Texas income
What counts as a good salary in Texas depends on whether you mean one paycheck or a whole household, and where in the state you live. Here is how incomes actually break down, using the newest U.S. Census data.
The short answer
The typical Texas household earns $78,476 a year. A household income around $98,000 puts you ahead of 60% of Texas households, and $157,800 puts you in the top 20%. For one person working full time, the typical Texas paycheck is $58,497 a year.
Median household income
$78,476
Half of Texas households earn more, half earn less
Top 20% starts at
$157,770
Household income, all earners combined
Full-time worker median
$58,497
One person, working full time, year round
The Census Bureau splits households into five equal groups, from lowest to highest income. These are the real cutoffs for Texas. Household income means everyone in the home combined, before taxes.
| Group | Household income | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 20% | Under $32,815 | Lower income |
| 20% to 40% | $32,815 to $61,988 | Lower middle |
| 40% to 60% | $61,988 to $98,263 | The middle of Texas |
| 60% to 80% | $98,263 to $157,770 | Upper middle |
| Top 20% | $157,770 and up | High income |
About 12% of Texas households earn $200,000 or more. Source: Census tables B19080 (household income quintile upper limits) and B19001.
By that measure, a household income of about $98,000 or more is a solidly good income in Texas: it beats 60% of households. Reach $157,800 and you are in the top fifth of the state.
Here is how common household incomes stack up against every household in the state.
| Household income | Earns more than |
|---|---|
| $50,000 | About 32% of Texas households |
| $75,000 | About 48% |
| $100,000 | About 61% |
| $150,000 | About 78% |
| $200,000 | About 88% |
Estimated from the Census household income ranges (table B19001) for Texas.
Household income often includes two earners, so it runs higher than a single paycheck. The median Texas worker who works full time, year round earns $58,497, compared with $61,657 nationally. Counting part-time and seasonal workers too, the median is $44,072.
So for one person, a salary above about $58,000 means you out-earn most full-time workers in Texas. How far it goes depends heavily on local housing costs, which vary a lot from city to city.
A common guideline, used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is that housing should take no more than 30% of your income. Texas's median rent is $1,403 a month. To keep that at 30% of income, you need about $56,100 a year. The national median rent is $1,413.
These are Texas's 20 largest places, sorted by median household income. The last column shows the yearly income needed to keep the median rent at 30% of income.
| City | Median household income | Median rent | Income to afford median rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frisco | $150,212 | $2,014 | $80,560 |
| McKinney | $124,215 | $1,901 | $76,040 |
| Plano | $112,253 | $1,841 | $73,640 |
| Austin | $93,658 | $1,729 | $69,160 |
| Irving | $81,830 | $1,619 | $64,760 |
| Grand Prairie | $81,619 | $1,629 | $65,160 |
| Fort Worth | $79,507 | $1,509 | $60,360 |
| Garland | $76,320 | $1,641 | $65,640 |
| Denton | $76,019 | $1,420 | $56,800 |
| Arlington | $75,171 | $1,470 | $58,800 |
| Dallas | $70,518 | $1,472 | $58,880 |
| Corpus Christi | $67,394 | $1,292 | $51,680 |
| Amarillo | $65,912 | $1,092 | $43,680 |
| San Antonio | $65,056 | $1,324 | $52,960 |
| Houston | $64,813 | $1,361 | $54,440 |
| Laredo | $63,915 | $1,030 | $41,200 |
| Killeen | $60,977 | $1,208 | $48,320 |
| Lubbock | $60,895 | $1,182 | $47,280 |
| El Paso | $59,745 | $1,073 | $42,920 |
| Brownsville | $52,130 | $923 | $36,920 |
Rent is median gross rent per month. "Income to afford median rent" is 12 months of median rent divided by 30%. Source: Census tables B19013 and B25064, place level.
Among these places, Frisco has the highest median household income at $150,212, while Brownsville has the lowest at $52,130. In every one of these places, the median household earns enough to keep the median rent under 30% of income.
How does your zip code compare?
See the median household income for every zip code in Texas, in one searchable table.
See income by zip code in TexasTexas's median household income of $78,476 is 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. The top-20% cutoff is $157,770 in Texas, compared with $162,235 nationally. Texas also has no state income tax, so the same paycheck takes home a little more than in most states.
What is the average salary in Texas?
The median full-time, year-round worker in Texas earns $58,497. The median household, counting everyone in the home, earns $78,476.
Is $100,000 a good salary in Texas?
Yes. As a household income, $100,000 is higher than about 61% of Texas households. As a single salary, it is about 1.7 times what the typical full-time worker earns.
What income is considered middle class in Texas?
The middle fifth of Texas households earns $61,988 to $98,263. A broader middle class, from the 20th to the 80th percentile, runs from about $32,800 to $157,800.
Where does this data come from?
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020 to 2024, the most recent release. See our methodology for details.