San Antonio experiences largest growth in six-figure salaries in Texas, beating out Austin

Tesla may be moving to Austin, HP to Houston and Charles Schwab to Dallas — but the Alamo City had the highest growth in six-figure salaries in Texas, according to a according to a new study from real-estate software company Stessa. From 2015-2020, the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro logged a 163% increase in positions paying greater than $100,000 — meaning that nearly 6% of all jobs in the area delivered salaries above that coveted threshold. SA landed at No. 7 on the list, beating out Austin, which slotted in at 15. Neither the DFW Metroplex nor Houston managed to break the study's top 20. The Nashville metro area topped the list with a 270.9% increase during the study period.

The report's authors attributed at least some of the income growth to pandemic-induced labor demand. “One of the COVID-19 pandemic’s most significant long-term effects on the economy could be rising wages,” according to the study. “With widespread shortages in the labor market reported this summer, many employers — particularly those with lower-wage employees — have tried to entice workers with improved compensation and benefits.” Although rising wages appear promising for the region’s economic outlook, the average median salary in San Antonio is still only a modest $37,980, according to the analysis.