Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
Austin, TX Average Salary 2026
Cost of living, occupation-by-occupation pay, and percentile ranges from official BLS data.
The average salary in Austin, TX, Texas is $109,984 as of 2026, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data (2025 reference period) covering 64 occupations and roughly 303,360 workers. Adjusted for Austin, TX's cost-of-living index of 103, that nominal average translates to $106,781 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro. The highest-paying tracked occupation is Family Medicine Physician at $263,070; the lowest is Carpenter at $50,260.
Austin, TX, TX sits near the national cost-of-living baseline (index 103.0). 64 occupations are reported here with median wages averaging $109,984.
Highest-paying role in Austin, TX on BLS data is Family Medicine Physician at $263,070 median. Top-paying roles in any U.S. city skew toward physicians, executives, tech specialists, and licensed professionals; the specific ranking varies with the local industry mix. Cities at the national cost-of-living baseline are useful reference points for cross-region comparisons — the gross wage and adjusted wage are roughly equivalent, so headline comparisons work.
Salaries by Occupation in Austin, TX
| Role | Category | Median | Range (10th–90th) | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physician | Healthcare | $263,070 | $161,800 – $317,500 | 250 |
| Dentist | Healthcare | $188,190 | $129,650 – $337,660 | 820 |
| Computer and Information Systems Manager | Technology | $176,990 | $115,580 – $291,790 | 11,050 |
| Pediatrician | Healthcare | $175,680 | $93,590 – $211,680 | 0 |
| Financial Manager | Finance | $167,180 | $100,630 – $318,720 | 7,210 |
| Marketing Manager | Management | $164,920 | $92,150 – $274,700 | 7,170 |
| Lawyer | Legal | $153,330 | $83,990 – $361,090 | 7,540 |
| Sales Manager | Management | $151,760 | $74,990 – $290,670 | 9,880 |
| Pharmacist | Healthcare | $151,290 | $90,810 – $172,490 | 1,800 |
| Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $145,360 | $81,960 – $212,900 | 4,070 |
| Human Resources Manager | Management | $140,670 | $85,840 – $254,960 | 2,730 |
| Physician Assistant | Healthcare | $134,550 | $111,830 – $170,450 | 680 |
| Software Developer | Technology | $134,120 | $96,110 – $209,890 | 31,960 |
| Information Security Analyst | Technology | $134,100 | $79,500 – $186,680 | 2,390 |
| Computer Network Architect | Technology | $133,710 | $70,920 – $188,670 | 1,700 |
| Veterinarian | Healthcare | $133,250 | $85,340 – $211,770 | 700 |
| Optometrist | Healthcare | $130,460 | $56,310 – $182,410 | 350 |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Technology | $129,470 | $57,040 – $199,380 | 10,100 |
| Nurse Practitioner | Healthcare | $128,050 | $114,440 – $166,490 | 2,700 |
| Data Scientist | Technology | $127,360 | $74,640 – $186,010 | 3,730 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analyst | Technology | $127,360 | $80,250 – $213,760 | 300 |
| Medical and Health Services Manager | Healthcare | $126,110 | $64,210 – $269,090 | 5,160 |
| Database Architect | Technology | $123,830 | $62,550 – $162,800 | 1,110 |
| Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $122,050 | $80,040 – $131,000 | 1,600 |
| Web Developer | Technology | $119,950 | $63,160 – $180,440 | 1,080 |
| General and Operations Manager | Management | $117,850 | $48,890 – $296,440 | 42,190 |
| Engineers (Other) | Engineering | $109,610 | $75,870 – $172,820 | 1,070 |
| Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $106,690 | $68,080 – $173,210 | 1,790 |
| Management Analyst | Management | $106,600 | $65,930 – $190,090 | 6,540 |
| Speech-Language Pathologist | Healthcare | $106,290 | $77,120 – $126,250 | 2,860 |
| Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $105,480 | $58,120 – $120,420 | 1,270 |
| Audiologist | Healthcare | $104,820 | $81,270 – $139,820 | 110 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | Technology | $104,590 | $72,540 – $169,420 | 6,930 |
| Network Architect | Technology | $104,520 | $65,600 – $162,440 | 5,030 |
| Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $103,630 | $82,330 – $135,320 | 2,470 |
| Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $103,610 | $62,790 – $169,370 | 3,440 |
| Software Quality Assurance Tester | Technology | $103,070 | $59,900 – $162,320 | 3,340 |
| Statistician | Technology | $102,070 | $48,400 – $165,980 | 150 |
| Business Professor (Postsecondary) | Education | $101,730 | $51,260 – $309,700 | 740 |
| Financial Analyst | Finance | $101,530 | $66,710 – $189,180 | 3,530 |
| Computer Programmer | Technology | $100,700 | $59,360 – $175,140 | 0 |
| Civil Engineer | Engineering | $100,470 | $65,380 – $162,770 | 4,940 |
| Registered Nurse | Healthcare | $97,890 | $73,440 – $127,510 | 18,920 |
| Architect | Engineering | $96,600 | $62,160 – $150,230 | 1,120 |
| Personal Financial Advisor | Finance | $95,990 | $52,550 – $410,600 | 2,010 |
| Operations Research Analyst | Technology | $88,190 | $63,800 – $137,380 | 1,600 |
| Web Designer | Technology | $84,960 | $56,930 – $168,710 | 800 |
| Accountant | Finance | $83,120 | $57,660 – $130,130 | 12,480 |
| Financial Examiner | Finance | $81,830 | $58,600 – $159,950 | 380 |
| Market Research Analyst | Management | $80,460 | $44,990 – $152,160 | 8,270 |
| Writer/Author | Creative | $75,380 | $50,640 – $161,380 | 420 |
