What Counts As Middle Income In Texas?

Any idea how much money you have to make in Texas these days to be considered a member of the "middle class"?

The answer to that question seems to depend on who you ask. I checked a few different sources and got a few different answers. Some differences weren't too far apart, others were huge.

I did find two sources that agreed on the amount so, the total they reported is the one that I'm using.

Several studies have been done as to what amount of income constitutes "middle class" and their variances can be wide. For example, according to flowingdata.com, it's $175K. Meanwhile, both the Austin American Statesman and CBS news, (via cbsnews.com) say the amount ranges between $49,478 to $71,359.

That puts the median "middle class" average, (or "median income" anyway, in Texas at $74,225. Way less than the flowing data estimate.

What Is Middle Class In El Paso?

Here in El Paso, the number dips again. Not quite as dramatically but there's still a gap. This calculator puts El Paso middle classers at around $50K. Plus or minus a little, the calculator is kinda vague.

Middle Class In Texas' Largest Cities

According to nasdaq.com, the numbers for the lone star states big 5 are:

• Houston - $62,894
• San Antonio - $62,917
• Dallas - $67,760
• Austin - $91,461
• Fort Worth - $76,602

READ MORE: Texas Leads In Imports

There are, of course, lots of variables. From source to source and even when all totals are confined to a single source. Local economies vary on their own, regardless of the population.

The 2 smallest cities in Texas have a higher median income level than the 3 largest ones. In fact Austin swaps places with Fort Worth in terms of median income. They're 4th on the nasdaq report even though they're ranked 5th in Texas by size.

Austin's middle class has to bring in more to qualify than all the others and nearly twice what El Paso needs.