State salary profile · Texas

Texas Salaries

Texas statewide wages plus 26 metro areas and 6 nonmetropolitan areas, from BLS OEWS May 2025. Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area.

$196,777
Mean of top 50 medians
793
Occupations
32
Local wage areas
632,870
Estimated jobs (top tier)

The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians in Texas is $196,777.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, The May 2025 release has a published median for 793 occupations in Texas; percentile boundaries and local-area rows are available only where BLS publishes them. The highest-paying reported occupation, Cardiologists, earns $410,150, versus $21,550 for Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers at the bottom of the range. Detail is available for 26 metro areas and 6 nonmetropolitan areas. Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area.

Texas · employment ≠ wage

In Texas, Fast Food and Counter Workers lead by published employment (460,530 jobs, #1 of 776) but rank #764 of 776 on median wage ($27,740), while Cardiologists top the wage list at $410,150 (#1 of 776) with 2,050 jobs (#503 of 776). The largest payroll is not the highest published median.

460,530
Fast Food and Counter Work... employment #1
$410,150
Cardiologists wage #1
#503
Employment rank of wage leader
#764
Wage rank of employment leader

Employment is OEWS tot_emp inside this state; pay is the occupation median. Same detailed-occupation pool, two rankings.

Employment of Texas's #1 occupations by headcount vs median wage

Same unit (published jobs) for both named leaders. BLS OEWS May 2025.

jobs

What this shows Fast Food and Counter Workers lead Texas by employment; Cardiologists lead on median wage at $410,150.

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

Texas, the picture in one line

Texas ranks #24 of 54 states and territories by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage; its highest published occupation median is Cardiologists at $410,150. Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area.

#24
of 54 states by published mean wage
$410,150
top-paying: Cardiologists
56th
percentile among all states
Abilene, TX
local OEWS: Abilene, TX and Amarillo, TX

The state rank uses BLS's All Occupations mean. Occupation rows below use occupation-specific medians; the two statistics are not interchangeable. Start local checks in Abilene, TX.

Statewide OEWS footprints behind Texas's 32 local areas

Sales Managers and Computer and Information Systems Managers lead Texas's published employment inside this top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.

  1. 1. Sales Managers 76,010 jobs · $136,020
  2. 2. Computer and Information Systems Managers 73,060 jobs · $171,530
  3. 3. Financial Managers 71,870 jobs · $164,860
  4. 4. Managers, All Other 61,410 jobs · $134,390
  5. 5. Lawyers 56,580 jobs · $154,200
  6. 6. Marketing Managers 44,680 jobs · $147,880
  7. 7. Physicians, All Other 30,720 jobs · $269,800
  8. 8. Pharmacists 24,700 jobs · $138,260
  9. 9. Human Resources Managers 23,220 jobs · $136,500
  10. 10. Architectural and Engineering Managers 19,030 jobs · $171,370
  11. 11. Computer Network Architects 13,650 jobs · $133,310
  12. 12. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers 10,930 jobs · $215,150
  13. 13. Physician Assistants 10,110 jobs · $134,550
  14. 14. Purchasing Managers 9,640 jobs · $134,670
  15. 15. Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 9,520 jobs · $132,220
  16. 16. Petroleum Engineers 9,140 jobs · $164,860
  17. 17. Dentists, General 8,920 jobs · $162,360
  18. 18. Chief Executives 8,780 jobs · $257,850
  19. 19. Database Architects 8,270 jobs · $151,370
  20. 20. Computer Hardware Engineers 7,390 jobs · $163,860

Local BLS wage areas inside Texas

Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area.

Abilene, TX Amarillo, TX Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area College Station-Bryan, TX Corpus Christi, TX Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Eagle Pass, TX Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area El Paso, TX Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Killeen-Temple, TX Laredo, TX Longview, TX Lubbock, TX McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Midland, TX North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area Odessa, TX San Angelo, TX San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Sherman-Denison, TX Texarkana, TX-AR Tyler, TX Victoria, TX Waco, TX Wichita Falls, TX

Observed statewide pay change

What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025

May 2024 → May 2025
  • BLS's published All Occupations median in Texas moved from $47,500 in May 2024 to $48,620 in May 2025 (+2.4%).
  • Across the 54 states and territories priced in both releases, the median place changed +2.7%.
  • Texas sits -0.4 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.

