about $0 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $6,830 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $44,770 falls above the 90th percentile in Brownsville-Harlingen, and the Texas statewide median of $40,420 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles. An offer at the national rate would beat what nine in ten local customer support specialists earn.
What a hire really costs in Brownsville-Harlingen
Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $11,134 to the $38,350 median and brings it to $49,484 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
Our open customer support specialist roles pay $700–$1,000 a month under a direct contract. The one-time fee is $2,5003 with a 180-day replacement; paying through Deel adds $49 a month4. Change any number below to match your plan.
A local hire here costs about 3.7 times as much as a remote hire in year one at the midpoint of our range. From year two, when the fee drops out, it is 4.6 times the remote figure of $10,788. About the candidates: most apply through our assessment platform with a written and a spoken English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff interviews every shortlisted candidate live, in English, before you meet them.
Other roles in Brownsville-Harlingen
Of the 17 roles we track in Brownsville-Harlingen, this one ranks #13 by median pay, between administrative assistants ($38,800) and medical administrative assistants ($37,030). Project Coordinator is the highest at $73,050.
| Role | Median | vs customer support specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR Assistant | +1.4% | 60 | |
| Administrative Assistant | +1.2% | 1,760 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | this role | 4,880 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | -3.4% | 1,050 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | -4.4% | 30 |
Measured against the US median, this job is the best paid of the 17 roles we track in Brownsville-Harlingen (-14.3%); marketing specialists come last (-39.9%). The typical role here is at -24.4%, so, measured against the US, customer support specialists cost more in Brownsville-Harlingen than the area's general pay level would suggest. Customer support specialists hold 31.6% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Brownsville-Harlingen, 21.5% across Texas and 16.4% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Texas
Across the 32 areas of Texas with data for this job, the median runs from $31,790 in the Border Region of Texas nonmetro area to $44,990 in Dallas-Fort Worth, a gap of $13,200 a year. Of the 6 areas in Texas with more customer support specialists than Brownsville-Harlingen, 2 pay less: El Paso, TX ($37,640) and McAllen-Edinburg, TX ($35,830).
| Area | Median | vs Brownsville-Harlingen | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa, TX | +2.4% | 1,150 | |
| Amarillo, TX | +1.7% | 2,280 | |
| Waco, TX | +1.2% | 3,260 | |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | this area | 4,880 | |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | -0.2% | 2,670 | |
| Coastal Plains Region of Texas (Nonmetro) | -0.2% | 1,740 | |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | -1.0% | 2,560 |
Brownsville-Harlingen against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Brownsville-Harlingen is #84 of 520 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, with pay near the middle of the US range. Outside Texas, Port St. Lucie and Kokomo pay just above Brownsville-Harlingen and Macon-Bibb County and Hagerstown-Martinsburg just below. All four are within $150 a year of the median in Brownsville-Harlingen. Of the three markets with about as many customer support specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs Brownsville-Harlingen | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester, MA | +24.0% | 4,740 | jobs | |
| Dayton-Kettering, OH | +17.3% | 4,880 | jobs | |
| Ogden, UT | +0.8% | 4,800 | jobs | |
| Kokomo, IN | +0.1% | 340 | pay | |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | +0.1% | 3,030 | pay | |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | this area | 4,880 | ||
| Macon-Bibb County, GA | -0.0% | 1,430 | pay | |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | -0.4% | 1,480 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a customer support specialist in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?
About $49,484 a year at the median, or $4,124 a month: $38,350 in pay plus about $11,134 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for customer support specialists in Brownsville-Harlingen?
The median was $38,350 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $27,460, the 90th $44,000, and the middle half earned $31,520 to $38,350.
Is Brownsville-Harlingen cheaper than the rest of Texas for customer support specialists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $38,350 against $40,420 statewide. The next area up in Texas is Waco at $38,810, the next down Killeen-Temple at $38,280.
How many customer support specialists work in Brownsville-Harlingen?
BLS counts about 4,880 in the May 2025 survey. That is 1% of the Texas total of 337,170. 6 areas in Texas have more; the closest in size is McAllen-Edinburg, with about 8,270.
Does a customer support specialist cost more than a medical administrative assistant in Brownsville-Harlingen?
Yes: $1,320 a year more at the median. The medians are $38,350 and $37,030.
What does a remote customer support specialist cost compared with Brownsville-Harlingen?
Our open roles pay $700–$1,000 a month. At the midpoint, with the one-time fee and Deel, year one comes to $13,288, against about $49,484 for a local hire at the median.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-4051: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.