When you look at a paycheck for a Texas state employee, you're seeing a weird mix of ultra-rigid pay scales and surprisingly high-paying local anomalies. Most people think government work is just a slow grind toward a pension, but the reality of state of Texas public salaries in 2026 is way more nuanced. It isn't just about what the Governor makes—it's about the $400,000 earners you've probably never heard of in Harris County.
Honestly, the "average" salary numbers are kinda misleading. If you just look at the raw data, the average annual pay for a state employee in Texas is sitting right around $70,978 as of early 2026. But that's like saying the average depth of a river is four feet when there’s a twenty-foot hole in the middle. You have thousands of entry-level clerks making $30,000, and then you have forensic specialists or agency heads pulling in half a million.
The gap is massive.
The Pay Scale Trap: Understanding Schedule A and B
Most rank-and-file workers fall under a classification system. If you get a job with the state, you're likely going to be on Salary Schedule A or Salary Schedule B. These aren't just suggestions; they are the law, set by the legislature every two years.
Schedule A is mostly for administrative, maintenance, and technician roles. For the 2026-2027 cycle, a Pay Group A5 starts as low as $25,777. That’s tight. It’s basically the floor. On the other end, Schedule B covers more professional and "exempt" roles. A senior manager in Pay Group B34 can see a maximum of $277,446.
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But here is the thing: nobody actually stays at the minimum if they can help it. Agencies use "merit increases" to keep people from jumping ship to the private sector. In the current biennium, there’s been a huge push for targeted raises. We’re talking about 6% across-the-board increases for non-judicial staff and even 10% bumps for correctional officers. Texas is realizing that if you don't pay people, they just go work for a tech firm in Austin instead.
High Earners You Wouldn't Expect
While Governor Greg Abbott makes $153,750—a salary that hasn't moved in years—he is far from the highest-paid person on the public dime.
In fact, the real money is often in local government or specialized state roles. Look at Harris County. Last year, data showed that Dr. Luis Arturo Sanchez, the chief medical examiner, was earning $536,141. That is significantly more than the President of the United States makes. You also have county engineers and toll road directors in Houston making well over $450,000.
Why? Because those roles require specialized licenses and high-stakes management that the private sector would pay millions for. The state has to compete or the bridges don't get built and the autopsies don't get done.
The Austin vs. The Rest of Texas Factor
Where you live in Texas changes the value of state of Texas public salaries dramatically. If you're working a state job in Austin, you might be making $75,795 on average, but you're also paying Austin rent. Meanwhile, if you’re a state worker in a place like Eagle Pass or Marfa, your salary might actually be higher than the state average due to "locality pay" or specific agency needs.
For instance, state employees in Marfa are averaging over $79,000. In a small town, that makes you the upper class. In Dallas or Austin, it makes you a guy with three roommates.
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It’s also worth noting that the Texas Tribune’s Government Salaries Explorer remains the gold standard for looking this stuff up. They track over 150,000 employees across 115 agencies. As of their latest 2026 updates, the median salary across the entire state workforce is roughly $60,513.
The Transparency Problem
Texas is kinda old-school when it comes to pay transparency. Unlike California or New York, Texas doesn't force private companies to post salary ranges in job ads. But for the public sector, everything is an open book. You can literally go online, type in a neighbor's name, and see exactly what they made last year if they work for a state agency.
However, "total compensation" is different from "base salary."
A lot of people forget about the benefits.
- Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS): This is a huge perk.
- Health Insurance: Often $0 premium for the employee.
- Longevity Pay: You get a small bump just for not quitting.
If you add those in, a $60,000 salary is actually worth closer to $85,000 in the private market.
Why Some Salaries Stay Low
You might wonder why the Lieutenant Governor, Dan Patrick, only makes $7,200 a year. It sounds like a typo. It’s not. In Texas, the "citizen legislature" model means lawmakers are paid a pittance so they have to have "real jobs" back home. They do get a per diem of about $221 a day when they are in session, which helps, but the base pay is a relic of the 1800s.
How to Check Your Own Potential Pay
If you are looking to get into the public sector, don't just look at the job posting. You need to look at the SAO (State Auditor’s Office) classification reports. They literally list every job title—from "Groundskeeper" to "Investment Analyst"—and show you the exact pay group it belongs to.
For the 2026-2027 biennium, the state is reallocating 234 job titles to higher salary groups. This means the state is basically admitting that some jobs were underpaid and they are moving them up the ladder. If you’re a "Deputy Clerk" or a "Parole Officer," you're seeing some of the biggest jumps in years—sometimes as much as 15%.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Texas Salaries
If you're trying to figure out if a state job is worth it, or if you're a taxpayer wondering where the money goes, here is how you handle the data:
- Check the Schedule, Not Just the Ad: Look up the "Salary Schedule A/B/C" on the Texas Comptroller's (FMX) website to see the true ceiling of a position. A job might start at $45k, but if the max is $71k, you have room to grow.
- Use the "Locality" Filter: Salaries in Dallas-Fort Worth often include a 27.26% locality payment for federal-linked roles or specific state adjustments to keep up with the cost of living.
- Audit the "Hidden" Pay: When comparing a state offer to a private one, multiply the state salary by 1.3 to account for the value of the pension and health benefits.
- Request the Data: If an agency or local school district isn't in the Tribune's database, remember the Texas Public Information Act. You have the legal right to request a CSV of any public entity's payroll. They have to give it to you.
Texas isn't the highest-paying state for government workers—it actually ranks near the bottom for "average" pay nationwide—but the low cost of living in many regions and the massive bumps for "essential" roles in 2026 make it a complex, high-stakes environment for anyone watching the bottom line.