Jobs, pay and daily life in Galveston, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Galveston is a city in Texas with 53,424 residents. The median household earns $55,631 a year and the median rent is $1,298 a month, which is 28.0% of the median household income. It is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metropolitan area, where BLS counts 3,289,720 jobs.
How Galveston compares. Among the 120 largest places in Texas, Galveston is #72 by population, #110 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #109 for household income (#1 = highest), #39 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Galveston County, is #60 of 254 counties for average pay ($62,650).
Galveston has 53,424 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of Texas. It covers 41 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,302 people per square mile. The median age is 41.5, 17% older than the state median (41.5 against 35.6).
The median gross rent is $1,298 a month (rent plus utilities), 7% below the state median ($1,298 against $1,403). Over a year that is 28.0% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $326,000, which is 5.9 times the median household income ($55,631); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 46.2% of households own their home, 26% below the state average (46.2% against 62.6%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metropolitan area has 3,289,720 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $49,410 a year, 3% below the national median ($49,410 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (379,010 jobs, median $45,850); transportation and material moving (314,010 jobs, median $43,570); food preparation and serving related (307,980 jobs, median $28,530). The area is most specialised in architecture and engineering (1.4 times) and construction and extraction (1.3 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($126,630) and legal ($105,240). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Galveston County was 4.6%. 56.3% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Galveston County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 69.1% drive alone, 0.3% use public transit, 5.4% walk, 12.2% work from home. 11.8% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 30% below the state average (11.8% against 16.9%).
36.0% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 6% above the state share (36.0% against 33.8%). 13.5% of residents were born outside the United States, 23% below the state share (13.5% against 17.6%). The poverty rate is 21.4%, 55% above the state rate (21.4% against 13.8%).
The warmest month is Aug, averaging 85°F (29.2°C), and the coolest is Jan at 57°F (13.9°C). About 1,547 mm (61 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Sep is the wettest month (190 mm) and Feb the driest (72 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Texas City (18 miles, similar rent); League City (23 miles, rent 30% higher); Friendswood (26 miles, rent 30% higher); Pearland (33 miles, rent 43% higher). Rent differences are against Galveston; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Texas (1,541) →State guide: TexasCountry guideGalveston CountyTexas rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,541 federal postings open in Texas (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 105,810 | 1.30 | $27,570 | $21,630 | $35,210 | -12% |
| General and Operations Managers | 97,320 | 1.31 | $119,600 | $50,490 | $296,070 | +13% |
| Retail Salespersons | 78,960 | 0.96 | $31,340 | $23,350 | $45,670 | -11% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 72,970 | 1.22 | $36,890 | $28,740 | $46,910 | -1% |
| Registered Nurses | 65,910 | 0.92 | $99,830 | $74,860 | $130,440 | +2% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 65,510 | 1.19 | $40,380 | $28,600 | $59,840 | -10% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 63,820 | 0.70 | $23,440 | $22,240 | $31,920 | -35% |
| Cashiers | 54,950 | 0.84 | $29,350 | $22,320 | $36,990 | -11% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 52,520 | 0.84 | $38,000 | $29,660 | $52,270 | -6% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 51,330 | 1.07 | $22,080 | $17,480 | $47,290 | -37% |
| Office Clerks, General | 50,040 | 0.96 | $40,370 | $24,570 | $63,190 | -10% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 49,750 | 1.14 | $56,840 | $38,320 | $79,490 | -3% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 48,880 | 1.05 | $30,650 | $23,200 | $44,820 | -17% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 36,940 | 1.22 | $65,990 | $45,100 | $105,670 | -5% |
| Project Management Specialists | 35,550 | 1.58 | $99,510 | $58,560 | $168,070 | -3% |
| Construction Laborers | 34,080 | 1.47 | $41,350 | $34,880 | $58,310 | -12% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 33,710 | 0.93 | $46,750 | $29,770 | $65,940 | -2% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 32,710 | 1.10 | $35,050 | $24,600 | $38,370 | -6% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 32,050 | 0.99 | $46,710 | $31,620 | $76,210 | -6% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 31,290 | 1.21 | $36,410 | $23,870 | $62,140 | -17% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 4,160 | 1.90 | $307,690 | $104,110 | $456,570 | +33% |
| Physicians, All Other | 7,010 | 0.97 | $292,490 | $73,390 | $457,450 | +10% |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 680 | 0.62 | $275,310 | $169,310 | $342,260 | +16% |
| Chief Executives | 1,920 | 0.44 | $275,270 | $121,650 | $633,110 | +29% |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | 1,030 | 0.72 | $274,410 | $67,400 | $441,290 | +7% |
