Average salary in Dallas in 2026, and what actually counts as good

A typical job in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro pays $51,440 a year before tax. $81,840 puts you in the top quarter, and $132,080 in the top 10%.

Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, the latest release. They cover 4.05 million jobs in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Irving, Frisco and the rest of the 11-county metro, the fourth-largest job market in the country after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The national median for all jobs is $50,980, so the typical job here pays about 1% more. Among the 36 US metros with more than a million jobs, Dallas-Fort Worth ranks 18th, well ahead of Houston in 29th place.

Dallas pays more than Houston at every level of the scale, by about $2,000 a year at the median and $4,000 at the top-10% line. Rent takes that gain back. An ordinary one-bedroom costs $325 a month more than in Houston, so the typical Dallas worker keeps about $200 a month less once rent is paid, and a one-bedroom only drops to 30% of take-home at about $86,000, above the local top-quarter line. This guide shows what six senior jobs pay, where any salary sits on the Dallas scale, why Dallas pays more in the first place, what rent leaves in different parts of the metro, and how Dallas compares with Houston, Fort Worth and the other cities we have covered.

What six senior jobs pay in Dallas

We ran six realistic resumes through PayScope's market value model with the location set to Dallas. Each belongs to a fictional professional with 11 to 12 years of experience, at senior level. Two are roles we test in every city, a software engineer and an ICU nurse. The other four follow what the Dallas job market is known for: corporate finance at a company headquarters, private wealth management, aircraft maintenance at an airline hub, and running a large distribution center. PayScope reads the skills and experience in a resume and compares them with people and job openings in the area, so the ranges below describe what the market pays for that kind of profile in Dallas right now.

Source: PayScope market value model, one resume per role, senior level, location Dallas, TX, run on November 11, 2026. Figures in thousands, as the model displays them. Base pay only: bonuses and stock grants are not included.

The two finance roles come out on top. A senior portfolio manager in private wealth management lands at a median of $195,000, and a senior manager in corporate financial planning and analysis at $175,000, both well above the senior software engineer at $152,000. The BLS data points the same way: financial managers in the metro earn a median of $169,200 across all experience levels, and Dallas-Fort Worth has 26,600 of them, against 18,570 in Houston.

The software engineer comes out at $152,000, about $7,000 more than the same kind of resume in Houston ($145,000) and a little below Chicago ($158,000). Seattle and San Francisco, at $190,000, are in a different bracket. The senior ICU nurse lands at $101,000, slightly below Houston's $104,000, and nurse pay across the metro is close to the national median: $101,420 for all registered nurses here, against $97,550 nationally. For how software pay rises from entry to lead level, see our software engineer salary guide.

The aircraft maintenance technician is the result to notice if you do not have a degree. A senior lead technician with an FAA airframe and powerplant certificate comes out at $110,000 at the median, far above the metro's top-quarter line. Dallas-Fort Worth is home to two airline headquarters and one of the busiest airports in the world, aircraft mechanics are more than twice as common here as nationally, and their BLS median is $94,920, against $79,870 for the US.

How pay is spread across Dallas-Fort Worth

The BLS surveys employers about what they pay and estimates the pay level at each point of the scale, from the lowest-paid tenth of jobs in the metro to the highest. Find your own salary in the table to see where you sit among everyone working here, whatever their job.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, all occupations, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro, 4,049,800 jobs. The average (mean) is $70,630, or $33.96 an hour, pulled up by the highest earners, which is why we use the median as "typical".

As a monthly figure, the typical salary is about $4,290 before tax, or $24.73 an hour. Dallas sits below the national scale in the bottom half and above it in the top half. The bottom-10% line is $2,350 under the US figure, which fits a state where the minimum wage is still the federal $7.25, while the top-10% line is $3,520 above it.

The BLS counts jobs by where they are, not where people live, and covers employees only, part-time jobs included. If you count only people who worked full time all year and live in the metro, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey for 2024 puts the median at $62,305. Of those full-time workers, 26.7% earned $100,000 or more, against 24.9% nationally and 22.8% across Texas. In Collin County, north of Dallas, the share is 41%.

Dallas vs Houston: higher pay, less left after rent

Dallas and Houston are the two largest metros in Texas and share the same tax rules, which means no state income tax for either. On paper Dallas wins: its typical job pays $2,030 more, and the gap grows toward the top. HUD's Fair Market Rent for 2026, though, puts an ordinary one-bedroom at $1,648 a month in the Dallas area and $1,323 in Houston. Run each salary through tax and rent, and the order flips.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025; PayScope take-home calculation for a single filer with 2026 IRS brackets, FICA and a 5% 401(k), no state income tax; HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents, Dallas and Houston areas.

