Data Entry Specialist salary in McAllen-Edinburg, TX
Hiring a data entry specialist costs less in McAllen-Edinburg than in Texas or the country as a whole. The median is $32,480 a year1: 16.5% below the Texas statewide median of $38,880 and 21.4% below the US median of $41,340. Only 6 of 394 US areas pay less for this job. About 370 data entry specialists work here, 2% of the Texas total.
BLS occupation 43-9021, area McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in McAllen-Edinburg against Texas and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McAllen-Edinburg, TX | $25,560 | $32,480 | $50,770 | |
| Texas | $28,020 | $38,880 | $56,920 | |
| United States | $31,200 | $41,340 | $58,790 |
The middle half of data entry specialists in McAllen-Edinburg earns $27,680–$37,490. The top tenth earns $50,770 or more, 2.0 times the bottom tenth, close to the US pattern of 1.9 times. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $9,810 wide, against $14,550 across Texas and $12,650 nationally: employers in McAllen-Edinburg pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a data entry specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $25,560 | $2,130 | $12.29 | $32,981 |
| 25th percentile | $27,680 | $2,307 | $13.31 | $35,716 |
| Median | $32,480 | $2,707 | $15.62 | $41,910 |
| 75th percentile | $37,490 | $3,124 | $18.02 | $48,374 |
| 90th percentile | $50,770 | $4,231 | $24.41 | $65,510 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $5,010 a year in pay and about $6,465 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $4,800 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 $41,340 falls between the 75th and 90th percentiles in McAllen-Edinburg, and the Texas statewide median of $38,880 falls there too. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local data entry specialists earn.
What a hire really costs in McAllen-Edinburg
At the $32,480 median, a local hire costs about $41,910 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $9,430 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for data entry specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in McAllen-Edinburg
Of the 17 roles we track in McAllen-Edinburg, this one ranks #16 by median pay, between customer support specialists ($35,830) and virtual receptionists ($28,530). Project Coordinator is the highest at $69,910.
| Role | Median | vs data entry specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +13.8% | 60 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | +12.0% | 2,230 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | +10.3% | 8,270 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | this role | 370 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | -12.2% | 1,780 |
Measured against the US median, data entry specialists rank #8 of the 17 roles we track in McAllen-Edinburg (-21.4%), between executive assistants (-21.1%) and HR assistants (-21.6%). The typical role here is at -21.6%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Data entry specialists hold 1.3% of the jobs in these 17 roles in McAllen-Edinburg, 1.1% across Texas and 0.8% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Texas
Across the 30 areas of Texas with data for this job, the median runs from $28,980 in Brownsville-Harlingen to $44,190 in Midland, a gap of $15,210 a year. All 4 areas in Texas with more data entry specialists than McAllen-Edinburg also pay more, among them Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ($43,110) and Houston-Pasadena, TX ($39,520).
| Area | Median | vs McAllen-Edinburg | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corpus Christi, TX | +5.9% | 140 | |
| Wichita Falls, TX | +4.2% | 50 | |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | +0.4% | 60 | |
| McAllen-Edinburg, TX | this area | 370 | |
| El Paso, TX | -3.9% | 360 | |
| Laredo, TX | -6.5% | 360 | |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | -10.8% | 160 |
McAllen-Edinburg against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, McAllen-Edinburg is #57 of 389 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, yet its pay sits in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Texas, Tuscaloosa and St. Joseph pay just above McAllen-Edinburg and Hagerstown-Martinsburg just below. Of the three markets with about as many data entry specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs McAllen-Edinburg | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | +31.9% | 360 | jobs | |
| Tulsa, OK | +25.3% | 380 | jobs | |
| Rochester, NY | +21.3% | 370 | jobs | |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | +2.2% | 30 | pay | |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | +1.6% | 60 | pay | |
| McAllen-Edinburg, TX | this area | 370 | ||
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | -0.4% | 120 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a data entry specialist in McAllen-Edinburg, TX?
About $41,910 a year at the median, or $3,492 a month: $32,480 in pay plus about $9,430 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What is the pay range for data entry specialists in McAllen-Edinburg?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $32,480 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $25,560, the 90th $50,770, and the middle half earned $27,680 to $37,490.
Is McAllen-Edinburg cheaper than the rest of Texas for data entry specialists?
Yes, it costs less: a median of $32,480 against $38,880 statewide. The next area up in Texas is Texarkana at $32,610, the next down El Paso at $31,200.
How many data entry specialists work in McAllen-Edinburg?
BLS counts about 370 in the May 2025 survey. That is 2% of the Texas total of 17,850. 4 areas in Texas have more; the closest in size is San Antonio-New Braunfels, with about 1,090.
Does a data entry specialist cost more than a virtual receptionist in McAllen-Edinburg?
Yes: $3,950 a year more at the median. The medians are $32,480 and $28,530.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-9021: 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.