Salaries · United States · Texas
Salaries in Texas 2026
The median pay for all jobs in Texas is $48,620 a year ($23.38 an hour), 5% below the US median of $50,980 (BLS, May 2025): the 31st highest of the 50 states and DC. Full-time workers living in Texas earn a median of $58,497 (Census ACS 2020 to 2024).
By Dominic Roworth · From BLS, Census and BEA data, checked 31 October 2026
Pay in Texas: the key figures
| Figure | Texas | United States | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median pay, all jobs | $48,620 | $50,980 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Average (mean) pay | $65,750 | $69,770 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Lowest-paid 10% earn under | $27,250 | $31,200 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Highest-paid 10% earn over | $125,220 | $128,560 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Jobs counted | 14,071,160 | 155,495,730 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Full-time workers living here, median | $58,497 ± $223 | $61,657 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B20018 |
| Median household income | $78,476 ± $263 | $80,734 | Census ACS 2020-2024, B19013 |
| Price level (US = 100) | 97.1 | 100.0 | BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 |
| Minimum wage | $7.25 | $7.25 | State labor department |
Take-home pay on the median
On $48,620, a single person keeps about $41,246 a year ($3,437 a month) after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare; Texas has no state income tax on wages. With prices 3% below the US average, $48,620 here buys what $50,100 buys at average US prices.
| Median pay | $48,620 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | -$3,654 |
| Social Security | -$3,014 |
| Medicare | -$705 |
| Take-home a year | $41,246 |
What drives pay in Texas
Texas has a high-paying energy core and a very large low-wage service base, and together they leave its median just under the national level. Oil and gas extraction alone produced 5.5% of the state's GDP in 2025, almost seven times the US share of 0.8%, and refining (1.8%, US 0.5%) and chemicals (3.0%, US 1.9%) add more (BEA). The State Comptroller notes that Texas produced 1.73 billion barrels of crude oil in 2024, had 50.6% of all US horizontal drilling rigs in May 2025 and accounted for 28% of US natural gas production in 2024.
Service work far outnumbers those jobs. Fast food and counter workers are the most common job (460,530, median $27,740), and home health and personal care aides, 329,590 of them, have a median of $24,230. Texas adopts the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, and the lowest-paid 10% of workers earn under $27,250, against $31,200 nationally, while the top 10% earn over $125,220. The all-jobs median is $48,620, 5% below the US and 31st of the 50 states and DC.
Texas has grown faster than any other state: real GDP rose 29.2% from 2019 to 2025, against 15.6% for the US. Hiring has now slowed. The Dallas Fed's October 2026 forecast expects jobs to grow 0.9% in 2026, about 134,000, after year-to-date growth of 0.8%, well below the state's long-run average of 2%, and links that partly to sharply lower immigration limiting the supply of workers. Manufacturing is the bright spot, supported by oil and gas, exports and construction for artificial intelligence.
The highest-paid jobs in Texas
Median annual pay, for jobs with at least 1,000 workers in the state (BLS, May 2025).
| Job | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiologists | 2,050 | $410,150 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | 1,530 | $345,830 |
| Radiologists | 2,330 | $319,320 |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 1,460 | $271,960 |
| Physicians, All Other | 30,720 | $269,800 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 3,850 | $269,110 |
| Chief Executives | 8,780 | $257,850 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 4,060 | $244,990 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | 6,190 | $235,710 |
| Psychiatrists | 1,690 | $228,460 |
| Surgeons, All Other | 1,710 | $222,820 |
| Anesthesiologists | 2,800 | $215,230 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 10,930 | $215,150 |
| Pediatricians, General | 2,740 | $173,360 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 73,060 | $171,530 |
The most common jobs in Texas
The jobs with the most workers, and what they pay.
| Job | Workers | Median a year | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 460,530 | $27,740 | $13.34 |
| General and Operations Managers | 431,310 | $103,230 | $49.63 |
| Retail Salespersons | 341,640 | $30,800 | $14.81 |
| Customer Service Representatives | 337,170 | $40,420 | $19.44 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 329,590 | $24,230 | $11.65 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 322,710 | $36,840 | $17.71 |
| Registered Nurses | 271,380 | $95,970 | $46.14 |
| Cashiers | 245,730 | $29,230 | $14.06 |
| Office Clerks, General | 218,470 | $39,000 | $18.75 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 216,970 | $37,540 | $18.05 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 209,680 | $56,290 | $27.06 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 199,610 | $23,240 | $11.18 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 184,840 | $33,010 | $15.87 |
| Software Developers | 163,880 | $132,150 | $63.54 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 160,600 | $64,940 | $31.22 |
Pay for careers we cover, in Texas
Official BLS medians for Texas; each links to the full salary guide with pay by state.
| Career | Workers | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetist | 4,060 | $244,990 |
| Air Traffic Controller | 2,060 | $170,080 |
| Dentist | 8,920 | $162,360 |
| Lawyer | 56,580 | $154,200 |
| Pharmacist | 24,700 | $138,260 |
| Commercial Pilot | 4,120 | $137,960 |
| Physician Assistant | 10,110 | $134,550 |
| Software Engineer | 163,880 | $132,150 |
| Nurse Practitioner | 25,970 | $131,670 |
| Aerospace Engineer | 6,750 | $130,270 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | 16,130 | $129,890 |
| Data Scientist | 25,860 | $122,090 |
| Actuary | 1,750 | $105,020 |
| UX Designer | 5,910 | $102,650 |
| Elevator Technician | 2,030 | $102,140 |
| Dental Hygienist | 16,380 | $99,240 |
| Financial Analyst | 28,820 | $99,150 |
| Project Manager | 138,960 | $98,440 |
| Registered Nurse | 271,380 | $95,970 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | 16,850 | $84,440 |
| Accountant | 116,470 | $80,920 |
| Compliance Officer | 42,900 | $75,370 |
| Paralegal | 29,540 | $62,310 |
| Plumber | 44,090 | $59,840 |
| Electrician | 76,770 | $58,570 |
| Flight Attendant | 13,470 | $58,220 |
| HVAC Technician | 34,730 | $57,760 |
| Welder | 52,000 | $53,340 |
Texas and its neighbors
| State | Median pay | Price level | At US prices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $48,620 | 97.1 | $50,100 |
| Arkansas | $43,630 | 86.9 | $50,200 |
| Louisiana | $45,520 | 88.2 | $51,600 |
| New Mexico | $47,210 | 92.2 | $51,200 |
| Oklahoma | $45,600 | 87.8 | $51,900 |
Limits
BLS figures cover jobs located in Texas, not the self-employed; Census figures cover people who live here. Take-home assumes a single filer with the standard deduction. More in our methodology.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state file)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 (tables B20018 and B19013)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (table SARPP), 2024
- Take-home pay: Paygrade's 2026 federal and state tax engine, see the methodology.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis: GDP by state and industry, 2025 (industry shares and growth rates are our calculation), data last updated 30 Sep 2026
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Fiscal Notes: Then and now: 50 years of fueling the Texas economy, 2026 (page dated March 2026), accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Texas Workforce Commission: Texas Minimum Wage Law, accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas: Texas Employment Forecast, 19 Oct 2026
Related
- Salary comparison by city: what a salary is worth in another US city
- Salaries in the United States