| Public Relations Specialist | Creative | $69,470 | $44,320 – $113,270 | 4,170 |
| Graphic Designer | Creative | $65,060 | $40,690 – $101,690 | 1,880 |
| Computer Network Support Specialist | Technology | $64,360 | $47,640 – $105,590 | 1,520 |
| Paralegal | Legal | $64,140 | $44,200 – $100,460 | 4,390 |
| Plumber | Trades | $62,810 | $40,810 – $80,920 | 5,260 |
| Secondary School Teacher | Education | $62,320 | $52,970 – $76,720 | 8,160 |
| Elementary School Teacher | Education | $61,270 | $51,650 – $64,410 | 8,450 |
| Electrician | Trades | $60,390 | $39,260 – $78,820 | 7,340 |
| Clinical Laboratory Technologist | Healthcare | $59,570 | $36,680 – $94,110 | 1,860 |
| Loan Officer | Finance | $59,210 | $22,330 – $140,600 | 1,890 |
| Welder | Trades | $59,040 | $39,420 – $76,060 | 2,210 |
| Automotive Technician | Trades | $50,610 | $33,350 – $94,150 | 5,210 |
| Carpenter | Trades | $50,260 | $39,600 – $70,200 | 2,540 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The single highest-paying occupation tracked in Austin, TX is Family Medicine Physician, with a median of $263,070 and a 90th-percentile reading of $317,500. That $155,700 spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles is typical for a role of this seniority — entry-level workers cluster near the bottom of the band, while senior specialists and managers earn at the top.
Across all 64 BLS-tracked occupations in Austin, TX, the average median salary is $109,984. The top five roles average $194,222 — about 1.8× the citywide average — which is the expected shape for a U.S. metro economy: a small concentration of high-skill, high-credential occupations sits well above the broader middle.
Austin, TX sits close to the U.S. average on cost of living (index 103). Headline salary numbers translate roughly one-for-one into purchasing power — useful as a national benchmark city when comparing offers across markets.
Salary Negotiation in Austin, TX
For salary negotiation in Austin, TX, the practical input is the percentile band for your role and city, not the citywide average. The OEWS publishes 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile wages for every metro and occupation; you can find your role's exact percentile in the table above and use the SalaryTruth percentile calculator to anchor your offer. Cost-of-living index 103 should also factor in any cross-metro comparison.
For city-vs-city moves, the right benchmark is COL-adjusted pay rather than nominal pay. Our COL-adjusted salaries guide shows the exact math; the negotiation playbook covers how to use BLS percentile bands to anchor offers.
How Austin, TX Salary Data Is Built
Wages on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — a federal survey of more than 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. We pull the BLS data file for Austin, TX, match each occupation against our role catalog, and surface percentile wages alongside employment counts. The cost-of-living index (103) is a composite of housing, food, transportation, and utility data from public sources, calibrated to a U.S. national average of 100. Read the full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary in Austin, TX in 2026?
The average salary in Austin, TX is $109,984 as of 2026, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' OEWS 2025 release covering 64 occupations. The mean (employment-weighted average) gives slightly more weight to large occupations; the median across roles is also close to $109,984. The top-paying role is Family Medicine Physician at $263,070.
Is $100,000 a good salary in Austin, TX?
In Austin, TX, $100,000 has the purchasing power of $97,087 in an average-cost U.S. metro (COL index 103). That is roughly in line with what $100K buys in a typical U.S. city. Compared to the city's average median of $109,984, $100K is below the typical worker.
What are the highest-paying jobs in Austin, TX?
The top-paying tracked occupations in Austin, TX are Family Medicine Physician ($263,070), Dentist ($188,190), Computer and Information Systems Manager ($176,990), and Pediatrician ($175,680). Across the top 10, median salaries range from $145,360 to $263,070. See the full ranking at /ranking/highest-paying-jobs/austin.
How does Austin, TX's cost of living affect salaries?
Austin, TX has a cost-of-living index of 103, 3% above the U.S. national average. A nominal salary of $109,984 in this metro has the equivalent purchasing power of $106,781 in an average-cost U.S. city. Housing is the dominant driver of this gap; in higher-COL markets, mortgage or rent typically eats 5–15 percentage points more of pre-tax pay than in average-cost metros.
How many people are employed in Austin, TX?
Across the 64 BLS-tracked occupations on this page, total employment in the Austin, TX metro is approximately 303,360. BLS OEWS sample-based estimates cover all major occupational categories but exclude very small or volatile fields where the sample is too thin to publish.
Where does this Austin, TX salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal survey data covering about 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data is used by the U.S. Department of Labor for prevailing wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Austin, TX MSA, 2026 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2026."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 64 occupations · COL Index 103.