relief, aisle 2

Houston grocery stores limit hours and selection during winter storm

H-E-B stores are operating with limited hours due to the winter storm.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Like many other businesses across the city, Houston's grocery stores are doing their best to serve customers affected by the winter storm. Shoppers will find limited hours and selection, but the situation should improve once the weather warms up.

H-E-B stores are open from 10 am-5 pm on both Wednesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 18. Houston's Central Market is closed on Wednesday with hours for the rest of the week to be determined. Lisa Helfman, H-E-B Houston's public affairs director, provided CultureMap with the following statement about the company's operations:

H-E-B is prepared to address any issues that our Partners and communities are facing. While we are experiencing power and water issues just like our customers, we are doing everything we can to feed Texans as safely and efficiently as possible. With limited water, our stores are presented with additional challenges. We are doing our best to get product into the stores and on the shelves, and product availability is on a store-by-store basis. Stores will remain open with modified hours, as they are able. However, store hours could be adjusted according to local situations at any time. Please check https://newsroom.heb.com/ for updates.

Many Kroger stores across the Houston-area were closed as of February 16. A representative tells CultureMap the store will distribute 200,000 pallets of water in the coming days. See the Kroger website for hours at individual locations.

Some of Houston's smaller grocery stores are also open. Both the Westheimer and downtown locations of Phoenicia opened at 10 am. The Keemat Grocers locations on FM 1960 and in Sugar Land are open with both groceries and hot food.

Those looking for more localized information may consult this crowd-sourced list compiled by lifestyle bloggers It's Not Hou It's Me. Readers report having some success at Whole Food Market and other stores. Submit new entries via this form.

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income news

Texas residents earn 11th highest income in U.S. for 2026, study says

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

The highest-earning Texans make over half a million dollars a year.

A new WalletHub study comparing income disparities across America has ranked Texas residents No. 11 on the list of states with the highest earning residents in the nation.

The report, "States Where People Have the Highest Income (2026)," analyzed U.S. Census Bureau income data in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report evaluated the average annual income of the top five percent, the median annual household income, and the average annual income of the bottom 20 percent of residents in every state, all adjusted for the cost of living.

The report's data revealed the top five percent of Texans, the highest earners, make $520,378 on average yearly after adjusting for the cost of living. That's the seventh-highest income among the top five percent of earners nationwide.

Meanwhile, the median annual income of a Texas household is just under $76,000. The bottom 20 percent of Texas residents make $17,651 a year, the report found.

For additional context, the latest data from the Federal Reserve shows an American household's median yearly income is about $83,700. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo also found that the highest earning 10 percent of individuals in the U.S. earn over 12 times more than those in the lowest-earning 10 percent, based on the latest Census data.

"By measuring the income of various percentiles against a state's median income, we can better identify where income disparities are more prevalent, which could help us better understand why residents of certain states struggle more to make ends meet," said Lupo.

Virginia is the state where residents earn the highest income in the U.S., WalletHub said. Based on the report's findings, the top five percent of Virginians make $545,097 on average per year after adjusting for the cost of living. The median annual income of a Virginia household comes out to $95,339, and the bottom 20 percent of residents make $19,671 annually on average.

Conversely, West Virginia is the state where people have the lowest income in the U.S. A West Virginia household makes a median annual income of $56,610, the third-lowest nationally, and the bottom 20 percent of residents make $13,260 on average per year, which is the fifth-lowest in the nation. The top five percent of West Virginians make $372,218 on average per year.

The top 10 states where residents have the highest income are:

No. 1 – Virginia
No. 2 – New York
No. 3 – New Jersey
No. 4 – Washington
No. 5 – Connecticut
No. 6 – Utah
No. 7 – Colorado
No. 8 – Minnesota
No. 9 – Illinois
No. 10 – Massachusetts

income wallethub reports texas