Editors shows the widest statewide vs national median gap in Texas

Editors publishes $45,950 here versus $77,920 nationally (-41.0%; 6,460statewide jobs). Next is Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers at $21,550 locally versus $33,980 nationally (-36.6%).

  1. Editors$45,950 in Texas sits 41.0% below the national Editors median of $77,920 (6,460 published local jobs).
  2. Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers$21,550 in Texas sits 36.6% below the national Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers median of $33,980 (60,270 published local jobs).
  3. Waiters and Waitresses$23,240 in Texas sits 34.0% below the national Waiters and Waitresses median of $35,230 (199,610 published local jobs).
  4. Bartenders$22,690 in Texas sits 33.9% below the national Bartenders median of $34,340 (59,000 published local jobs).

Editors and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Texas; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.

· Source: BLS OEWS May 2025

The Texas OEWS table has a published median for 793 occupations. The displayed top 50 rows have summed published employment of approximately 632,870; that sum does not include the bottom table or rows whose employment is suppressed. BLS publishes means and percentile boundaries only where the corresponding estimate meets its publication standards. Averaging the medians of the top 50 highest-paying occupations gives $196,777 per year. That is only a mean of the displayed upper-tier occupation medians; it is not the BLS All Occupations mean or median and does not describe a typical worker. Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area. Local OEWS areas in this extract include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area.

At the top of the ranking, Cardiologists pays a Texas median of $410,150, the highest-paying reported occupation in the state. The number-two spot goes to Neurologists at $360,640, followed by Physicians, Pathologists at $345,830. At the bottom of the published range, Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers has a median of $21,550, making the displayed endpoint ratio 19.0×. The endpoints do not establish a cause or career stage. WageDex has BLS occupation rows for 26 metro areas and 6 nonmetropolitan areas assigned to Texas, allowing comparisons below the statewide estimate without treating nonmetropolitan areas as MSAs.

Because Texas publishes 32 OEWS areas, treat the statewide Cardiologists median as a roll-up and re-check the same occupation in Abilene, TX or Amarillo, TX where BLS releases the row. Tips and commissions stay inside OEWS; benefits and equity do not. Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area. Local OEWS area names are state-specific; statewide means are not metro offers.

Top-Tier Sample

75

occupations shown below

Avg. Median Salary

$196,777

top 50 occupations

Top Salary

$410,150

Cardiologists

Where Texas ranks by published mean wage

BLS All Occupations annual mean vs. 54 states & territories; local OEWS includes Abilene, TX and Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

$65,750 Top 44% higher than 56% of 54 states & territories

$0–$5,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Below this entry. $60,000–$65,000: 16 states & territories (30%). Below this entry. $65,000–$70,000: 8 states & territories (15%). This entry sits in this band. $70,000–$75,000: 8 states & territories (15%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 states & territories (7%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 3 states & territories (6%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 states & territories (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 states & territories (2%). Above this entry. This state $0 $115,000 every state & territory, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more states & territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
Band Count Share
$0–$5,000 0 states & territories 0%
$5,000–$10,000 0 states & territories 0%
$10,000–$15,000 0 states & territories 0%
$15,000–$20,000 0 states & territories 0%
$20,000–$25,000 0 states & territories 0%
$25,000–$30,000 0 states & territories 0%
$30,000–$35,000 0 states & territories 0%
$35,000–$40,000 1 states & territories 2%
$40,000–$45,000 0 states & territories 0%
$45,000–$50,000 1 states & territories 2%
$50,000–$55,000 3 states & territories 6%
$55,000–$60,000 8 states & territories 15%
$60,000–$65,000 16 states & territories 30%
$65,000–$70,000 (this entry) 8 states & territories 15%
$70,000–$75,000 8 states & territories 15%
$75,000–$80,000 4 states & territories 7%
$80,000–$85,000 3 states & territories 6%
$85,000–$90,000 1 states & territories 2%
$90,000–$95,000 0 states & territories 0%
$95,000–$100,000 0 states & territories 0%
$100,000–$105,000 0 states & territories 0%
$105,000–$110,000 0 states & territories 0%
$110,000–$115,000 1 states & territories 2%

$65,750 · 56th percentile of 54 states & territories

Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025

Texas ranks #24 of 54 by BLS-published All Occupations annual mean wage ($65,750). It is not the median wage or a prediction for a particular worker.

