Where are the wealthy settling down in H-Town? The Houston neighbor of Pearland has added a larger percentage of high-income households recently than any other local city, and it ranks among the top 50 U.S. places with the biggest growth of high earners.
A new study by financial tech company SmartAsset, "Cities Adding the Most High-Income Households – 2025 Study" examined Census Bureau income data across 352 American cities. They were ranked based on the growth in high-earning households as a percentage of total households between 2022 and 2023. For the purpose of the study, high-income households are defined as those making $200,000 or more per year.
Pearland ranked No. 48 nationwide and No. 9 in Texas.
The study found 21.6 percent of all Pearland households made $200,000 or more in 2023, and added over 2,900 high-income earners during the one-year period. That means the city had an affluent household growth rate of 35.8 percent.
For context, the national median income for a U.S. household in 2023 was $80,610.
Pearland has previously cashed in as one of the richest Texas cities in 2023, and has been consistently lauded as one of the safest American cities. And with the new influx of wealth, Pearland residents can afford to spend the extra cash on small businesses and local restaurants, such as the popular Killen's Barbecue, BB's Tex-Orleans, and Lotus Seafood.
SmartAsset also mentioned that up-and-coming cities like Pearland can be greatly impacted by their wealthy households in many other ways.
"[The] prevalence of high-income households also can help describe the relative quality of life of a population, or tell stories about potential wealth gaps or local growth," the report said. "Changes in a city’s relative proportion of households earning high income may change due to dynamics in the local job market, housing market, cost of living, age demographics, opportunities elsewhere, and beyond."
Other high-earning cities in Texas
The Texas city that brought in the most high-earning households from 2022 to 2023 was the South Texas city of Brownsville, which also ranked No. 4 nationally.
Only two additional Houston-area cities appeared in the top 100: Atascocita (No. 82) and League City (No. 99). Atascocita added 1,623 affluent households from 2022 to 2023, while League City added 1,130 new wealthy residents.
Other Texas cities ranked among the top 100 with the most high-earning households include:
- No. 15 – Edinburg
- No. 24 – Lewisville
- No. 25 – Round Rock
- No. 29 – Abilene
- No. 30 – Denton
- No. 35 – New Braunfels
- No. 41 – Killeen
- No. 59 – Tyler
- No. 61 – Amarillo
- No. 63 – Carrollton
- No. 77 – San Antonio
- No. 97 – Richardson
