Jobs, pay and daily life in The Woodlands, 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.
The Woodlands is a city in Texas with 121,002 residents. The median household earns $140,701 a year and the median rent is $1,822 a month, which is 15.5% 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 The Woodlands compares. Among the 120 largest places in Texas, The Woodlands is #32 by population, #6 for college degrees (#1 = most), #10 for household income (#1 = highest), #28 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Montgomery County, is #36 of 254 counties for average pay ($70,262).
The Woodlands has 121,002 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.4% of the population of Texas. It covers 43 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,796 people per square mile. The median age is 40.6, 14% older than the state median (40.6 against 35.6). It is a census-designated place: a community the Census Bureau counts as a unit, without a city government of its own, so services such as police, roads and zoning usually come from the county.
The median gross rent is $1,822 a month (rent plus utilities), 30% above the state median ($1,822 against $1,403). Over a year that is 15.5% 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 $511,700, which is 3.6 times the median household income ($140,701); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 72.5% of households own their home, 16% above the state average (72.5% against 62.6%).
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 Montgomery County was 4.3%. 60.9% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Montgomery County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 70.2% drive alone, 1.0% use public transit, 1.0% walk, 21.5% work from home. 20.9% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 24% above the state average (20.9% against 16.9%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
66.1% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 95% above the state share (66.1% against 33.8%). 21.8% of residents were born outside the United States, 24% above the state share (21.8% against 17.6%). The poverty rate is 5.5%, 60% below the state rate (5.5% against 13.8%).
The warmest month is Aug, averaging 84°F (29.0°C), and the coolest is Jan at 51°F (10.3°C). About 1,246 mm (49 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Oct is the wettest month (128 mm) and Feb the driest (69 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: Spring (11 miles, rent 6% lower); Conroe (11 miles, rent 24% lower); Atascocita (23 miles, similar rent); Houston (28 miles, rent 25% lower). Rent differences are against The Woodlands; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Texas (1,541) →State guide: TexasCountry guideMontgomery 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 | 20.6% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 17.6% |
| Manufacturing | 11.5% |
| Retail trade | 8.5% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 7.6% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 6.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 6.3% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 5.5% |
| Construction | 5.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 4.3% |
| Other services | 3.4% |
| Public administration | 1.7% |
| Information | 1.1% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county (the first of several) where The Woodlands lies and cover the whole county, not only the city. The city also extends into Harris County.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County | 684,432 | $50,079 million | $73,168 | 227,434 | 15,222 | $70,262 | +2.1% | 4.3% | 373,133 |
| Harris County | 4,838,303 | $592,751 million | $122,512 | 2,445,972 | 124,542 | $88,554 | +1.0% | 4.6% | 2,549,337 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 29,560 | 15.3% | $41,758 | 1.30 |
| Accommodation and food services | 27,422 | 14.2% | $26,611 | 1.33 |
| Health care and social assistance | 27,289 | 14.1% | $63,896 | 0.84 |
| Construction | 15,625 | 8.1% | $82,117 | 1.31 |
| Professional and technical services | 15,137 | 7.8% | $100,604 | 0.96 |
| Manufacturing | 13,155 | 6.8% | $93,516 | 0.70 |
| Administrative and waste services | 11,092 | 5.7% | $64,967 | 0.83 |
| Wholesale trade | 8,460 | 4.4% | $111,379 | 0.94 |
| Finance and insurance | 7,690 | 4.0% | $117,324 | 0.83 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 7,145 | 3.7% | $47,278 | 1.04 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6,613 | 3.4% | $107,850 | 0.69 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 5,146 | 2.7% | $171,534 | 5.98 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 4,664 | 2.4% | $29,966 | 1.22 |
| Management of companies | 4,384 | 2.3% | $197,175 | 1.14 |
| Real estate and rental | 3,270 | 1.7% | $85,408 | 0.93 |
| Educational services | 2,723 | 1.4% | $40,260 | 0.58 |
| Information | 1,989 | 1.0% | $88,830 | 0.47 |
| Utilities | 1,554 | 0.8% | $127,065 | 1.80 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 169 | 0.1% | $46,301 | 0.09 |
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 | 70.2% |
| Public transit | 1.0% |
| Walk | 1.0% |
| Work from home | 21.5% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 20.9% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $140,701 |
| Income per person | $73,538 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,822 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 15.5% |
| Median home value | $511,700 |
| Homeowners | 72.5% |
| Poverty rate | 5.5% |
| 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 | 40.6 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 97.2% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 66.1% |
| Born abroad | 21.8% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 60.9% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.3 | 51 | 89 |
| Feb | 12.5 | 54 | 69 |
| Mar | 16.5 | 62 | 85 |
| Apr | 20.4 | 69 | 87 |
| May | 24.6 | 76 | 119 |
| Jun | 28.0 | 82 | 126 |
| Jul | 28.5 | 83 | 110 |
| Aug | 29.0 | 84 | 125 |
| Sep | 26.2 | 79 | 118 |
| Oct | 21.4 | 71 | 128 |
| Nov | 15.9 | 61 | 94 |
| Dec | 11.7 | 53 | 96 |
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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | TX | 11 mi | 68,580 | $88,997 | $1,711 |
| Conroe | TX | 11 mi | 102,360 | $76,206 | $1,393 |
| Atascocita | TX | 23 mi | 99,354 | $118,226 | $1,849 |
| Houston | TX | 28 mi | 2,328,253 | $64,813 | $1,361 |
| Mission Bend | TX | 34 mi | 36,586 | $67,282 | $1,747 |
| Channelview | TX | 35 mi | 43,605 | $64,422 | $1,279 |
| Huntsville | TX | 37 mi | 47,864 | $47,529 | $1,035 |
| Fulshear | TX | 40 mi | 34,868 | $187,035 | $1,952 |
| Sugar Land | TX | 41 mi | 110,016 | $136,217 | $1,957 |
| Deer Park | TX | 41 mi | 33,967 | $100,382 | $1,318 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
121,002 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,822 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 15.5% of the median household income.
$140,701 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.3% (BLS county, Montgomery County (latest month 2026M09)).
Texas. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.