National-price-equivalent mean: dividing the $65,750 BLS All Occupations mean by the BEA state RPP gives $67,714. Inputs: BEA Regional Price Parity for Texas (RPP 97.1, 2024; 100 = national average, all items, table SARPP). The division is a WageDex calculation, not an after-tax or household-income measure.

Largest OEWS footprints in Texas

Published employment among the top-pay sample, top 15 by jobs

jobs
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS As of May 2025

BLS publishes wage data for 793 distinct occupations in Texas. The table below shows the top 50 by median annual wage, reordered by published employment for this reading. Drill into the full top-100 ranking or the fastest-growing list for deeper coverage.

Top-pay occupations in Texas, by employment

View all 100 →

Same top-pay sample as the salary ranking, sorted by published Texas jobs so the title sequence follows the local OEWS mix.

# Occupation Median Salary
1 Sales Managers $136,020
2 Computer and Information Systems Managers $171,530
3 Financial Managers $164,860
4 Managers, All Other $134,390
5 Lawyers $154,200
6 Marketing Managers $147,880
7 Physicians, All Other $269,800
8 Pharmacists $138,260
9 Human Resources Managers $136,500
10 Architectural and Engineering Managers $171,370
11 Computer Network Architects $133,310
12 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $215,150
13 Physician Assistants $134,550
14 Purchasing Managers $134,670
15 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $132,220
16 Petroleum Engineers $164,860
17 Dentists, General $162,360
18 Chief Executives $257,850
19 Database Architects $151,370
20 Computer Hardware Engineers $163,860
21 Family Medicine Physicians $235,710
22 Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers $145,220
23 Commercial Pilots $137,960
24 Nurse Anesthetists $244,990
25 General Internal Medicine Physicians $269,110
26 Anesthesiologists $215,230
27 Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates $139,990
28 Pediatricians, General $173,360
29 Chemical Engineers $132,750
30 Radiologists $319,320
31 Compensation and Benefits Managers $136,930
32 Air Traffic Controllers $170,080
33 Cardiologists $410,150
34 Surgeons, All Other $222,820
35 Psychiatrists $228,460
36 Physicians, Pathologists $345,830
37 Obstetricians and Gynecologists $271,960
38 Law Teachers, Postsecondary $138,160
39 Emergency Medicine Physicians $316,830
40 Dermatologists $218,670
41 Dentists, All Other Specialists $286,510
42 Neurologists $360,640
43 Physicists $184,040
44 Podiatrists $175,520
45 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric $200,780
46 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects $152,780
47 Medical Dosimetrists $134,680
48 Industrial-Organizational Psychologists $139,520
49 Animal Scientists $132,830
50 Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric $323,010

Lowest Paying Jobs in Texas

Occupation Median Salary
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers $21,550
Bartenders $22,690
Waiters and Waitresses $23,240
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $24,230
Gambling Dealers $25,090
Cooks, Short Order $25,320
Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers, All Other $25,980
Shoe Machine Operators and Tenders $26,560
Amusement and Recreation Attendants $26,570
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers $26,610
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop $27,080
Gambling Cage Workers $27,480
Fast Food and Counter Workers $27,740
Cooks, Fast Food $28,280
Costume Attendants $28,440
Childcare Workers $28,570
Cutters and Trimmers, Hand $29,130
Cashiers $29,230
Food Servers, Nonrestaurant $29,300
School Bus Monitors $29,300
Sewers, Hand $29,320
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment $29,450
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers $29,450
Dishwashers $29,610
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers $29,630

Fastest Growing Jobs

View all 50 →

See national growth projections alongside the published OEWS state employment estimates for each occupation in Texas. Based on BLS employment projections 2024-2034.

