A move to Texas bolsters earnings for some, and a new SmartAsset study has revealed the top professions where the median annual earnings in the Lone Star State exceed the national median.
The report, "When it Pays to Work in Texas — and When It Doesn’t," published in April, analyzed over 700 occupations to determine which have the biggest "Texas premium" — meaning jobs where the price-adjusted median annual pay in Texas most exceeds the national median for the same occupation — and which jobs have the biggest “Texas penalty,” where the statewide median annual pay falls furthest below the national median. Salaries were sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and adjusted for regional price parity.
According to the report's findings, geoscientists have the biggest "Texas premium" and make a $159,903 median annual salary. Texas' salary for geoscientists is 61 percent higher than the national median for the same position (after adjusting for regional price parity).
"Texas’s large petroleum industry helps explain why employers in the state retain so many geoscientists," the report's author wrote. "In fact, the Lone Star State is home to more geoscientists than any other state except California."
There are more than 3,600 geoscientists working in Texas, SmartAsset said.
These are the remaining top 10 occupations with the biggest "Texas premiums" (salaries are price-adjusted):
- No. 2 – Commercial pilots: $167,727 median Texas earnings; 37 percent higher than the national median
- No. 3 – Sailors: $67,614 median Texas earnings; 36 percent higher than the national median
- No. 4 – Aircraft structure assemblers: $83,519 median Texas earnings; 35 percent higher than the national median
- No. 5 – Ship captains: $108,905 median Texas earnings; 27 percent higher than the national median
- No. 6 – Nursing instructors (postsecondary): $100,484 median Texas earnings; 26 percent higher than the national median
- No. 7 – Tax preparers: $63,321 median Texas earnings; 25 percent higher than the national median
- No. 8 – Chemists: $104,241 median Texas earnings; 24 percent higher than the national median
- No. 9 – Health instructors (postsecondary): $128,680 median Texas earnings; 22 percent higher than the national median
- No. 10 – Engineering instructors (postsecondary): $129,030 median Texas earnings; 22 percent higher than the national media
The careers where Texas workers earn less
SmartAsset said an editor is the Texas profession where workers earn the furthest below the median for the same occupation elsewhere in the U.S. Not to be confused with film and video editors, BLS defines editors as those who "plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material" and "may review proposals and drafts for possible publication."
The study found editors make a price-adjusted median wage of $29,710, which is 61 percent lower than the national median for the same position, and there are nearly 8,200 editors in Texas.
It's worth noting that the salaries for editors may be skewed by the fact that there are not major publications in rural areas of Texas, and other professions may also have financial deviations for similar reasons.
Several healthcare jobs also appear to have the worst penalties in Texas compared to elsewhere in the country. Home health aides are the second-worst paying professions in the state, making a median wage of $24,161.
"More home health aides work in Texas than in nearly any other state, with only California and New York employing more," the report said. "However, the more than 300,000 Texans in this occupation earn median annual pay that is about 31 percent below the national median, after adjusting for regional price parity.
SmartAsset clarified that pay penalties are not consistent "across the board" for other healthcare occupations in Texas.
"For physical therapy assistants, occupational therapy assistants, and postsecondary nursing instructors, Texas may be an especially strong place to work, with these occupations offering 'Texas premiums' of between 17 percent and 26 percent," the study said.
These are the remaining top 10 occupations where median annual earnings in Texas fall furthest below the national median for the same occupation:
- No. 3 – Cardiovascular technicians: $49,382 median Texas earnings; 27 percent lower than the national median
- No. 4 – Semiconductor processing technicians: $38,295 median Texas earnings; 25 percent lower than the national median
- No. 5 – Tutors: $30,060 median Texas earnings; 25 percent lower than the national median
- No. 6 – Control and valve installers: $56,496 median Texas earnings; 24 percent lower than the national median
- No. 7 – Mental health social workers: $46,109 median Texas earnings; 23 percent lower than the national median
- No. 8 – Clinical psychologists: $74,449 median Texas earnings; 22 percent lower than the national median
- No. 9 – Producers/directors: $65,267 median Texas earnings; 22 percent lower than the national median
- No. 10 – Interpreters/translators: $46,953 median Texas earnings; 21 percent lower than the national median
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This article originally appeared on CultureMap.com.
