Austin, TX

You need to make this much to be considered middle-class in Austin

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12 months ago

March 9, 2025

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You need to make this much to be considered middle-class in Austin

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AUSTIN, TEXAS (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

AUSTIN – A new study shows how much a person in Austin needs to make in order to be considered middle-class.

The annual study from SmartAsset calculated the middle-class income ranges for 100 major U.S. cities and all 50 states.

Middle-class in Texas

By the numbers:

In order to be considered middle-class in Texas, you need to make between $50,515 and $151,560, according to the study.

The same study last year found the range to be considered middle-class in Texas to be from $48,185 to $144,568.

SmartAsset’s study considers middle-class to be two-thirds to double the median household income.

Texas finished in the middle of the pack in the rankings.

The median household income in the state is $75,780.

That put the Lone Star State as the 23rd highest of the 50 states.

What is considered middle-class in North Texas

By the numbers:

The study also looked at what is considered to be middle-class in 100 cities around the country.

Austin’s median household income was $91,501, the 18th highest on the list.

That means, in order to be considered middle-class in Austin, you need to make between $60,995 and $183,002.

Other Texas cities to make the list include Plano (7), Irving (43), Fort Worth (46), Garland (55), Dallas (59), Arlington (61) Corpus Christi (73), Houston (75), San Antonio (78), Laredo (82), El Paso (86) and Lubbock (92).

Middle-class for each U.S. state

Massachusetts, $66,565-$199,716
New Jersey, $66,514-$199,562
Maryland, $65,779-$197,356
New Hampshire, $64,552-$193,676
California, $63,674-$191,042
Hawaii, $63,542-$190,644
Washington, $63,064-$189,210
Utah, $62,274-$186,842
Colorado, $61,934-$185,822
Connecticut, $61,104-$183,330
Virginia, $59,948-$179,862
Alaska, $57,748-$173,262
Minnesota, $56,718-$170,172
Rhode Island, $56,642-$169,944
New York, $54,725-$164,190
Delaware, $54,235-$162,722
Vermont, $54,135-$162,422
Illinois, $53,532-$160,612
Oregon, $53,435-$160,320
Arizona, $51,538-$154,630
North Dakota, $51,012-$153,050
Nevada, $50,904-$152,728
Texas, $50,515-$151,560
Idaho, $49,956-$149,884
Georgia, $49,750-$149,264
Wisconsin, $49,749-$149,262
Nebraska, $49,722-$149,180
Pennsylvania, $49,211-$147,648
Maine, $49,150-$147,466
Florida, $48,869-$146,622
Wyoming, $48,272-$144,830
South Dakota, $47,869-$143,620
Iowa, $47,617-$142,866
Montana, $47,198-$141,608
North Carolina, $47,198-$141,608
Kansas, $46,884-$140,666
Indiana, $46,313-$138,954
Michigan, $46,117-$138,366
Missouri, $45,692-$137,090
South Carolina, $45,198-$135,608
Ohio, $45,175-$135,538
Tennessee, $45,083-$135,262
New Mexico, $41,508-$124,536
Alabama, $41,471-$124,424
Oklahoma, $41,421-$124,276
Kentucky, $40,741-$122,236
Arkansas, $39,129-$117,400
Louisiana, $38,815-$116,458
West Virginia, $37,295-$111,896
Mississippi, $36,132-$108,406

