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Texas incomes rose, but housing costs rose faster, census finds

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Texas incomes rose, but housing costs rose faster, census finds


DALLAS — It’s getting harder to afford living in Texas — even as incomes and educational attainment grow and poverty declines.

Despite the state’s robust economic growth since the start of the decade, incomes in Texas haven’t kept pace with the nation at large, U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday show. And the state’s housing costs have outpaced income growth, leaving a greater share of Texas renters and homeowners spending a bigger chunk of their pay to keep a roof over their heads than they did before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas has long been viewed as incredibly affordable — especially compared with other large states like New York and California. Though housing here remains cheaper than in those places, that affordability has eroded in recent years amid the state’s economic growth.

“Texas is in no position to be taking a victory lap right now on housing affordability,” said Ben Martin, research director for Texas Housers, a research and advocacy group.

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The median household income during the five-year period ending in 2024 was $78,476, a 3.1% increase from the five-year period ending in 2019. That’s beneath the U.S. median household income of $80,734, which grew at a quicker clip of 4.4% in that same period.

The cost of renting or owning a home in Texas grew faster than incomes as the state’s housing market boomed. The median rent grew 9.1% between the two five-year periods, when adjusted for inflation. Homeowners saw smaller but similar bumps in their total homeownership costs, including expenses like insurance and utilities.

More than half of the state’s 4.1 million renters are now “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent — leaving them with fewer dollars leftover to spend on key household costs like groceries, child care and transportation or set aside for a down payment on a home of their own. Before the pandemic, about 48% of Texas tenants were considered “cost-burdened.”

A greater share of homeowners, who tend to be better off financially than renters, were also “cost-burdened” at the end of the five-year period than they were before the start of the decade. Some 29% of homeowners with a mortgage spent more than 30% of their income on housing as of 2024. Higher home insurance rates, in particular, have been a source of growing pain for homeowners.

Because the Census data was collected over five years, it captured big spikes in rents seen in Texas in 2021 and 2022 as well as flattening and falling rents in the following years, Martin noted. Rents in the Austin-Round Rock region have fallen in recent years amid a massive apartment building boom.

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State lawmakers passed a suite of laws last year aimed at easing the state’s housing shortage, a key driver of the state’s high home prices and rents, primarily by making it easier to build new houses and apartments. Martin said lawmakers also need to adopt strategies to help lower-income households find housing they can afford.

The percentage of Texans living below the poverty line ticked down slightly, sitting at 13.8% for the 2020-2024 period. For the previous five-year period, that figure stood at 14.7%.

Educational attainment is on the rise, with a greater share of Texans having earned at least a bachelor’s degree — a combination of more college graduates moving to Texas for work and more Texans obtaining secondary degrees. More than two-thirds of Texans over the age of 25 held at least a bachelor’s degree in the 2020-24 period, up from 29.9% in the previous period. That growth has been driven primarily by women, particularly Hispanic women, seeking degrees, said Lloyd Potter, the state demographer.

“None of these (changes) are really dramatic, but they certainly are moving in the direction that I think we would like them to be moving,” Potter said.



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Live Updates: Lady Vols Softball vs. Texas Tech in the Women’s College World Series

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Live Updates: Lady Vols Softball vs. Texas Tech in the Women’s College World Series


Live Updates – Tennessee Lady Vols vs. Texas Tech Softball (WCWS)

Current Score: Tied 0-0

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***Note: If you want the latest updates make sure to refresh the story***

First Inning:
Top: Karlyn Pickens strikes the first batter out. Texas Tech hits a single that went off the glove of Pickens. Jackie Lis comes to the plate. She advances the runner, but she grounds out to short. Pickens gets a massive strikeout to end the inning. Great job by the Lady Vols ace.

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Bottom: Tennessee will now come to the plate. Kaitlyn Terry is the pitcher for the Red Raiders. Sophia Knight will start it off. Knight hits an infield single thanks to her speed. Here comes game one’s MVP, Elsa Morrison. Morrison strikes out. Ella Dodge hits a grounder to second, which gets the runner out, but she is safe at first. Emma Clarke hits a line out to Williams at second base to end the inning, as she had to make a vertical effort to bring that one down.

Second Inning:
Top: Here comes former Lady Vol Taylor Pannell. She pops out. Pickens will face the Red Raiders’ pitcher, who also hits. Pickens gets the Lady Vols off the field.

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Bottom: Leach lines out to begin the inning. Makenzie Butt pops out to right field, which will be out No. 2. Gabby Leach is out to end the inning for the Lady Vols.

