2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Houston vs. Washington

Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 25-2021
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
50k75k100k125k HOUSTON $64,500 WASHINGTON $79,470
Table 1 — Adjusted

Washington's median is 23.2% higher — but after local prices, Washington still leads by 11.6%.

Houston's median $64,500 buys $65,400 at national prices (price parity 98.6); Washington's $79,470 buys $73,000 (108.9).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against Houston.

HoustonWashingtonΔ
Employment30,98030,940−0.1%
10th percentile$46,390$60,790+31.0%
25th percentile$61,320$64,140+4.6%
Median$64,500$79,470+23.2%
75th percentile$67,370$102,750+52.5%
90th percentile$74,430$122,580+64.7%
Sources

How this page was made

Wage data
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
Price parity
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Houston · Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education in Washington

Percentiles are reported exactly as released. Derived (price-adjusted) figures round to the nearest hundred. We take no payment for how any figure is presented.