What is considered middle-class in U.S. cities

Arlington, Virginia, $93,470-$280,438
San Jose, California, $90,810-$272,458
Irvine, California, $85,317-$255,978
San Francisco, California, $84,478-$253,460
Gilbert, Arizona, $81,622-$244,890
Seattle, Washington, $80,397-$241,216
Plano, Texas, $72,389-$217,188
Washington, District of Columbia, $72,133-$216,420
Chula Vista, California, $71,075-$213,246
Scottsdale, Arizona, $70,698-$212,116
San Diego, California, $70,513-$211,560
Chandler, Arizona, $70,255-$210,786
Boston, Massachusetts, $64,614-$193,862
Oakland, California, $64,546-$193,656
Anchorage, Alaska, $62,952-$188,874
Denver, Colorado, $62,765-$188,314
Chesapeake, Virginia, $61,749-$185,266
Austin, Texas, $60,995-$183,002
Jersey City, New Jersey, $60,851-$182,572
Enterprise, Nevada, $60,811-$182,450
Virginia Beach, Virginia, $60,755-$182,282
Aurora, Colorado, $59,527-$178,600
Riverside, California, $58,777-$176,350
Raleigh, North Carolina, $57,534-$172,618
Portland, Oregon, $57,366-$172,114
Sacramento, California, $57,280-$171,856
Santa Ana, California, $57,270-$171,828
Atlanta, Georgia, $57,248-$171,760
Honolulu, Hawaii, $56,599-$169,814
Anaheim, California, $56,576-$169,744
Colorado Springs, Colorado, $55,471-$166,430
Henderson, Nevada, $54,979-$164,952
Long Beach, California, $54,399-$163,212
Minneapolis, Minnesota, $53,995-$162,002
Charlotte, North Carolina, $53,715-$161,162
Reno, Nevada, $53,571-$160,730
Nashville, Tennessee, $53,473-$160,434
Durham, North Carolina, $53,371-$160,128
Boise City, Idaho, $53,313-$159,954
Los Angeles, California, $53,129-$159,402
Phoenix, Arizona, $53,104-$159,328
Bakersfield, California, $52,898-$158,710
Irving, Texas, $52,885-$158,670
Mesa, Arizona, $52,758-$158,290
North Las Vegas, Nevada, $52,627-$157,898
Fort Worth, Texas, $51,383-$154,164
New York, New York, $51,046-$153,154
Stockton, California, $50,789-$152,382
Port St. Lucie, Florida, $49,947-$149,856
Chicago, Illinois, $49,644-$148,948
St. Paul, Minnesota, $49,312-$147,950
Las Vegas, Nevada, $49,184-$147,568
Tampa, Florida, $48,562-$145,702
St. Petersburg, Florida, $47,824-$143,486
Garland, Texas, $47,815-$143,458
Omaha, Nebraska, $47,487-$142,476
Glendale, Arizona, $47,062-$141,200
Madison, Wisconsin, $46,985-$140,968
Dallas, Texas, $46,743-$140,242
Orlando, Florida, $46,271-$138,828
Arlington, Texas, $46,134-$138,416
Miami, Florida, $45,752-$137,270
Jacksonville, Florida, $45,375-$136,138
Lincoln, Nebraska, $45,362-$136,100
Albuquerque, New Mexico, $45,267-$135,814
Fresno, California, $45,064-$135,206
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, $44,672-$134,030
Indianapolis, Indiana, $44,415-$133,258
Lexington, Kentucky, $44,257-$132,784
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, $44,142-$132,438
Richmond, Virginia, $43,762-$131,300
Kansas City, Missouri, $43,479-$130,450
Corpus Christi, Texas, $43,421-$130,276
Spokane, Washington, $43,340-$130,032
Houston, Texas, $41,754-$125,274
Norfolk, Virginia, $41,584-$124,764
Columbus, Ohio, $41,563-$124,700
San Antonio, Texas, $41,544-$124,644
Greensboro, North Carolina, $41,161-$123,494
Louisville, Kentucky, $40,988-$122,976
Wichita, Kansas, $40,850-$122,562
Laredo, Texas, $40,476-$121,440
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, $40,197-$120,604
Baltimore, Maryland, $39,715-$119,158
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, $39,455-$118,378
El Paso, Texas, $38,208-$114,634
Fort Wayne, Indiana, $38,088-$114,276
Tulsa, Oklahoma, $37,877-$113,642
St. Louis, Missouri, $37,493-$112,490
Tucson, Arizona, $37,135-$111,416
New Orleans, Louisiana, $37,050-$111,160
Lubbock, Texas, $36,297-$108,902
Cincinnati, Ohio, $36,206-$108,628
Newark, New Jersey, $35,875-$107,636
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, $35,324-$105,984
Memphis, Tennessee, $34,263-$102,798
Buffalo, New York, $30,969-$92,916
Toledo, Ohio, $30,865-$92,604
Cleveland, Ohio, $26,025-$78,082
Detroit, Michigan, $25,384-$76,160

The Source: Information in this article comes from SmartAsset’s yearly analysis. To determine what is considered middle class SmartAsset looked at the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 1-year American Community Survey data for the median household income in 100 of the largest U.S. cities, as well as all 50 states. The company then used the Pew Research definition of middle class, which is ⅔ to double the median household income.

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Austin, TX

Austin Animal Services Hosts Free Spay/Neuter Clinic

Published

9 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Austin Animal Services Hosts Free Spay/Neuter Clinic

Austin Animal Services is hosting a free, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter for cats and dogs now through March 2 in North Austin.

The five-day clinic, which is being held in partnership with Greater Good Charities, is taking place at 11580 Stonehollow Dr., Suite 160. Registration and drop-off begin on-site each day from 7:30-10 a.m. or until capacity is reached.

