The city lies in the Rio Grande Valley on the south of the Río Bravo del Norte (American synonym: Rio Grande), and was named after the river.

Río Bravo Municipality stretches southward into less densely populated territory, and is slowly becoming a large and popular industrial center conveniently located along the Reynosa−Matamoros highway between the booming "Maquiladora" centers in Reynosa and Matamoros.

Mexican Federal Highway 2 passes through the city, paralleling the border.

At the census of 2010, the city reported a population of 95,647, the eighth largest city in the state, following Reynosa, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo, Ciudad Victoria, Tampico, Madero, and Miramar.

The next largest community within the municipality is Nuevo Progreso, in the northeastern area on the Río Bravo/Río Grande.