Salary Guides

Best States for Salaries

Which states pay the most and why

Salary vs. Cost of Living

Compare local wage and price-level benchmarks

Fastest Growing Occupations

Where the job growth is heading

Nationwide states with similar All Occupations pay or employment scale

Two BLS OEWS peer sets outside Texas. Local metro cards below stay inside this state; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on published All Occupations mean wage ($65,750 here) and reported employment (14,071,160 jobs here).

Similar mean wage

Nearest other states by BLS All Occupations annual mean wage.

Similar employment scale

Nearest headcount peers (floor 250,000 All Occupations jobs), distinct from the mean-wage column.

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS All Occupations mean annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude states already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct.

Local OEWS areas and related Texas pages

Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area.

Abilene, TX

Local OEWS wage area

Amarillo, TX

Local OEWS wage area

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Local OEWS wage area

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

Local OEWS wage area

Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area

Local OEWS wage area

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

Local OEWS wage area

Highest Paying in Texas

Top 100 by median salary

Fastest Growing in Texas

Projected 2024-2034 growth

Cardiologists

National occupation profile

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average of the top 50 occupation medians in Texas? ▼
The equal-weighted mean of the top 50 published occupation medians is $196,777/year (BLS OEWS May 2025). It is not the statewide mean or median and does not describe the wage of a typical worker.
What is the average salary in Texas? ▼
BLS publishes an All Occupations annual mean wage of $65,750/year for Texas in the May 2025 OEWS release, which ranks 24th among the 54 states and territories with a published mean. Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area. This is an occupational wage estimate, not a household-income statistic or a prediction for one worker.
What is the highest paying job in Texas? ▼
The highest paying occupation in Texas is Cardiologists with a median salary of $410,150/year according to BLS data. The second highest is Neurologists at $360,640/year.
What jobs pay the least in Texas? ▼
The lowest published occupation median in this Texas ranking is Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers at $21,550/year. The table does not classify that occupation as entry-level or explain why its median is lowest.
How many local BLS wage areas are shown for Texas? ▼
WageDex has occupation-level wage rows for 26 metro areas and 6 nonmetropolitan areas assigned to Texas. Published local OEWS areas include Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX, Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, then Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area, College Station-Bryan, TX, Corpus Christi, TX, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, Eagle Pass, TX, Eastern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area. Nonmetropolitan reporting areas are not MSAs. Compare the same occupation and statistic across areas; published coverage can differ by occupation and geography.
How many occupations are shown for Texas? ▼
BLS publishes wage data for 793 distinct occupations in Texas. The 50 occupations in the displayed upper tier have a combined OEWS employment estimate of approximately 632,870 jobs in covered establishments.

Local-area sources inside Texas

BLS OEWS state wage tables → BLS OEWS metro area tables → BLS LAUS unemployment → BEA personal income by state →

What to do with this data

How to use Texas wage data in a real decision

  • Texas has 32 published OEWS areas starting with Abilene, TX; open Cardiologists inside a metro before using the statewide $410,150 median. Abilene, TX
  • Inside Texas, re-check Cardiologists in Abilene, TX, Amarillo, TX, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX or Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area before treating the statewide median as a metro offer. Abilene, TX
  • Open Cardiologists for percentile bands and local-area rows; Texas's statewide median of $410,150 uses a different geography than any single metro estimate. Cardiologists
  • The published Texas range runs from Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers at $21,550 to Cardiologists at $410,150; an offer still depends on the exact role and employer. Salary calculator

BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period and exclude self-employed workers; some small occupation-area cells are suppressed.

Last updated: May 2025. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

State-level employment totals and local-area breakouts from BLS OEWS State and Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, May 2025. Local areas can be metropolitan or nonmetropolitan.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. State wage figures are computed directly from BLS OEWS state-level data. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Statewide figures are estimates and may not reflect pay in your specific local wage area or employer.