The San Antonio-New Braunfels area’s median annual wages were lower than most major metropolitan areas in the state, with the exception of El Paso, according to newly released data from the Texas Workforce Commission.
In 2021, the area’s median annual wages across all occupations and industry — senior leadership and entry-level — were $37,957. Average annual wages totaled $51,736.
Median annual wages in the San Antonio metropolitan area also were below the state’s median, which was $39,030. It also ranked behind Dallas-Fort Worth ($45,473), Houston ($44,636) and Austin ($46,910), which was the highest in the state.
However, San Antonio’s median annual wages were ahead of El Paso’s ($30,324) and many smaller metropolitan areas such as Tyler.
The lowest median annual wages in the state were in Brownsville, where the median was $28,830.
Racing inflation, wages in the city rose last year, as they did nearly everywhere in response to a tight labor market. San Antonio’s unemployment rate in May was 3.5%, according to preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Texas Workforce Commission data also detailed estimates for dozens of occupations across industries, revealing a more complicated picture of local wages.
For example, San Antonio scientists in the public sector, such as labor market data scientists that work for the city, enjoyed the highest average hourly wages compared to their peers across the state, at more than $40 an hour. Around 2,190 were employed in this sector.
And in the leisure and hospitality industry, the 3,170 workers in production jobs like welding and machine operating also saw the highest average hourly wages in the state at $13.70, though it was below the state hourly wage average across occupations.
The 30 workers in design and media jobs for the construction industry in San Antonio fared worse. Compared to their peers across the state, they make the lowest hourly wages in the state at $22.43 per hour.
San Antonio’s highest paying occupation was management in the information industry, which enjoyed an average hourly wage of $69.55. Around 1,300 work in this position.
Meanwhile, the 4,000 workers in leisure and hospitality who work in transporting materials make an average hourly wage of $12.06 — the lowest recorded for any position in the city.
