The local economy is mostly based on the primary and secondary sectors, with particular relevance for agriculture and cattle herding, timber research and metal industry.

Extraction of black marble, known as Nero Marquina (Marmol Negro), also plays an important role in the local economy.

Markina-Xemein's patron saint festival, consecrated to the Virgen del Carmen, takes place in the middle of July.

The village of Markina (called, in that time, Villaviciosa de Marquina in Spanish) was founded by Don Tello, Lord of Biscay (Bizkaia), on May 6, 1355.

The patronage of that church was a hot point in their relations, especially in the Middle Ages, and several disputes took places between local nobility.