Third Inning:
Top: Quiroga lines out to begin the inning, and Pickens continues to move strongly. Halleman grounded out to second for out No. 2. Williams grounded out to third, which will get the Lady Vols off the field.

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Bottom: Bella Faw singles to get on base. Holley grounds out, but Faw advances to second. Knight is struck by a pitch, and there are now two on base for the Lady Vols with only one out this inning. This gives Tennessee two on with a runner in scoring position. Here comes the Red Raiders’ ace, Nija Canady. Morrison fouls out. A wild pitch advances both runners. One at third and one at second now with two outs. Dodge is hit by a pitch, and bases are now loaded for the Lady Vols. Canady forced a full count for Clarke with bases loaded, and Clarke collided with Lis around first base, and the bases were left loaded. Texas Tech escapes.

Fourth Inning:
Top:
Pickens forces a groundout. Lis grounds out, and the Lady Vols have put two away quickly. Pickens retires her 11th straight batter after forcing a groundout to second base.

Bottom:
Leach reaches to begin the inning. It was via an error. She will be taken out of the game for a pinch runner. Saviya Morgan is on base. Makenzie Butt is up to bat. Canady strikes Butt out. Morgan gets picked off at second base. Gabby Leach hits a single to center field.

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Pre Game Information

May 28, 2026; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Tennessee Lady Volunteers first baseman Makenzie Butt (98) makes an out at first in the seventh inning against the Texas Longhorns during the NCAA Women’s College World Series at Devon Park. Tennessee won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images
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The Tennessee Lady Vols are set for their next matchup in the softball realm, as this is the second game they will play in the Women’s College World Series. In their first game, they were victorious against the Texas Longhorns, as they defeated the Longhorns by a score of 6-3 in a game in which they were viewed as the underdogs. Now they will have to play another great team with the hopes of continuing to hold on to their advantage of having no losses in a two-loss tournament. After today, only two of the eight teams that advanced and two of the six teams that remain will be able to say that.

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The Lady Vols are up first out of the two games today, and they will be playing against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Red Raiders are entering this game with no losses after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their game. The Bulldogs entered the event as the biggest underdog, but the Red Raiders can compete with any of the teams at the event. They had to defeat a Florida Gators team that won a series against the Lady Vols to get to the Women’s College World Series.

This game will be one of the more anticipated games in the whole tournament, as this may not even be the only time that these two match up throughout the World Series. Regardless, the Tennessee Lady Vols will look for another big moment in the biggest game of their season thus far.

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USC squanders late lead, falls to Texas State in NCAA regional opener

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USC squanders late lead, falls to Texas State in NCAA regional opener


After spending most of Friday night wasting scoring opportunities, Adrian Lopez and his USC teammates headed into the ninth inning with plenty of confidence. Unfortunately for the Trojans, Texas State wasn’t done yet.

Lopez gave the Trojans the lead in the eighth inning with a home run at Blue Bell Park, but USC couldn’t close out the opener of the NCAA tournament’s College Station Regional.

Texas State’s Chase Mora greeted USC closer Adam Troy with a monstrous two-run home run to left field in the top of ninth, propelling the Bobcats to 5-4 upset before a crowd of 6,956.

“To take the lead right there late, we’re riding high feeling real good and confident going into the ninth,” Lopez said. “I think … the ball fell how it fell. It is what it is. But we’re pretty stoked and excited going into the ninth with the lead.”

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Texas State coach Steve Trout mused that it felt as though the Bobcats were “on the ropes” all night. As trite as that might sound, he’s right.

Unfortunately for the Trojans, they never could deliver the knockout punch. Texas State wasn’t as forgiving. Mora was sitting on Troy’s fastball, and he pounced for his 11th home run of the year.

“Sure enough,” Mora said, “I got the pitch I was sitting on and made a good swing.”

Troy’s blown save was a major part of the story. He arguably wasn’t the biggest reason USC lost, though. The Trojans had plenty of chances. They wasted most of them, leaving 13 men on base on a night they struck out 12 times.

Moreover, the Trojans wasted a major bases-loaded scoring opportunity when Isaac Cadena was picked off at second base for the second out of the fifth. Walter Urbon then flew out to right to end the threat.

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“We got picked off there at second base with one out,” USC coach Andy Stankiewicz said. “That was kind of a gut shot. We have to be better on the bases. We have to be a little more aware when we get off the bag there.

“I thought we executed fine to get runners where we needed to get them. The second part is we got to get them across home plate. That’s the part we didn’t do as well tonight.”