| Anesthesiologists | 1,160 | 1.42 | $210,230 | $83,920 | $488,670 | -46% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 13,090 | 0.92 | $172,160 | $106,600 | $275,130 | -2% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 5,330 | 1.14 | $172,020 | $124,910 | $285,950 | +0% |
| Financial Managers | 18,570 | 1.04 | $166,910 | $102,400 | $310,750 | +0% |
| Lawyers | 16,810 | 1.05 | $157,980 | $80,210 | $363,120 | -1% |
| Marketing Managers | 8,930 | 1.07 | $153,030 | $80,760 | $259,100 | -8% |
| Managers, All Other | 14,930 | 1.13 | $144,820 | $78,340 | $229,200 | +2% |
| Human Resources Managers | 5,890 | 1.26 | $142,110 | $88,380 | $224,150 | -5% |
| Pharmacists | 6,410 | 0.94 | $140,470 | $83,200 | $170,170 | -0% |
| Database Architects | 780 | 0.55 | $139,100 | $78,820 | $192,390 | -0% |
| Purchasing Managers | 2,630 | 1.47 | $139,050 | $87,970 | $210,420 | -6% |
| Chemical Engineers | 1,510 | 3.40 | $138,120 | $99,890 | $217,260 | +10% |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 840 | 0.52 | $137,740 | $82,200 | $195,190 | -15% |
| Physician Assistants | 2,390 | 0.70 | $137,240 | $90,920 | $168,240 | +1% |
| Sales Managers | 16,430 | 1.22 | $135,880 | $68,680 | $269,000 | -8% |
These figures are for the whole Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $49,410 (US $50,980); unemployment 4.6% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 28.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 16.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 11.5% |
| Retail trade | 9.5% |
| Construction | 7.4% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 6.9% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 5.3% |
| Other services | 5.0% |
| Manufacturing | 4.1% |
| Public administration | 3.0% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.2% |
| Information | 0.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.3% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Galveston lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galveston County | 358,990 | $26,337 million | $73,363 | 122,734 | 6,943 | $62,650 | +0.1% | 4.6% | 183,590 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food services | 18,949 | 21.3% | $25,458 | 1.70 |
| Retail trade | 13,804 | 15.5% | $38,288 | 1.13 |
| Health care and social assistance | 10,162 | 11.4% | $52,593 | 0.58 |
| Construction | 7,451 | 8.4% | $82,928 | 1.16 |
| Manufacturing | 6,054 | 6.8% | $135,037 | 0.60 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,993 | 5.6% | $54,337 | 0.69 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 4,739 | 5.3% | $58,102 | 0.91 |
| Professional and technical services | 4,719 | 5.3% | $80,522 | 0.55 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 4,391 | 4.9% | $55,128 | 1.19 |
| Finance and insurance | 4,355 | 4.9% | $85,297 | 0.87 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,739 | 3.1% | $27,745 | 1.33 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,170 | 2.4% | $97,772 | 0.45 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,687 | 1.9% | $60,882 | 0.89 |
| Educational services | 1,018 | 1.1% | $37,173 | 0.40 |
| Information | 669 | 0.8% | $88,287 | 0.29 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 594 | 0.7% | $129,690 | 1.28 |
| Utilities | 346 | 0.4% | $115,700 | 0.74 |
| Management of companies | 174 | 0.2% | $92,326 | 0.08 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 84 | 0.1% | $38,103 | 0.08 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 69.1% |
| Public transit | 0.3% |
| Walk | 5.4% |
| Work from home | 12.2% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 11.8% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,631 |
| Income per person | $40,926 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,298 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 28.0% |
| Median home value | $326,000 |
| Homeowners | 46.2% |
| Poverty rate | 21.4% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 98.6 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $49,410 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 41.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 88.2% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 36.0% |
| Born abroad | 13.5% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 56.3% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13.9 | 57 | 119 |
| Feb | 15.1 | 59 | 72 |
| Mar | 17.9 | 64 | 93 |
| Apr | 21.3 | 70 | 95 |
| May | 24.8 | 77 | 123 |
| Jun | 27.9 | 82 | 155 |
| Jul | 28.8 | 84 | 150 |
| Aug | 29.2 | 85 | 172 |
| Sep | 27.7 | 82 | 190 |
| Oct | 24.3 | 76 | 153 |
| Nov | 19.6 | 67 | 103 |
| Dec | 15.7 | 60 | 122 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas City | TX | 18 mi | 55,364 | $68,776 | $1,307 |
| League City | TX | 23 mi | 116,215 | $121,099 | $1,684 |
| Friendswood | TX | 26 mi | 41,030 | $126,508 | $1,688 |
| Pearland | TX | 33 mi | 127,514 | $118,842 | $1,860 |
| La Porte | TX | 34 mi | 36,730 | $80,753 | $1,378 |
| Pasadena | TX | 34 mi | 149,433 | $64,927 | $1,213 |
| Deer Park | TX | 36 mi | 33,967 | $100,382 | $1,318 |
| Baytown | TX | 40 mi | 85,205 | $59,910 | $1,307 |
| Channelview | TX | 43 mi | 43,605 | $64,422 | $1,279 |
| Missouri City | TX | 43 mi | 76,558 | $94,390 | $1,931 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
53,424 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,298 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 28.0% of the median household income.
$55,631 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.6% (BLS county, Galveston County (latest month 2026M09)).
Texas. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.