Money matters
Here's how much Houston's household income grew over past decade
Houston's household income jumped in the 2010s, but not as significantly as many other major U.S. metros, a new report shows.
Data compiled by apartment website RentCafé and published December 16 shows median household income inside the city of Houston (not the metro area) jumped 23.9 percent during the decade.
Houston ranks No. 40 for the rise in household income among the country's 50 largest cities. Houston's median household income grew from $42,355 in 2010 to $52,483 in 2019, according to RentCafé. For 2010 income, the website pulled data from the U.S. Census Bureau; it estimated 2019 household income based on a predicted 2.5 percent increase in the U.S. Consumer Price Index.
By comparison, the U.S. median household income stood at $63,179 in 2018, according to the Census Bureau, and Texas median household income checked in at $60,629.
"We're better off by almost all measures than we were 10 years ago," Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist for Northern Trust, told the Wall Street Journal in September. "But there are still some … flags that show that economic security remains more elusive for some families."
Only one Texas city ranked among the country's top 10. Austin, No. 8, saw a 54.6 percent hike during the decade, from $47,434 in 2010 to $73,332 in 2019.
As ranked by RentCafé, the top 10 cities for growth in median household income from 2010 to 2019 are:
- Atlanta, 60.9 percent
- San Francisco, 60.5 percent
- Oakland, California, 59.3 percent
- Seattle, 59.1 percent
- Portland, Oregon, 58.8 percent
- Miami, 57.1 percent
- Denver, 55.5 percent
- Austin, 54.6 percent
- San Jose, California, 50.9 percent
- Brooklyn, New York, 48.9 percent
Well down the ladder is Dallas, at No. 27. From 2010 to 2019, the city's median household income surged 31.6 percent — from $40,650 to $53,515.
At No. 38 is Fort Worth, where median household income increased 24.2 percent during the 10-year span — from $48,224 to $59,909.
San Antonio hovers close to the bottom of the 50-city list. Alamo City ranked 46th, with a 14.8 percent gain over the 10-year period. Median household income went from $43,758 to $50,250.
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This article originally ran on CultureMap.