What pays what here
These cover Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands at every experience level, not starting offers (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New hires often land closer to the 10th percentile.
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| Occupation | Jobs in metro | 10th percentile | Median here | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand laborers and material movers | 52,520 | $14.26 | $18.27 | $19.35 |
| Stockers and order fillers | 72,970 | $13.82 | $17.74 | $17.95 |
| Forklift and industrial truck operators | 20,910 | $16.72 | $22.11 | $22.32 |
| Light truck drivers | 19,050 | $13.85 | $21.12 | $21.57 |
| Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers | 49,750 | $18.42 | $27.33 | $28.19 |
| Retail salespersons | 78,960 | $11.23 | $15.07 | $17.03 |
| Cashiers | 54,950 | $10.73 | $14.11 | $15.81 |
| Customer service representatives | 65,510 | $13.75 | $19.42 | $21.53 |
| Home health and personal care aides | 63,820 | $10.69 | $11.27 | $17.21 |
| Nursing assistants | 19,230 | $15.68 | $18.26 | $20.32 |
| Medical assistants | 18,280 | $14.86 | $20.25 | $21.97 |
| Construction laborers | 34,080 | $16.77 | $19.88 | $22.66 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 14,840 | $14.26 | $17.44 | $18.82 |
| Helpers, electricians | 1,810 | $17.36 | $21.56 | $20.51 |
| Electricians | 19,730 | $18.66 | $28.45 | $30.38 |
| HVAC mechanics and installers | 7,680 | $18.65 | $28.34 | $29.33 |
Nearly every Houston median sits below the U.S. figure. The widest gap is home care: $11.27 against $17.21, or $5.94 an hour. If you have a car and can pass a screening, compare home health aide pay by state before you commit. Helpers to electricians ($21.56) earn more than the U.S. median of $20.51.
The arithmetic. $18.27 for 40 hours is $730.80 a week. About $629.12 reaches your account after Social Security, Medicare and federal withholding for a single filer (IRS Topic 751 and Publication 15-T, 2026), since Texas has no wage tax (Texas Comptroller, December 2025). A home care job at $11.27 pays $450.80 gross for those hours. More cities: pay benchmarks.
Local pay rules
- Hourly floor: $7.25. Nothing changes on January 1, 2027, because Texas ties its rate to the federal one (U.S. DOL, updated July 1, 2026; see minimum wage by state). JobPin found no Houston city rate.
- Tips: an employer can pay $2.13 in cash when tips cover the rest (U.S. DOL tipped table, read October 31, 2026).
- How often: twice a month or more for overtime-eligible hourly staff (U.S. DOL table, revised January 1, 2023; see pay frequency laws).
Local rights: thin, and Houston tried to widen them
Sick days. Your employer does not have to give any, paid or unpaid. That is the Texas Workforce Commission's (TWC) own reading of Texas and federal law (Texas Guidebook for Employers, read October 31, 2026). Paid time promised in a written policy is different: TWC will hold the employer to it (Payday Law page, read October 31, 2026).
Schedules, breaks and hiring rules. Houston has no fair workweek ordinance that JobPin could find, and a 2023 state law blocks one. HB 2127 voids city rules on leave, hiring, breaks, benefits or scheduling that exceed state or federal law. Houston led the lawsuit against it. A trial court agreed with the city, but the Third Court of Appeals reversed, and a petition went to the Texas Supreme Court on June 29, 2026 (court docket, read October 31, 2026).
Meal and rest breaks. U.S. DOL's tables show no rule for Texas adults. Unpaid meal time is legal only if you are truly off duty (break laws).
Your record. Texas sets no private-employer limit on when a job can ask (ban the box laws).
One local tool. The City of Houston keeps a wage theft database of employers barred from city business. TWC supplies the data, and the list refreshes each quarter (City Finance Department, read October 31, 2026). Check an employer there. It will not recover your pay.
To get paid what you are owed: file a TWC wage claim within 180 days, or call 800-832-9243. Overtime and minimum wage problems can also go to U.S. DOL, 1-866-487-9243. See the unpaid wages guide.
