Fishing contributes 53.6% to the economic growth of Nuevo León metropolitan area

Monterrey, NL. The arrival of the KIA Mexico automaker in 2015 and the Ternium Industrial Center completely transformed the rural landscape of Pesquería. From a town with just 20,800 inhabitants in 2010, its population soared to 147,624 in 2020, becoming the municipality with the highest ultra-growth in the entire country, according to the 2025 Intercensus Census.

Furthermore, between 2012 and 2021, its contribution to the region's economic growth was 53.6%, according to estimates by the UANL School of Economics based on NASA satellite images, which measured the increase in nighttime luminosity.

Edgar Mauricio Luna Domínguez, director of the Center for Economic Research (CIE) at UANL, explained to El Economista that this analysis using light maps allows for estimating economic activity, and in the case of Pesquería, it showed growth far superior to that of other metropolitan municipalities.

However, she clarified that the Pesquería data was presented by Joana Chapa, director of the UANL School of Economics, for the 2012-2021 period.

“We first mapped the luminosity (of metropolitan municipalities) in 2012, and then calculated the equivalent of luminosity in terms of economic activity growth, corresponding to 2024. As a result of this analysis, we will release the Economic Activity Index in a few weeks,” Luna Domínguez emphasized.

The municipalities where the population skyrocketed

When analyzing other municipalities that experienced ultra-growth, using data from the INEGI Population and Housing Census, El Carmen grew from 16,092 inhabitants in 2010 to 104,478 in 2020, making it the municipality with the second-highest population growth rate. It was followed by Ciénega de Flores, which grew from 24,526 to 68,747 in 2020.

García's population grew from over 90,000 to over 397,000; Juárez's population doubled between 2010 and 2020, from 150,000 to 308,285; and Apodaca's population grew from 467,157 in 2010 to 536,436 in 2020, according to the INEGI Population and Housing Census.

Uneven economic growth

This accelerated population growth in several municipalities in the metropolitan area has also been accompanied by increased participation in economic activity in the metropolis, driven by the arrival of new industries, housing developments, and other services.

The director of the UANL Center for Economic Research explained that, according to the luminosity map, Monterrey remains the municipality with the greatest economic contribution to the metropolitan area. However, its share has decreased: in 2012 it represented 25.3%, and by 2024 it had dropped to 21.2%.

Apodaca retains its second-largest economic contribution to the metropolitan area, with 17.2% in 2024, just 0.8 percentage points below its 2012 level. This municipality stands out for having the largest number of industrial parks, thanks to its proximity to Monterrey International Airport.

García rose from sixth to third place during this period, increasing from 7.37% to 10.8%, driven by the establishment of automotive, steel, and advanced manufacturing industries, as well as strong residential growth. It is followed by Guadalupe, with 9.84% in 2024—the municipality chosen by German company ZF for its multifunctional automotive center—and Escobedo, with 9%, due to its expansion into industrial parks and subdivisions.

Also notable were gains in Juárez, which rose from 7.24% to 8.23%, and Santa Catarina, which rose from 6.93% to 8.85%, driven by expectations surrounding the Tesla assembly plant, whose installation is still pending.

The challenges for municipalities with high growth

The rapid growth of urban areas in the municipalities of Pesquería, Ciénega de Flores, García, Juárez, Escobedo, and Apodaca exceeds the capacity of basic services such as drinking water, garbage collection, street lighting, transportation, and access to schools. In downtown Monterrey, where there is sufficient infrastructure, there is a problem of uninhabited homes.

Edgar Luna believed that urban planning should be coordinated across all three levels of government. Currently, each municipality makes decisions, and when governments change, policies change.

"This fragmentation limits the exploitation of economies of scale and creates inequality in the distribution of services and infrastructure, directly affecting the population's quality of life," Luna Domínguez emphasized.