six-figures of wealth

Here's what it takes to be in the top 1 percent of earners in Texas

It's always been said that the richer get richer as the years go on, and those who hold the most wealth are certainly making that phrase a reality in America. More than a third of the overall wealth in the United States is held by the top one percent of earners, who make about $652,657 a year.

But how much money does a Texan need to make to secure a place in the top one percent of earners in the state? A new study from SmartAsset, published July 17, determined that the answer is not too far off from the national amount, but is still well into the six-digit figure range: $631,849.

SmartAsset looked into what it takes for earners in every state to be considered in the top one percent, and Texas has the No. 14 highest threshold of income needed for the exclusive classification.

Texas' latest ranking is a four-place drop from an earlier SmartAsset report, from February 2023, that put Texas' one percent threshold at $641,400. SmartAsset typically publishes this report annually, but released an all-new report in July when new data from the IRS became available.

The new report further revealed that Southern states have the lowest income thresholds, with six out of the bottom 10 states being located in the Southeast.

"While Northeastern states like Massachusetts and New Jersey have some of the highest income thresholds for the one percent, it takes considerably less income to be considered in the top one percent in many Southern states," the study says.

However, holding on to that much wealth isn't without financial responsibility. Texans who are in that top one percent category have a tax rate of 25.83 percent.

The top 10 states with the highest thresholds to be considered in the top one percent of earners in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – Connecticut ($952,902)
No. 2 – Massachusetts ($903,401)
No. 3 – California ($844,266)
No. 4 – New Jersey ($817,346)
No. 5 – Washington ($804,853)
No. 6 – New York ($776,662)
No. 7 – Colorado ($709,092)
No. 8 – Florida ($694,987)
No. 9 – Illinois ($660,810)
No. 10 – New Hampshire ($659,037)

To determine the different income thresholds for every state, SmartAsset used 2020 data from the IRS and adjusted the numbers to be accurate for May 2023 using the U.S. city average series from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

The full report can be found on smartasset.com.

SmartAsset Top 1% Earners finance reports texas

what's new at the zoo

Houston Zoo welcomes Kirby, a newly-born Asian elephant

The Houston Zoo Asian elephant herd increased by one last week.

Photo by Kevin Kendrick/Houston Zoo

Kirby is a healthy baby girl elephant!

The Houston Zoo is going to need a very big rattle for its latest addition. On Friday, November 15 at 3 pm, the zoo’s amiable Asian elephant matriarch Shanti, 34, gave birth to a baby girl named Kirby. This is Shanti’s seventh baby with longtime pachyderm boyfriend, Thailand, 58.

Kirby weighed 314 pounds at birth, quite a bit smaller than her older sibling Nelson, born in 2020, and slightly larger than her big sister Joy, born in 2017. Shanti’s pregnancy lasted 21 months, a common length for Asian elephants but still the second longest gestation in the mammal class after their African cousins.

Within six minutes, Kirby was on her feet, and she was walking within a half hour. The birth took place in the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat cow barn, where Shanti and Kirby will spend several more days before being sent out to public viewing.

The Houston Zoo’s elephant breeding program has been a vital part of increasing the Bornean elephant population since it began in 2007. Portions of entrance fees go toward the work of Dr. Nurzhafarina “Farina" Othman, who specializes in local education and activism in Borneo to ease the tensions between humans and elephants. Elephants have been known to decimate crops leading to conflict. Othman’s work has helped landowners in Borneo fund solutions that keep the elephant population alive. The zoo’s support was partially responsible for doubling the Bornean population in 2018.

Elephants have been a part of the Houston Zoo since it was founded. In 2017, the zoo opened the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat, a massive new enclosure with walkways for visitor viewing and pools for the elephants to frolic in and escape the Texas heat. The exhibit includes everything from fountains to a specialized puzzle tree that elephants can blow into for treats.

The zoo has also been on the cutting edge of animal medicine. In June, 40-year-old Asian elephant Tess was given the first ever mRNA vaccine for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) 1A. Baylor College of Medicine pioneered this fight against a particularly deadly disease among elephants. All in all, it has been a big year for the zoo’s biggest residents.

houston zoo elephant