In addition to free spay/neuter surgeries, pets receiving surgery will also receive vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, and microchips, ensuring that they return home healthier and better protected.

Spaying and neutering is the most effective tool in preventing unplanned litters and reducing the number of stray and surrendered animals entering local shelters. Managing overpopulation helps individual owners and also strengthens community health by reducing roaming animals, easing shelter overcrowding, and decreasing long-term strain on animal welfare resources.

This is the seventh free clinic the city has hosted since 2024. The previous six clinics provided spay/neuter services to more than 6,000 pets. The upcoming clinic is expected to complete approximately 1,200 surgeries in just five days. It is a significant investment in prevention that helps reduce future shelter intake and supports responsible pet ownership across Austin.

High-volume, high-quality spay/neuter clinics offered at no cost are rare, and many pet owners face procedure costs ranging from $75 to several hundred dollars, along with wait times that can stretch for weeks or months. This clinic removes those barriers by providing same-day services at no charge.

“This clinic is about prevention,” said Austin Animal Services Director Monica Dangler. “When we provide accessible spay and neuter services, we’re helping families care for their pets while also reducing strain on shelters like ours and improving safety across our community.”

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Austin, TX

Why is Austin so warm in February?

Published

21 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

AUSTIN, Texas — February is typically one of our cooler months in Austin, Texas.

In 2021, a series of ice storms and snow storms caused mass chaos and is a winter storm that Austinites will never forget. Now, instead of worrying about scraping ice off of our cars, we’re grabbing the swimsuits.

Austin is in the midst of one of the warmest February’s in the city’s history. This year’s January cold snap lingered around for Feb. 1, but since then, only two days have been slightly below average. Compare that with 20 days above average, with the rest of this month expected to have temps in the mid to upper 80s.

But how does this compare to our warmest February ever? We don’t have to go back too far to find the hottest February on record in 2017. The average high temp was 76.5 degrees with 12 out of the 28 days spent above 80 degrees.

Other years in the top 5 were 1999, 1976, and 1957 with each year having numerous days above 80 degrees. So far, 2026 has ten. Plus, I’m forecasting 2 more 80 degree days. Should we hold onto this weather pattern, this will be in the top five hottest February’s of all-time.

Austin is in the midst of one of the warmest February’s in the city’s history. (Graphic: Michael Crowley)

For some, this heat may be just another day to grab the swimsuit or head outside and work up a sweat, but this has meteorologists sweating for different reasons. We are in a serious drought now.

The latest drought monitor released on Feb. 26, 2026 has 9 of the 13 counties in the CBS Austin viewing area in an “extreme drought,” which is the second worst category of drought conditions.

The latest drought monitor released on Feb. 26, 2026 has 9 of the 13 counties in the CBS Austin viewing area in an “extreme drought,” which is the second worst category of drought conditions. (Graphic: Michael Crowley)

In the past 190 days, two of those days have had rainfall over 1 inch. Our current streak of 123 days in a row with less than 1 inch in rainfall is one of the longest since 2000.

Combine the heat and the rainless days, and you get a flash drought. Opposite of a flash flood, hot temperatures rapidly dry out the soil and drought conditions can worsen quickly. With the dehydrated vegetation, dry air, and above average temperatures, you’re now looking at dangerous fire weather.

We’ve already had several fires reported across Central Texas in just the past week. The Nebo Mountain Fire in Gillespie County and the Cedar Gulch Fire in Burnet County. With this above average heat and below average precipitation, we are especially vulnerable.

But there is some good news.

The start of March looks to be starting off very warm, but our pattern looks to become a bit more active. Our long-term futurecasts look to be favoring more showers and storms possible for the first few weeks of March.

Remember that we are also getting closer to our severe weather season. So while we do need the rain, we must remain safe in case we get locally high rainfall amounts in these thunderstorms and be mindful of tornadoes and damaging winds.

Hopefully we can see an improvement in this drought and heat, but history is made in different ways every year nowadays. Maybe it’ll be for the right reasons this time around.

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Austin, TX

Central Texas Cities Balance Data Center Proposals

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Central Texas Cities Balance Data Center Proposals

Cheers and sobs filled San Marcos City Hall early Wednesday as City Council voted 5-2 to deny a proposal for a nearly 200-acre data center campus on Francis Harris Lane. The project was pitched as a roughly $1.5 billion complex with five buildings, each designed for about 76 megawatts near the Hays Energy Power Station […]

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