setting the bar higher
Woodlands residents top U.S. with highest income increase in 2022, per new report
Woodlands residents earn very very well.
Inflation woes are plaguing much of the U.S., but one Houston-area city is outdoing the rest of the country when it comes to median income increases over the last year. A new income analysis by SmartAsset found residents living in The Woodlands had the highest income increase in America from 2021 to 2022.
The median income for workers in The Woodlands in 2022 was $137,335, which is a staggering 31.06 percent increase over the previous year's median income of $104,787.
The Woodlands' income growth rate is more than three times the average median income growth across all major U.S. cities, the study says. The national average income growth rate from 2021 to 2022 was only 8.1 percent.
Texas homebuyers have been keeping an eye on the Houston suburb's family-friendliness and local attractions, which may explain the major jump in interest (and income) in the area. Not to mention the expanding list of restaurant offerings and local hangs.
"When income goes up, it can lessen the burden of inflation and even outpace it," the study said. "Despite this gap between income and inflation increases, workers in some U.S. cities were able to keep up with and even beat consumer cost increases."
The Woodlands was the only Texas city to make the top 10, outshining several popular Arizona, California, and Florida cities.
On the opposite end of the Houston metro, Sugar Land residents' median income also outpaced the national average, with a 17.63 percent increase in 2022 to $132,766. Sugar Land ranked No. 34 in the overall report, which ranked 349 U.S. cities.
In Houston proper, however, the median income only rose slightly higher the national average last year. The city's income rose 8.88 percent to $60,426. Houston ranked No. 150 overall.
The U.S. cities where income increased the most are:
- No. 1 – The Woodlands, Texas
- No. 2 – Palm Bay, Florida
- No. 3 – Rancho Cucamonga, California
- No. 4 – Visalia, California
- No. 5 – Buckeye, Arizona
- No. 6 – Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- No. 7 – Miami, Florida
- No. 8 – Elizabeth, New Jersey
- No. 9 – Antioch, California
- No. 10 – Surprise, Arizona