At the median, the Dallas worker takes home about $128 a month more than the Houston worker and pays $325 more for the apartment, which leaves about $1,790 against $1,990. The same thing happens at every level we checked. The gap narrows toward the top, to about $107 a month at the top-10% line, but inside the normal range of pay Dallas never catches up. To keep as much after rent as the median Houston worker, someone in Dallas needs to earn about $54,550, roughly $5,100 more than the Houston median.

Two things soften the comparison. Rents in Dallas vary a lot by ZIP code, as the next sections show, and the Fort Worth side of the metro is cheaper: there, a metro-median salary leaves about $1,960 after a one-bedroom, almost exactly the Houston figure.

Why Dallas pays more than Houston

For most occupations, Dallas and Houston pay within a few percent of each other: a nurse earns a median of $101,420 in Dallas-Fort Worth and $99,830 in Houston, an accountant $82,620 and $85,090, an electrician $59,010 and $59,180. Three in five Dallas jobs are in occupations where the local median is within 5% of Houston's.

What differs is the mix of jobs. Dallas-Fort Worth is a metro of corporate offices. Managers make up 9.4% of all jobs here against 8.4% in Houston, and general and operations managers, with 125,090 jobs and a median of $111,010, are the second-largest occupation in the metro after fast food workers. Computer and math jobs are 4.8% of all jobs, almost twice Houston's 2.5%, and there are almost three times as many software developers. Houston has more engineers, construction workers and plant operators, who are well paid but fewer per hundred jobs than Dallas's office workers.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metros.

We measured how much of the gap the job mix explains, using each occupation's average pay. About 70% of Dallas's lead in average pay comes from having more of the better-paid office jobs, mostly in tech, management and business operations. The other 30% comes from higher pay in the same jobs.

Dallas has a reputation as "Y'all Street", a second home for big banks and investment firms. Finance is part of the story, but a smaller part than the nickname suggests. Financial managers, financial analysts and securities sales agents are each about 20% more common here than nationally. Corporate office jobs are more concentrated: computer and information systems managers are 76% more common, sales managers 61% more and marketing managers 59% more. The one large public-sector job that pays clearly more than in Houston is policing, where patrol officers earn a median of $92,910, against $74,570 in Houston and $76,210 nationally.

Is Dallas expensive to live in on a typical salary?

For rent we use HUD's Fair Market Rents for 2026, which split the metro in two. The Dallas area (Dallas, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Ellis, Kaufman and Hunt counties) has a one-bedroom at $1,648 a month and a two-bedroom at $1,931, utilities included, both up about 2.5% from 2025. The Fort Worth-Arlington area (Tarrant, Johnson and Parker counties) has $1,473 and $1,723. HUD sets these at the 40th percentile of what recent movers pay, so they describe an ordinary apartment, not a new building in Uptown or Legacy West.

Source: PayScope calculation with 2026 IRS brackets, FICA and a 5% 401(k); Texas has no state income tax. Rent from HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents. Health insurance not included.

On the typical $51,440, a single person takes home about $3,437 a month. An ordinary one-bedroom in the Dallas area takes 48% of that and leaves about $1,790. Rent falls to the usual 30% guideline only at about $86,000, which is above the $81,840 top-quarter line: three in four jobs in the metro pay too little to rent an average one-bedroom alone by that rule. In Houston the same line is about $67,000. On the Fort Worth side a one-bedroom takes 43% of the median take-home, and the 30% line is about $75,400.

Sharing changes the math more than anything else. Half of a Dallas-area two-bedroom costs about $966, which reaches 30% of take-home at about $48,000, below the median. A couple who both earn the metro median and file jointly take home about $6,875 a month, and a two-bedroom takes 28% of that.

HUD's own income limits put the scale in context. In the Dallas area a single person counts as "low income" up to $67,850 and as "very low income" up to $42,400. On the Fort Worth side the lines are $61,800 and $38,650. The typical job, at $51,440, sits between the two.

Where in the Dallas area is rent cheapest?

In both halves of the metro, HUD also sets rents for each ZIP code, and housing vouchers use these Small Area Fair Market Rents instead of the area-wide figure. Across 260 ZIP codes in the Dallas area the one-bedroom runs from $830 to a cap of $2,470, and half of them fall between $1,410 and $1,890. On the Fort Worth side 126 ZIP codes run from $840 to $2,390, with a midpoint of $1,480.

Source: HUD FY2026 Small Area Fair Market Rents, Dallas and Fort Worth-Arlington areas, one-bedroom.

Inside the city of Dallas, rent runs from $1,040 in the Fair Park ZIP code to the $2,470 cap downtown and around University Park. Uptown is $2,360 and Lower Greenville $2,070. South of the Trinity River, Oak Cliff, West Dallas and Pleasant Grove sit between about $1,170 and $1,680. In Fair Park a one-bedroom reaches 30% of take-home at about $52,000, almost exactly the metro median. In Uptown that takes about $129,000.

