Midlanders’ wages rank first in West Texas, second statewide

MIDLAND – Average annual wages top the entire West Texas region and fall short only to those in the Houston MSA. Midlanders boast an average annual income of $49,040 — only about $800 lower than the Houston average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Between 15 percent and 20 percent of Midland workers are employed within the oil and gas industry — likely the highest concentration of any U.S. metro area population tied to one single industry, according to economist Karr Ingham.

Midlanders who make the most money, on average, do not work within the oil and gas industry. Instead, it local physicians, including surgeons, who bring home the most money each year.

Surgeons and physicians are paid an average of $230,040 each year in Midland — nearly 24 percent more than those in Houston. There are 150 physicians employed in Midland, while there are more than 4,800 in the Houston metropolitan area.

In both metropolitan areas, however, chief executives make the second highest salary, on average. In Midland, CEOs collect an average of $195,820 a year, while they make an average of $226,290 in Houston.