Average Salaries in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Explore salaries across 696 occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $64.8K, +5.3% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 696 occupations and 3,184,170 total jobs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
How the metro compares
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is one of the largest metro labor markets in the country.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Nurse Anesthetists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $235.5K | 900 |
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $220.4K | N/A |
| Podiatrists | $213.8K | 70 |
| Physicists | $212.1K | 130 |
| Anesthesiologists | $202.8K | 1,190 |
| Pediatricians, General | $187.6K | 1,280 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $172.8K | 5,510 |
| Dentists, General | $170.2K | 1,410 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists And Geographers | $168.3K | 1,760 |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $167.7K | 50 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General And Operations Managers | 105,830 | $108.1K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 89,540 | $27.0K |
| Retail Salespersons | 75,920 | $30.3K |
| Registered Nurses | 65,300 | $97.8K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 64,180 | $39.3K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 63,070 | $36.2K |
| Cashiers | 61,310 | $28.5K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 60,390 | $22.8K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 52,970 | $37.6K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 52,610 | $26.8K |
What Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum Engineers | 12.71 | $160.0K |
| Wellhead Pumpers | 10.78 | $78.3K |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, And Gaugers | 8.45 | $103.3K |
| Tank Car, Truck, And Ship Loaders | 7.50 | $59.6K |
| Sailors And Marine Oilers | 7.02 | $70.7K |
| Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 6.76 | $61.8K |
| Derrick Operators, Oil And Gas | 6.69 | $65.9K |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil And Gas | 6.18 | $50.1K |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil And Gas | 6.02 | $79.2K |
| Roustabouts, Oil And Gas | 5.97 | $49.6K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.