Slowing rolls everywhere

Houston's hometown drug: Purple Drank gets its national TV closeup

ESPN is set to expose Houston for what (I thought) everyone already knew it was: The City of Syrup. Or as it's more widely known, Purple Drank.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Johnny Jolly was caught in the Bayou City, his hometown, in July 2008 enjoying a slow ride with a cup of that purple stuff — something that I, until this week, thought all Houstonians already knew about.

Maybe it's because I grew up with local rapper Big Moe (may he rest in peace) and his albums dedicated to the stuff (2000's City of Syrup and 2002's Purple World) spun at my high school house parties, but I figured everyone was familiar with the hip hop community's favored concoction of prescription cough syrup with codeine, Sprite and, sometimes, grape Jolly Ranchers.

Ever wondered why the rap stations slow their beats late at night? It's for everybody sipping some sizzurp.

And although a codeine-laced cocktail might not be the best recreational habit during training season, I'd venture to say it's one of the more harmless drugs on the market. Still, it got Jolly a second-degree felony drug charge.

An ESPN release says the network, will examine the "use of the drug-laced drink and the social and cultural phenomenon associated with it." The sports network spent several days filming in Houston for the report. The Outside the Lines report airs 8 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2.

If you were previously unfamiliar, these classic Houston rap songs should acquaint you with our city's well-loved Purple Drank.

"Purple World" by Big Moe, D-Gotti, D-Reck, Dirty $ and Tyte Eyez

"Purple Stuff" by Big Moe, Big Pokey, D-Gotti Project Pat and Ronnie Spencer

"Flossin" by Mike Jones

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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