Big-time bucks

2 affluent Houston-area cities cash in among the richest in Texas

Bellaire once again ranks on the list of Texas' wealthiest cities.

Bellaire and West University are standing strong among the ranks of the wealthiest cities in Texas.

A new ranking from data provider HomeSnacks shows Bellaire ranks No. 4 on this year’s list. Meanwhile, West U follows close behind at No. 6.

To come up with the ranking, HomeSnacks looked at median household income, poverty rates, and unemployment rates for Texas cities with at least 5,000 residents. Therefore, the ranking isn’t based solely on how rich a city’s residents are. Still, you’re curious about the cash, right?

Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth claims five places among the state’s 10 wealthiest cities. Aside from Highland Park and Celina, DFW representatives on the list are Southlake (median household income of $240,248), Prosper, ($146,733), and Melissa ($118,348).

DFW’s Trophy Club (now at No. 36), Willow Park (now at No. 21), and Coppell (now at No. 11) lost their top-10 standings from last year.

Topping HomeSnacks’ statewide list — again — is the San Antonio suburb of Terrell Hills, which rings up a median household income $181,979. The unemployment rate is 1.2 percent and the poverty rate is 0.7 percent.

One of Terrell Hills’ neighbors, Alamo Heights, broke into the top 10 this year. It soared from No. 32 last year to No. 10 this year. Alamo Heights registers median household income of $141,048, a 1 percent unemployment rate, and a 4.4 percent poverty rate.

Here are the 10 wealthiest cities in Texas for 2021, as determined by HomeSnacks.

1. Terrell Hills (San Antonio)

Population: 5,371
Rank last year: 1
Median household income: $181,979
Unemployment rate: 1.2 percent
Poverty rate: 0.7 percent

2. Highland Park (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Population: 9,168
Rank last year: 3
Median household income: $211,136
Unemployment rate: 1.4 percent
Poverty rate: 2.3 percent

3. Celina (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Population: 11,116
Rank last year: 14
Median household income: $124,375
Unemployment rate: 1 percent
Poverty rate: 0.7 percent

4. Bellaire (Houston)

Population: 18,815
Rank last year: 2
Median household income: $206,734
Unemployment rate: 2 percent
Poverty rate: 2.3 percent

5. Southlake (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Population: 31,292
Rank last year: 8
Median household income: $240,248
Unemployment rate: 2.2 percent
Poverty rate: 2.5 percent

6. West University Place (Houston)

Population: 15,603
Rank last year: 5
Median household income: $250,001
Unemployment rate: 2.6 percent
Poverty rate: 1.7 percent

7. Prosper (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Population: 22,517
Rank last year: 12
Median household income: $146,733
Unemployment rate: 2.1 percent
Poverty rate: 2.4 percent

8. Fair Oaks Ranch (San Antonio)

Population: 9,944
Rank last year: 9
Median household income: $128,398
Unemployment rate: 1.8 percent
Poverty rate: 3 percent

9. Melissa (Dallas-Fort Worth)

Population: 9,487
Rank last year: 4
Median household income: $118,348
Unemployment rate: 2.2 percent
Poverty rate: 1.1 percent

10. Alamo Heights (San Antonio)

Population: 8,374
Rank last year: 32
Median household income: $141,048
Unemployment rate: 1 percent
Poverty rate: 4.4 percent

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income analysis

Texas families need to make this much money for one parent to stay home

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

As the cost of raising a child balloons in major cities like Houston, many families are weighing the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas — not just Houston — that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support a stay-at-home partner and a child, the report found. If two parents worked in the household, necessitating some additional costs like childcare and transportation, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in Houston, however, is somewhat more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $21,868 to raise a child in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts, where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report acknowledges ways families are working to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family