Editor’s note: As the year comes to a close, InnovationMap is looking back at the year’s top stories in Houston innovation. In the lifestyle category on InnovationMap, report-driven stories related to life in Houston dominated this section on InnovationMap in 2024. Be sure to click through to read the full story.
Houston dazzles as most diverse large city in U.S., report says
Houston is the No. 4 most diverse city in the U.S. Photo via Getty Images
Living in a multicultural city comes with many benefits. Diverse communities bring new perspectives, greater versatility, and economic boosts, to name a few. And according to a new study by WalletHub, Houston is among the most diverse places in the nation.
Houston is getting some time in the spotlight in WalletHub’s annual ranking of the “Most Diverse Cities in the U.S. (2024),” maintaining its position as the No. 1 most diverse large city in America, and the No. 4 overall most diverse. The report compared 501 U.S. cities across 13 metrics in five categories that encompass “diversity” across socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, and religious factors. Continue reading.
Booming Houston suburb, other Texas towns among the fastest-growing U.S. cities in 2023
Here’s how Texas towns stacked up on a new population report. Photo via Getty Images
One Houston suburb experienced one of the most rapid growth spurts in the country last year: Fulshear, whose population grew by 25.6 percent, more than 51 times that of the nation’s growth rate of 0.5 percent. The city’s population was 42,616 as of July 1, 2023.
According to U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2023 Population Estimates, released Thursday, May 16, Fulshear — which lies west of Katy in northwest Fort Bend County – ranked No. 2 on the list of fastest-growing cities with a population of 20,000 or more. It’s no wonder iconic Houston restaurants like Molina’s Cantina see opportunities there. Continue reading.
Here’s how much it takes to earn a top 1 percent salary in Texas
Texans now need to make $130,241 more in 2024 to maintain their status as one of the highest earners in the state. Photo via Getty Images
With two Houston-area neighbors cashing in among the most wealthy suburbs in America, Houstonians may be wondering how much money they need to make to secure a place in the top one percent of earners. According to a new study from SmartAsset, the pre-tax salary required to be considered one of the highest earners in Texas amounts to $762,090 in 2024.
Texas has the 14th highest pre-tax salary needed to be considered in the top one percent of earners in the U.S. for the second year in a row. Texas’ income threshold is not too far off from the national average, which is $787,712. Continue reading.
Report: Houstonians need $12K more to live comfortably than they did last year
It’s not all bad for the Bayou City, but if you’re making the same as last year, you’re probably feeling the pinch. Photo via Getty Images
As inflation and the cost of living rise in most places around the United States, so does the amount of money a resident needs to live comfortably. But Houstonians are faring far better than residents of some of the biggest cities in America.
Houston requires the lowest salary needed to live comfortably in 2024, according to a new SmartAsset report. Specifically, they say, Houston ranks No. 1 for “the lowest annual salary needed for a single adult to live in sustainable comfort using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule” — that is, 50 percent of a salary allocated toward needs (housing, groceries, transportation); 30 percent toward wants (entertainment and hobbies); and 20 percent toward paying off debt, saving, or investing.
Houstonians need to make $75,088 individually to lead a comfortable lifestyle and avoid living paycheck to paycheck, or a $36.10 hourly wage, says the report, which analyzed 99 major U.S. cities. Continue reading.