The northern suburbs, where most of the metro's high earners live, are also among the dearest places to rent: $2,170 to $2,380 in Frisco, $2,200 at Legacy in Plano and $2,380 in Prosper. Garland, Mesquite and central Arlington are among the cheaper large suburbs, at about $1,340 to $1,560.

Dallas vs Fort Worth: which pays more?

The BLS counts Dallas and Fort Worth as one job market and no longer publishes separate pay figures for each side. The Census Bureau's survey of residents can be split, and it shows Fort Worth slightly ahead. Full-time workers living in the city of Fort Worth have a median of $60,402, against $56,295 in the city of Dallas, and Tarrant County ($60,446) is about $4,000 above Dallas County ($56,427). Both cities sit below the metro median, because many of the best-paid workers live in the northern suburbs.

Rent tips the comparison further. A Fort Worth-area one-bedroom costs $175 a month less than a Dallas-area one, so on a metro-median salary the Fort Worth side leaves about $1,960 after rent, against $1,790 on the Dallas side. In both cities about 22% to 23% of full-time workers earn $100,000 or more.

Dallas vs Houston, Chicago, Seattle and other cities after tax and rent

Put the eight metros we have covered side by side, and Dallas moves up once rent is paid.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 medians; PayScope take-home calculation for a single filer with a 5% 401(k) and each state's taxes and payroll levies; HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rents for each metro's core area. California rows use the 2026 tax schedules.

Dallas has the second-lowest typical salary of the eight, above only Houston. After a one-bedroom it moves to fifth, ahead of San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, where rent takes about two-thirds of a typical paycheck. It stays behind Seattle, Minneapolis, Houston and Chicago.

Chicago is the closest match in size and in result. Its typical salary is $3,280 higher, but Illinois's flat 4.95% income tax takes most of the difference: a single worker on the median takes home $3,443 a month in Chicago and $3,437 in Dallas. A Chicago one-bedroom costs $67 less, which leaves Chicago about $73 ahead after rent, and the 30% lines are close, about $87,900 in Chicago and $86,000 in Dallas.

What no state income tax is worth on a Dallas salary

Texas has no personal income tax and no state payroll levies on wages, and neither Dallas nor Fort Worth taxes paychecks. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare are the only deductions. The state and cities collect instead through sales tax, which can reach 8.25%, and property taxes, which landlords pass on in rent and which the HUD figures already include. On the typical $51,440, a Dallas worker keeps about $131 a month more than someone on the same salary in California, $190 more than in Illinois and $59 more than in Washington, which charges small payroll levies. On the top-10% salary of $132,080 the gap against California is about $750 a month. Our Houston guide has the full side-by-side table, and the Seattle guide works through what no income tax is worth and what it is not.

Jobs that pay a good salary in Dallas

If "good" means the top quarter of all jobs, these are the large occupations whose typical pay in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro is above the $81,840 line. The figures are BLS medians across all experience levels, so a senior person in these jobs usually earns more.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro, occupations with at least 5,000 jobs (selection).

About one job in four in the metro, 24.5%, is in an occupation whose median clears the line, more than in Houston (22.2%) or nationally (21.6%). Managers and tech jobs make up more than half of them, 52%, against 44% in Houston. Most of the rest is finance, healthcare, law and sales.

Two routes clear the line without a four-year degree: aircraft mechanics at $94,920 and police officers at $92,910. Airline pilots, with 5,980 jobs, earn a median of $212,810. Other skilled trades fall short of it. Electricians earn a median of $59,010, truck drivers $59,530 and plumbers $61,250.

Plano, Frisco, McKinney and the rest of the metro

The BLS publishes one set of figures for the whole metro, but the Census Bureau's survey of residents can be split by county and city. Among people who worked full time all year in 2024, here is the median by where they live.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table S2001, in 2024 dollars. Places under 65,000 people, such as Southlake, Prosper and Highland Park, have no 1-year estimate. The Census Bureau did not publish the income breakdown for Flower Mound.

The money in Dallas-Fort Worth lives north of the city. Frisco's full-time median is $100,727, and more than half of its full-time workers earn $100,000 or more. Flower Mound, McKinney and Plano sit between about $82,000 and $102,000. In Collin County as a whole, 41% earn six figures, twice the share in Dallas County. The city of Dallas, at $56,295, is below the Texas median of $58,229, and Garland and Mesquite, east of the city, are at $43,449 and $50,669, where only about one full-time worker in ten earns $100,000. These figures describe who lives in each place, not what employers there pay. Many people in the northern suburbs work in Plano, Irving and Las Colinas, where several large companies have their headquarters, or commute to downtown Dallas.

