Dallas vs. Houston
Industrial Machinery Mechanics. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 49-9041
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Dallas's median is 0.3% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Houston.
Dallas's median $63,380 buys $61,500 at national prices (price parity 103.1); Houston's $63,180 buys $64,100 (98.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Houston against Dallas.
| Dallas | Houston | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 12,730 | 18,360 | +44.2% |
| 10th percentile | $44,310 | $43,920 | −0.9% |
| 25th percentile | $51,240 | $49,960 | −2.5% |
| Median | $63,380 | $63,180 | −0.3% |
| 75th percentile | $78,220 | $78,240 | +0.0% |
| 90th percentile | $93,210 | $101,140 | +8.5% |
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.
- Full pages
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics in Dallas · Industrial Machinery Mechanics in Houston
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.