cash for coogs

University of Houston scores major funding from Texas Legislature

University of Houston central campus exterior Ezekiel Cullen building

The Coogs House has just netted some serious state funds.

Photo courtesy of University of Houston

The University of Houston boasts a system of some 74,000 Cougar students — all of whom have a reason to roar after a major get from the Texas Legislature.

The university has received major funding for its myriad systems, schools, and structures. That includes startup funds for the UH College of Medicine; funding for new facilities for the UH Law Center and Hobby School of Public Affairs; and increased funding for general operations and hurricane recovery at all four UH System universities, according to a release.

Lawmakers also authorized a dedicated student fee to pay for new wellness centers at University of Houston-Downtown and University of Houston-Victoria. Each initiative passed now awaits Governor Greg Abbott’s signature.

$20 Million to UH College of Medicine
The new UH medical school will focus on training more primary care physicians to practice in underserved urban and rural communities, and will receive $20 million in state funds next biennium to help with start-up costs. The university plans to ask the legislature for an additional $20 million over the next four sessions. Earlier this month, lawmakers passed a bill that recognizes the medical school in state statute. It hopes to admit its first class of students in fall 2020.

$45 Million for new UH Law Center and Hobby School of Public Affairs facilities
The state budget designates $45 million for new facilities for the UH Law Center and the UH Hobby School of Public Affairs. The UH Law Center is home to three top-10 law programs, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. The new UH Law Center building, will enhance student learning and faculty teaching capabilities while mitigating problems associated with the previous flood-prone structure.

The Hobby School, named in honor of former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, was originally founded as the Hobby Center for Public Affairs in 1981. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board granted its approval as a school in 2016.

UHS General Revenue increase
The UH System will receive nearly $18 million in general revenue increases. Formula funding is state-financed enrollment-driven funding crucial to limiting students’ financial burden. The formulas assess the cost of delivering a semester credit hour to a student. It accounts for about one-third of revenue of UH System universities.

Hurricane Harvey recovery aid
UH System universities will receive more than $26 million for Hurricane Harvey recovery not covered by insurance or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The flood damaged 60 percent of the buildings throughout the UH System. The funding will also help restore lost revenues sustained from students not returning, in addition to fees, services, and wages incurred that were not reimbursable by insurance: (University of Houston: $20.3 million; University of Houston-Downtown: $4.0 million; University of Houston-Victoria: $1.7 million; University of Houston-Clear Lake $83,668.)

Campus Improvements at UHD, UHV
Additionally, the legislature has authorized a dedicated student fee to pay for a new wellness and success center at UH-Downtown and a new recreation and wellness center at UH-Victoria.

“I am extremely grateful for the support of Governor Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Patrick and Speaker Bonnen throughout this session and to all of our state lawmakers for making higher education such an important priority,” said Renu Khator, chancellor of the University of Houston System, in a statement. “Building great public institutions is truly a partnership with our elected leaders.”

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Stretching the budget

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Houston than it did last year

Photo by Leo Yao on Unsplash

$100,000 stretches a little further in 2026.

A 2026 income study has good news for big earners in Houston: A six-figure salary goes further than it did last year.

A Houston resident's $100,000 salary is worth $84,840 after taxes and adjusted for the local cost of living, according to the new financial analysis from SmartAsset. That's about $1,500 more than Houstonians were bringing home last year.

The 2026 take-home pay is about eight percent higher than it was in 2024, when the same salary had an adjusted value of $78,089.

SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities. The figure was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services). Cities were then ranked based on where a six-figure salary is worth the least after applicable taxes and cost of living adjustments.

Houston ranked No. 60 in the overall ranking of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least. If the rankings were flipped and the cities were ranked based on where $100,000 goes the furthest, that places Houston in the No. 10 spot nationwide.

Manhattan, New York remains the No. 1 city where a six-figure salary is worth the least. A Manhattan resident's take-home pay is only worth $29,420 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living, which is 3.10 percent lower than it was in 2025.

SmartAsset determined Manhattan has a 29.7 percent effective tax rate on six-figure salaries. Meanwhile, the effective tax rate on a $100,000 salary in Texas (based on the eight cities examined in the report) is 21.1 percent. It's worth highlighting that New York implements a statewide graduated-rate income tax from 4-10.90 percent, whereas Texas is one of only eight states that don't tax residents' income.

Oklahoma City, No. 69, is the U.S. city in the report where a $100,000 salary stretches the furthest. A six-figure salary is worth $91,868 in 2026, up from $89,989 last year.

This is the post-tax value of a $100,000 salary in other Texas cities, and their ranking in the report:

Plano (No. 27): $72,653
Dallas (No. 47): $80,103
Austin (No. 53): $82,446
Lubbock (No. 59): $84,567
San Antonio (No. 62): $86,419
El Paso (No. 67): $90,276
Corpus Christi (No. 68): $91,110

According to the report, getting some "financial breathing room" by making six-figures really depends on where someone lives and what their lifestyle is. For residents living in the 42 states that levy some amount of income tax, their take-home pay dwindles further.

"And depending on how taxes are filed, reaching a $100,000 income may push a household from the 22 percent to 24 percent marginal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "Meanwhile, locations with high costs across housing and everyday essentials may be less forgiving to a $100,000 income."

smartasset income finance six figures