The 30 highest-paying jobs in Texas for 2024

Looking to find a job that pays well in the Lone Star State?

With record-breaking employment levels this year, Texas offers plenty of job opportunities for relocators and career switchers; in fact, the state exceeded national employment levels last year. Based on preliminary data from the BLS, employment in Texas increased by 9% over the past five years.

And in 2024, according to the Texas Employment Forecast from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, jobs in Texas are predicted to increase by 2.6%, equaling 361,100 new jobs.

Many emerging job opportunities in Texas are well paid – although many, but not all, require a medical degree. For the full list, read on to discover the highest-paid jobs in Texas for 2024.

Related reading: The highest-paying jobs in Florida

Average pay and cost of living in Texas

According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the living wage in Texas is $43,513, or $20.92 per hour. This average is miles apart from what the top 10% in Texas make, which is between $114,150 to $368,110 on average according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income in Texas is $72,284 as of 2022. In the same survey, median gross rent was reported to be $1,290.

How much you’ll need to earn to make ends meet depends on where you decide to live in Texas. As expected, major cities come with higher costs of living, necessitating higher salaries:

Houston is one of the most affordable metro areas in Texas, with a cost of living that is 8% lower than the national average, as reported by Payscale. According to a 2024 study by SmartAsset, a single adult should earn a salary of $75,088 to live comfortably in Houston (meaning they can follow a 50/30/20 budget). El Paso is another city named in the study for its relative affordability, requiring $75,254 to live comfortably.

By contrast, Payscale reports the cost of living in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio to be 3%,1%, and 8% higher than the national average, respectively.

The 10 highest-paying jobs in Texas

Professional athletes are the highest-paid profession in Texas, taking home an average annual salary of $368,110. While most of the top-paying jobs in Texas are in health care, other well-paid industries in the state include management, aviation, law, and engineering.

To make this list, we used the latest state-level occupational data for Texas from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

1. Athletes and Sports Competitors

Mean annual salary: $368,110

Minimum educational requirements: No formal education

Athletes and sports competitors are the highest-paid jobs in Texas. Beyond competing at official sporting events, athletes are busy practicing and improving their skills with a coach. Athletes often work irregular schedules that are well over 40 hours per week and often inclusive of holidays and weekends.

On average, athletes and sports competitors in Texas earn significantly higher salaries than the national average ($70,280).

2. Radiologists

Mean annual salary: $327,850

Minimum educational requirements: Medical school and specialized training

Radiologists are healthcare specialists who diagnose illnesses and injuries using medical images, such as X-rays. These images are taken by X-ray technicians and other specialists. Radiologists usually work in hospital radiology departments or private medical centers.

3. Cardiologists

Mean annual salary: $323,210

Minimum educational requirements: Medical school and specialized training

On average, cardiologists in Texas are among the highest paid in the state. Cardiologists are doctors who specialize in preventing and treating disorders and other problems related to the cardiovascular system, or the heart and blood vessels.

While they enjoy some of the highest salaries in the state, cardiologists in Texas are paid 23% less than the national average of $423,250.

4. Chief Executives

Mean annual salary: $298,140

Minimum educational requirements: Varies – typically, at least a bachelor’s degree

Chief executives, or chief executive officers (CEO), occupy the highest management positions in businesses and nonprofits. A CEO is tasked with calling the shots on major business decisions, supervising lower-level executives, and setting growth strategies for the company.

On average, chief executives make nearly $40,000 more on average than the national average for the profession.

5. Ophthalmologists (Excluding Pediatric)

Mean annual salary: $291,320

Minimum educational requirements: Medical school and specialized training

Ophthalmology comes from the Greek word ophthalmós, or eye. Ophthalmologists are eye doctors who treat disorders and diseases of the eye with surgery and other interventions. Some also provide vision services, which is where they overlap with optometrists.

On average, ophthalmologists in Texas make slightly less than the ($312,210) national average for the profession.

6. Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Mean annual salary: $287,330

Minimum educational requirements: Medical school and specialized training

Doctors of obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) are specialists in female reproductive health. While gynecologists deliver medical care relating to female reproductive organs, obstetricians specialize in treating pregnant people and delivering babies.

On average, obstetricians and gynecologists in Texas make slightly more than the national mean annual wage of $278,660.

7. Dentists

Mean annual salary: $287,240

Minimum educational requirements: Dental school and specialized training

Dentists are highly trained specialists in oral health. They treat conditions such as cavities or gum diseases, perform teeth cleanings and more invasive procedures (e.g., root canals and extractions), and even prescribe medication. To become a dentist, you’ll need to earn a doctoral degree in dentistry from an accredited dental school.

Dentists in Texas enjoy a much higher salary on average than what dentists make overall on the national level – about 68% more.

8. Physicians, Pathologists

Mean annual salary: $278,140

Minimum educational requirements: Medical school and specialized training

Pathologists are doctors who study the nature of illness and disease, helping doctors accurately diagnose patients by studying diseased tissue, cells, and fluids with microscopes and other equipment. Some specialty areas in pathology include hemopathology, neuropathology, and dermatopathology.

Pathologists in Texas take home slightly higher wages than the national average of $270,560.

9. Surgeons

Mean annual salary: $276,680

Minimum educational requirements: Medical school and specialized training

Surgeons are doctors specializing in surgical procedures, many of which save lives. While general surgeons can perform surgery on different areas of the body, other types, such as orthopedic surgeons, vascular surgeons, and neurosurgeons, are skilled in certain specialties.

Texas is home to the 2nd highest employment levels for surgeons in the country after New York.

10. Dermatologists

Mean annual salary: $276,120

Minimum educational requirements: Medical school and specialized training

Dermatologists are doctors of the skin, hair, and nails. Patients see a dermatologist to treat acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, and other conditions. Some responsibilities of a dermatologist include prescribing medications, diagnosing and treating disease and infection, advising patients, and performing cosmetic procedures.

On average, dermatologists in Texas make about 20% less than the national average. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas offers the highest employment levels for dermatologists in the state.

More of the best-paying jobs in Texas

Following professional athletics, healthcare and executive positions are the best-paying jobs in Texas. Below, we list the average earnings for the 30 highest-paying jobs in Texas in 2024, according to the BLS.

What jobs are in demand in Texas?

In 2024, the fastest-growing jobs in Texas are overwhelmingly in food service and wind power, followed by health care, mining, sports, and engineering.

After bartenders, wind turbine service technicians are by far the fastest-growing job in Texas, a top producer of wind electricity in the country.

Health care has also become one of the state’s biggest industries, with demand only expected to increase alongside population growth among the young and elderly. Nurse practitioners in particular are in high demand in Texas.

The 15 fastest-growing jobs in Texas

Below are the fastest-growing jobs in Texas for 2020-2030, according to the latest data from the Texas Workforce Commission.

For simplicity’s sake, we’ve left out several jobs that are similar or identical to the ones already mentioned in this list. (Much of the overlap shows up in the food service industry.)

Final thoughts

Securing a well-paid job in Texas typically requires an advanced degree. While medical degrees tend to be a common requirement for many of the highest-paying jobs in Texas, other degrees lead to similar earning potential.

Beyond a fast-growing labor market, consider a move to the Lone Star State for an affordable education. Texas offers some of the lowest tuition rates in the country for its residents, with an average annual cost of just $17,599.

Explore the best colleges in Texas to find the best-fit program for you or take our short quiz to personalize your college search to your interests.