Free local help
Workforce Solutions Gulf Coast runs Career Offices across the region, Monday to Friday, 8 to 5. The main line is 1-888-469-5627 (board site, read October 31, 2026).
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| East End | 4450 Harrisburg, Suite 100, Houston 77011 | 713-228-8848 |
| Northline | 4424 North Freeway, Suite A, Houston 77022 | 713-692-7755 |
| Southwest | 13625 Beechnut St., Suites A and B, Houston 77083 | 281-564-2660 |
| Northeast | 11939 Eastex Freeway, Suite A, Houston 77039 | 713-697-3437 |
Staff help with resumes, interviews and WorkInTexas.com, and connect people to "scholarships for childcare and job training." Young adults in Hire Gulf Coast Youth may get help with tuition, books and credentials. The board posts no dollar amounts here, and eligibility rules apply, so ask at the office before you enroll anywhere. Rules for training money, and what to say when you walk in: free job help.
Getting there on METRO
METRO's fare page lists no monthly pass (read October 31, 2026). You pay per ride or per day:
- Local bus or METRORail: $1.25, with free transfers for 3 hours
- Day Pass: $3
- Fare card: $2 for a plastic one, free in the RideMETRO app
- Every 10 paid rides earn one free ride
For 22 workdays, 44 rides at $1.25 cost $55. The free rides bring that to $50, about 2.7 hours of pay at $18.27. Day Passes would cost $66, so buy one only on days with extra trips.
Discounts: half fare for students, seniors 65 to 69, and people with disabilities. Riders 70 and over and qualified veterans ride free. METRO's page lists no low-income or job-seeker fare, so ask your Career Office whether it has transit help.
To the East End office: METRO's METRORail page lists Workforce Solutions - East End at Lockwood and Harrisburg, near Green Line Lockwood/Eastwood station. Trains run about every 12 minutes on weekdays.
Who employs people here
September is preliminary (BLS Economy at a Glance, extracted October 30, 2026). Unemployment was 4.6%.
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| Sector | Jobs, September 2026 | Change over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Total nonfarm | 3,489,400 | +1.0% |
| Trade, transportation and utilities | 693,300 | +0.4% |
| Professional and business services | 578,000 | +2.7% |
| Education and health services | 474,900 | +1.2% |
| Government | 459,100 | -0.7% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 368,000 | +0.6% |
| Construction | 269,300 | +5.4% |
| Manufacturing | 240,100 | -0.1% |
| Mining and logging | 73,100 | +0.0% |
Construction grew fastest here, up 5.4%. Port Houston reports 92,330 direct jobs from cargo and vessel activity at public and private Ship Channel terminals, with about 73% held by Harris County residents (Port Houston, August 25, 2026). The figure comes from a study the port commissioned.
Job fairs and hiring events
- Hiring Red, White and You: Tuesday, November 3, 10:30 AM (Workforce Solutions calendar, read October 31, 2026).
- Waffle House hiring event: Wednesday, November 4, 10 AM (same calendar).
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice hiring event: Tuesday, November 10, 10 AM (same calendar).
- Houston Career Fair: Thursday, November 12, Crowne Plaza Houston Galleria. JobPin's hub gives no start time, so confirm with the organizer.
All fairs: job fairs in Houston. Before you go: how to get hired at a job fair.
A plan for this week
- Monday, November 2: take the Green Line to the East End office. Say what you want to do and ask about scholarships.
- Tuesday: go to Hiring Red, White and You with printed resumes. Check the calendar for the location first.
- Wednesday: load your RideMETRO card and map each job you want against METRO's trip planner. Some sites may be a long ride, so test it before you say yes.
- Thursday: apply to five openings. Use the 10th percentile above as your lowest acceptable number.
- Friday: ask each employer for its sick pay policy in writing, since no Texas law gives you any.
Current openings
Next steps on JobPin: warehouse jobs in Houston, delivery jobs, driver jobs and healthcare jobs.
Source-linked openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Follow the link on any Houston listing to its source, then confirm the pay and the address with the employer. Be wary of a "Houston" job that needs your own truck or a fee up front. JobPin's checks are explained in how JobPin verifies listings.
How JobPin dates and sources listings: How JobPin verifies listings and events. Report a listing.