The Bobcats’ shaky defense spotted USC two unearned runs. The Trojans will surely lament, however, stranding runners in scoring position in each of the first seven innings.

The Trojans will now prepare to face Lamar University, which blew a five-run lead in a 7-5 loss to host Texas A&M earlier Friday.

If Stankiewicz’s Trojans return to the College World Series for the first time since 2001, the 12-time national champions must do it out of the losers’ bracket.

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“We’re just going to battle our tails off to keep showing up,” said Abbrie Covarrubias, who gave the Trojans a 3-1 lead with a home run in the fourth inning. “We’re in the fire, so we’re just going to battle our way through and pour our hearts out really.”

USC right-hander Grant Govel, an All-Big Ten First Team selection, settled for a no-decision after giving up three runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts over 5 ⅔ innings.

He was relieved by freshman left-hander Sax Matson with one on and two outs in the top of the sixth. Matson escaped unscathed in the sixth, but he was relieved by right-hander Andrew Johnson with one on and two outs in the seventh.

The Trojans, who reached the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, have lost four of their last five games.

“We left some runners in scoring position,” Stankiewicz said. “I’d like to have those back. But they made some pitches when they needed to.”

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Stankiewicz, Adrian Lopez and Covarrubias are adamant that they believe in Troy, who has a team-leading 12 saves this season. No other Trojan has more than three saves.

“He’s been our guy, like coach said,” Lopez said of Troy. “He has a number … of saves. We trust him with everything we have. I wouldn’t want anyone else throwing the last couple pitches of the game. Going tomorrow, everyone’s available. If he’s back in that same situation, I’m just as confident as ever.”



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Why are Mississippi State softball fans wearing broccoli shirts vs Texas at WCWS?

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Why are Mississippi State softball fans wearing broccoli shirts vs Texas at WCWS?


OKLAHOMA CITY — Mississippi State softball is playing in an elimination game at the Women’s College World Series.

The Bulldogs (43-20) are facing No. 2 seed Texas (47-12) at Devon Park on May 29 (6 p.m. CT, ESPN).

Mississippi State and its fans are doing everything they can to muster up some good luck, including using broccoli, which has become the team’s rally prop throughout the NCAA Tournament.

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Some fans and parents of the players are even wearing T-shirts with images of broccoli on them that read “Broccoli Power.”

Here’s what to know about the shirts and why MSU is wearing them.

Why are Mississippi State fans wearing broccoli shirts?

Broccoli became MSU’s good luck charm after a fan known as Broccoli Guy started cheering them on at the Eugene Regional.

He used broccoli as pom-poms while dancing in the stands. For the regional final, MSU brought broccoli for players to hold in the dugout for good luck.

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This trend continued during the super regionals, with MSU bringing broccoli on the bus, holding it in the dugout and posting pictures and videos of it on social media ahead of Game 3 against Oklahoma. Broccoli Guy also showed up to support the Bulldogs again.

Now, with the Bulldogs facing elimination at the WCWS, fans, parents and players are hoping the broccoli shirts, along with their physical stalks of broccoli, will help power them to a win over the Longhorns.

2026 Women’s College World Series schedule

All times CT

  • May 28
    • Game 1: Texas Tech 8, Mississippi State 0
    • Game 2: Tennessee 6, Texas 3
    • Game 3: Alabama 6, UCLA 3
    • Game 4: Nebraska 5, Arkansas 3
  • May 29
    • Game 5: Mississippi State vs Texas (6 p.m., ESPN)
    • Game 6: UCLA vs Arkansas (8:30 p.m., ESPN)
  • May 30
    • Game 7: Texas Tech vs Tennessee (2 p.m., ABC)
    • Game 8: Alabama vs Nebraska (6 p.m., ESPN)
  • May 31
    • Game 9: Game 5 winner vs Game 8 loser (2 p.m., ABC)
    • Game 10: Game 6 winner vs Game 7 loser (6 p.m., ESPN2)
  • June 1
    • Game 11: Game 7 winner vs Game 9 winner (11 a.m., ESPN)
    • Game 12 (if necessary): Game 7 winner vs Game 9 winner (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
    • Game 13: Game 8 winner vs Game 10 winner (6 p.m., ESPN2)
    • Game 14 (if necessary): Game 8 winner vs Game 10 winner (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
  • June 3
    • Finals Game 1 (7 p.m., ESPN)
  • June 4
    • Finals Game 2 (7 p.m., ESPN)
  • June 5
    • If necessary, finals Game 3 (7 p.m., ESPN)

Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.



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