In Houston, 21.2% of the 1,828 job postings we track list a pay range, and the median posted pay is $125,000 a year. 6% are remote, 13.1% are entry level, and 31.8% have been open for more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).
What stands out
A $127,500 posted salary in the Houston area buys about what $129,500 buys in the average US metro area, because prices here run 1% below the national average.
After adjusting for local prices, the typical worker's official median wage ($49,500) is worth $50,000 in average-US dollars, 67th of 99 metro areas.
17.5% of open job postings list a pay range, 68th of 99 metro areas.
The unemployment rate is 5%, 0.9 points above the median of the metro areas in this report.
32.6% of open postings have been listed for more than 60 days (median 30 days), 30th highest of 99 metro areas.
Houston compared with similar-sized metro areas: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
1,828open postings from 426 employers
21.2%list a pay range (#48 of 71 published cities)
$125,000median posted pay (middle half: $86,000 to $175,000), from 341 postings with pay
6%remote, 0.1% hybrid
30 daysmedian time a posting has been open; 31.8% over 60 days
$49,500official median wage for all jobs in the metro area (BLS)
13.1%entry-level postings
TX has no statewide law requiring a pay range in job postings.
The metro area's unemployment rate was 5% in 2026-08 (4.9% a year earlier) (BLS, not seasonally adjusted). Across Texas, employers had 608,000 job openings in 2025-12, an openings rate of 4.1% (BLS JOLTS). Indeed's own measure of job postings in the metro area is 15.6% above its February 2020 level and 4.2% higher than a year ago (Indeed Hiring Lab, 2026-10-02).
Posted pay by kind of job in Houston
Kind of job
Median posted pay
Postings with pay
Legal and compliance
$210,000
30
Engineering (other)
$127,000
10
Sales
$124,500
61
Operations and logistics
$120,500
15
Nursing and clinical care
$111,000
12
Finance and accounting
$106,500
14
Kinds of job are grouped by title wording. Pay is the midpoint of the range in the posting, annualized for hourly postings.
Who is hiring, by industry
Industry
Postings
Software & Technology
277
Healthcare & Life Sciences
239
Manufacturing & Industrial
237
Retail & E-commerce
209
Real Estate & Construction
178
Consulting & Professional Services
176
Energy & Utilities
158
Other
128
Financial Services
94
Media & Entertainment
57
Logistics & Transportation
41
Education
18
Employers with the most openings
Greystar: 38 postings
Onenergy: 35 postings
Dlrgroup: 34 postings
Airliquidehr: 28 postings
Persona: 27 postings
What applications ask in Houston
Among 270 application forms we read: 39.6% ask applicants for a salary expectation, 80.7% ask about visa sponsorship, 56.7% include the equal-opportunity section, and 6.7% carry an AI-use notice. Question wording only; no applicant answers are ever collected.
What your paycheck buys here
Prices in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area run 1% below the national average, and housing runs 5% above it. The official median wage for all jobs is $49,500, which is worth $50,000 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $127,500 is worth $129,500.
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)
Postings that list several cities count in each one. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in Houston. Methodology · All cities (CSV)
