Home Care In Sugar Land, TX

While Houston still offers working families a relatively low cost of living, you’ll need to earn a nearly six-figure salary to make it into the “middle class” in The Woodlands or Sugar Land.

That’s according to a new analysis from SmartAsset, a personal finance website that used median household income to figure out what kind of salary counts as middle-income in various cities and states. The Pew Research Center defines “middle-income” as ranging from two-thirds to double a region’s median income. The median, as you may recall from math class, is the midpoint of any data set.

The Woodlands, in Montgomery County, has the 10th highest middle-income range in the country, with a median household income of $137,335, meaning a household needs to bring in at least $91,000 to be considered middle-income in the Montgomery County township. Sugar Land, in Fort Bend County, is close behind, ranking 13th with a median household income of $132,766. There, households earning between $88,502 and $265,532 are considered middle-income.

By comparison, the median household income in Houston is about $60,000 a year, meaning that households earning $40,000-$120,000 a year are middle income.

Several California cities — Sunnyvale, Fremont and San Mateo — rank highest in the nation in terms of middle-income ranges, SmartAsset notes. The Woodlands is one of two Texas cities in the top 10: Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, has the 8th highest median income in the nation, at $145,914.

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In the United States, the middle class is somewhat amorphous and often defined by occupation, lifestyle or educational attainment as much as income or wealth. Sugar Land stands out for its education level, with two-thirds of residents having a bachelor’s degree or higher.

And many middle-income Americans are feeling financially squeezed, notes Jaclyn DeJohn, managing editor at SmartAsset and a certified financial planner. That’s particularly true for those living in areas with a high cost of living: In the three California cities that top the list in terms of median household incomes, for example, the cost of living was about 70% higher than the national average in 2023.

“In many areas, housing is going to be the main point of contention when it comes to costs,” she said. “Houston has an advantage in that housing is roughly 18% less expensive than average — and relatively cheap even compared to other costs in Houston, like groceries and utilities.”

Relatively affluent communities, such as Sugar Land and The Woodlands, might not offer quite the same cost advantages as Houston itself; the median home price in The Woodlands is well north of the half-million dollar mark. Still, such a price might seem like a steal to a homebuyer from California or New York, and so the region’s relative affordability helps explain its ongoing population growth.

As DeJohn noted, anyone trying to balance a household budget has to consider two main factors: income and expenses — and adjusting the latter may be easier, even though a tight labor market has helped push wages up: “While wages generally increase over time, they may not keep up with certain costs,” she said.

“Oftentimes, switching jobs may be the best way to get a larger increase in salary, but this is not always a reasonable plan to rely on,” she continued. “Finding ways to stretch your budget by cutting costs often becomes the quickest way to relief. This might mean cutting out non-necessities, finding ways to share certain expenses, or even moving to less-expensive areas to take advantage of lower costs and taxes, when possible.”

May 5, 2024

Business Reporter

Erica Grieder is a business reporter for the Houston Chronicle.

She joined the Houston Chronicle, as a metro columnist, in 2017. Prior to that she spent ten years based in Austin, reporting on politics and economics, as the southwest correspondent for The Economist, from 2007-2012, then as a senior editor at Texas Monthly, from 2012-2016. In 2013, she published her first book, "Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas." An Air Force brat, Erica thinks of San Antonio as home. She is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas's Emerging Leaders Council, and holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs and Columbia University, where she majored in philosophy.

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Sugar Land Set To be Launch Pad for Wisk's eVTOL Air Taxi Services

A vertiport at the city's airport could be part of a network across the Greater Houston area

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• Managing Editor

February 29, 2024

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Prices in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area, as measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), advanced 1.0 percent for the two months ending in February 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the all items less food and energy index rose 0.7 percent, largely driven by an increase in the index for medical care. The energy index advanced 4.2 percent in January and February, almost entirely due to a rise in gasoline prices. The index for food increased 0.7 percent. (Data in this report are not seasonally adjusted. Accordingly, bi-monthly changes may reflect seasonal influences.)

Over the last 12 months, the CPI-U rose 3.5 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 3.7 percent over the year. Food prices advanced 4.6 percent, while energy prices fell 2.2 percent over the same period. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Food

Food prices increased 0.7 percent for the two months ending in February. Prices for food away from home (restaurant, cafeteria, and vending purchases) advanced 0.9 percent, and prices for food at home (grocery store prices) rose 0.5 percent for the same period. The increase in the food at home index was mainly due to a rise in prices for dairy and related products (+6.9 percent). A decline in the index for nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials (-2.3 percent) partially offset the increase.

Over the year, food prices advanced 4.6 percent. Prices for food away from home rose 6.0 percent since a year ago. Prices for food at home increased 3.6 percent, with the index for fruits and vegetables (+11.0 percent) contributing most to the rise.

Energy

The energy index advanced 4.2 percent for the two months ending in February. The increase was mainly due to higher prices for gasoline (+7.8 percent). Prices for electricity rose 0.3 percent, while prices for natural gas service decreased 3.2 percent for the same period.

From February 2023 to February 2024, energy prices fell 2.2 percent. A decrease in the index for gasoline (-4.3 percent) contributed most to the decline, but a decrease in prices paid for electricity also contributed (-1.7 percent). Prices for natural gas service increased 6.0 percent during the past year.