Average salary in Texas

For the whole state the median job pays $48,620, the top quarter starts at $77,840 and the top 10% at $125,220, across 14.1 million jobs in the BLS survey. Dallas-Fort Worth is above the state at every level. Among the other large Texas metros, the median is $56,950 in Austin, $49,410 in Houston and $47,010 in San Antonio.

Among people who worked full time all year, the Census Bureau puts the Texas median at $58,229 for 2024, and 22.8% of them earned $100,000 or more, below the national share of 24.9% and the Dallas-Fort Worth share of 26.7%.

Why your number may differ from the average

The metro median tells you where the middle of the whole job market sits. It says very little about what you should be paid.

Your role and level set the range. In Dallas the six senior profiles we tested ran from $101,000 for the ICU nurse to $195,000 for the portfolio manager at the median. Your specific skills then decide where you sit inside your own role: for the senior software engineer that is the difference between $135,000 and $172,000. In a metro where an ordinary one-bedroom costs about $1,650, that gap is almost two years of rent.

The useful comparison is with people doing your job, at your level, in this metro. Upload your resume to PayScope and you get that comparison: a Dallas range for your profile and where your current pay sits inside it.

FAQ

What is a good salary in Dallas?

On the job scale, $81,840 puts you in the top quarter of jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro and $132,080 in the top 10% (BLS, May 2025). For a single person renting an ordinary one-bedroom alone, rent falls to 30% of take-home at about $86,000 in the Dallas area and about $75,400 on the Fort Worth side. By ZIP code, the same line runs from about $52,000 in Fair Park to about $136,000 in the most expensive areas, such as Downtown and University Park.

Is $100,000 a good salary in Dallas?

Yes. $100,000 is well into the top quarter of jobs in the metro, almost twice the median of $51,440. A single filer takes home about $6,270 a month after federal tax, FICA and a 5% 401(k), since Texas has no state income tax. A typical Dallas-area one-bedroom at $1,648 takes 26% of that and leaves about $4,625. In east Frisco, at $2,370, it takes 38%.

Is $80,000 a good salary in Dallas?

Yes, though it sits just under the top-quarter line of $81,840. A single filer takes home about $5,170 a month, and a typical Dallas-area one-bedroom takes 32% of it, leaving about $3,520. On the Fort Worth side a one-bedroom takes 28%. Living alone in Uptown or Frisco on $80,000 means spending 45% or more on rent.

How much do you need to make to live comfortably alone in Dallas?

Using the common rule that rent should be no more than 30% of take-home pay, a single person needs about $86,000 a year to rent an ordinary one-bedroom ($1,648 a month) in the Dallas area and about $75,400 on the Fort Worth-Arlington side ($1,473). In Uptown, at $2,360, it takes about $129,000. Sharing a two-bedroom brings the figure down to about $48,000.

What is considered low income in Dallas?

HUD's 2026 limits for the Dallas area (Dallas, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Ellis, Kaufman and Hunt counties) count a single person as low income up to $67,850 a year and very low income up to $42,400. For a family of four the low-income line is $96,900. In the Fort Worth-Arlington area the single-person lines are $61,800 and $38,650.

Does Dallas have a state or city income tax?

No. Texas has no personal income tax, and neither Dallas nor Fort Worth taxes wages, so federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare are the only deductions from a paycheck. On the median salary of $51,440, a single filer with a 5% 401(k) takes home about $3,437 a month. Texas raises money through sales tax, up to 8.25% in the Dallas area, and property taxes.

What is the minimum wage in Dallas in 2026?

$7.25 an hour, the federal minimum, which Texas follows. Texas law does not allow cities or counties to set a higher minimum for private employers, so the figure is the same in Dallas, Fort Worth and the suburbs. Full time, $7.25 comes to $15,080 a year. Most jobs pay far more: the bottom 10% of jobs in the metro starts at $13.87 an hour.

What is the average salary in Dallas per month and per hour?

The typical (median) job in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro pays $51,440 a year, which is about $4,290 a month or $24.73 an hour before tax. After federal tax, FICA and a 5% 401(k), a single filer takes home about $3,437 a month. The mean is higher, $70,630 a year or $33.96 an hour, because high earners pull it up.

What income puts you in the top 10% in Dallas?

$132,080 a year, about $63.50 an hour, puts a job in the top 10% of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro (BLS, May 2025). The top 25% starts at $81,840, or $39.35 an hour. After tax, $132,080 is about $8,040 a month for a single filer in Texas.

What percentage of Dallas workers earn over $100,000?

Among people who worked full time all year and live in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, 26.7% earned $100,000 or more in 2024 and 40.2% earned $75,000 or more, according to the Census Bureau. Nationally the shares are 24.9% and 39.0%. In the city of Dallas 22.5% earned $100,000 or more, in Collin County 41.0% and in Frisco 51.0%.