Average Salaries in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Explore salaries across 708 occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $69.3K, +5.4% 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 2025 estimates. Coverage: 708 occupations and 3,249,150 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 Dentists, All Other Specialists. 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.
Highest-paid occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Dentists, All Other Specialists | $389.5K | N/A |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $320.5K | 180 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers | $307.7K | 4,160 |
| Physicians, All Other | $292.5K | 7,010 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $291.5K | 230 |
| Neurologists | $278K | 120 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $275.3K | 680 |
| Chief Executives | $275.3K | 1,920 |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $274.4K | 1,030 |
| Psychiatrists | $249.1K | 420 |
Largest occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 105,810 | $27.6K |
| General And Operations Managers | 97,320 | $119.6K |
| Retail Salespersons | 78,960 | $31.3K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 72,970 | $36.9K |
| Registered Nurses | 65,910 | $99.8K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 65,510 | $40.4K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 63,820 | $23.4K |
| Cashiers | 54,950 | $29.4K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 52,520 | $38K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 51,330 | $22.1K |
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.
Most concentrated occupations in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum Engineers | 12.50 | $169.9K |
| Wellhead Pumpers | 10.15 | $79.7K |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil And Gas | 7.88 | $79.5K |
| Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, And Gaugers | 7.85 | $84.1K |
| Derrick Operators, Oil And Gas | 6.97 | $62.9K |
| Roustabouts, Oil And Gas | 6.15 | $47.3K |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil And Gas | 5.92 | $49.9K |
| Calibration Technologists And Technicians | 5.51 | $78.6K |
| Boilermakers | 5.43 | $77.1K |
| Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 5.30 | $64.1K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
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.