All items less food and energy

The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.7 percent in the latest two-month period. Higher prices for medical care (+2.8 percent) and apparel (+6.7 percent) were partially offset by lower prices for lodging away from home and used cars and trucks (-3.8 percent).

Over the year, the index for all items less food and energy advanced 3.7 percent. Components contributing to the increase included owners’ equivalent rent of residences (+5.2 percent), rent of primary residence (+4.6 percent), and motor vehicle maintenance and repair. Partly offsetting the increases were price decreases in recreation (-2.5 percent), lodging away from home, and medical care services.

The April 2024 Consumer Price Index for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area is scheduled to be released on Wednesday May 15, 2024.

Technical Note

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) a CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 93 percent of the total U.S. population and (2) a CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) which covers approximately 29 percent of the total U.S. population. The CPI-U includes, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force.

The CPI is based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, and fuels, transportation fares, charges for doctors' and dentists' services, drugs, and the other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. Each month, prices are collected in 75 urban areas across the country from about 6,000 housing units and approximately 22,000 retail establishments—department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index.

The index measures price changes from a designated reference date; for most of the CPI-U the reference base is 1982-84 equals 100. An increase of 7 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 107.000. Alternatively, that relationship can also be expressed as the price of a base period market basket of goods and services rising from $100 to $107. For further details see the CPI home page on the internet at www.bls.gov/cpi and the CPI section of the BLS Handbook of Methods available on the internet at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cpi/.

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with weights that represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. Because the sample size of a local area is smaller, the local area index is subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error than the national index. In addition, local indexes are not adjusted for seasonal influences. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are quite similar. NOTE: Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices between cities; they only measure the average change in prices for each area since the base period.

The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, Core Based Statistical Area includes the counties of Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. & SUGAR LAND, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wisk Aero, a leading Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, and the City of Sugar Land, Texas, have entered into a partnership to bring autonomous Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to the Greater Houston region.

Under this new partnership, Wisk and Sugar Land will identify and assess a location at the Sugar Land Regional Airport for the development of vertiport infrastructure that would allow for Wisk’s autonomous air taxi operations. This initial partnership will lay the foundation and act as a gateway for the establishment of a larger network across the Greater Houston region.

Wisk CEO, Brian Yutko, said:

“The Greater Houston area is experiencing some of the highest population growth in the country, which calls for new and efficient ways to move across the region. Sugar Land’s strategic location within the Greater Houston region, and its forward-thinking city leadership, make it an ideal partner for us and one that is uniquely positioned as an early leader in the launch of air taxi services. We look forward to working with Sugar Land, local ecosystem stakeholders, and the FAA on both ground and air infrastructure, as we bring autonomous air taxi services to the Greater Houston region."

Sugar Land City Manager, Michael W. Goodrum, said:

“Sugar Land is committed to blazing new trails, and I believe our relentless approach has caught the attention of the private sector as we’ve sought innovative solutions to mobility in our community through efforts like Advanced Air Mobility. We are excited to partner with Wisk Aero on a new concept that just might change the way we travel -- not only in our city but across the world. Sugar Land is a great place to start in the Houston region, because we want to be a city where innovation is second nature, where creativity is encouraged and where change is embraced. We couldn’t ask for a better partner than Wisk Aero to join us on this journey.”

Texas State Representative, David Cook, said:

“I am thrilled to see a leading AAM Company like Wisk commit to the future of Advanced Air Mobility here in Texas. These public-private partnerships are exactly what we hoped would result from the passage of our legislation during the 88th Legislative Session and solidifies Texas as a leader in this new technology space.”

Wisk and Sugar Land will engage in a number of activities to advance the overarching goal of the partnership.

Prior to today’s announcement, Wisk spent the past 18 months actively developing an ecosystem of stakeholders and local relationships that will play a critical role under this new agreement, and in helping achieve long-term success for future air taxi services.

About Wisk

Wisk is an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company dedicated to delivering safe, everyday flight for everyone. Wisk’s self-flying, eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi will make it possible for passengers to skip the traffic and get to their destination faster. Wisk is a fully-owned Boeing subsidiary and is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with locations around the world. With over a decade of experience and over 1700+ test flights, Wisk is shaping the future of daily commutes and urban travel, safely and sustainably. Learn more about Wisk here.

About Sugar Land

Sugar Land Regional Airport (SGR) is a leader in corporate aviation while also providing for the needs of the general aviation community. Managing 75,000 operations annually, the airport has the capacity for handling up to 268,000 operations. Runway 17-35 is 8,000 feet long and can handle some of the largest corporate jets like the Global Express or Gulfstream 650. The airport has been designated as a reliever airport for George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby Airport in Houston. Amenities include a luxurious terminal, concierge services from the highly-rated FBO, GlobalSelect, on-site U.S. Customs, and more. The airport contributes more than $69.9 million to the property tax rolls, supports the economic development initiatives of Sugar Land, Fort Bend County, and Southwest Houston, and is used by more than 100 Fortune 500 companies on a regular basis. The airport plays a critical role in the region's economic development as it provides an opportunity for corporate executives, minimizing the "chair to air" travel time. The airport's quality and strategic proximity emerge as key factors influencing companies' decisions to establish their headquarters in the Sugar Land area.

Two-Buck Chuck could be making its way to Sugar Land.

The cult-favorite grocery chain Trader Joe’s recently applied for an alcohol permit at 13550 University Blvd. An opening date is unknown, but the store is set to take over a former Sprouts Farmers Market, which closed last year in University Commons Shopping Center.

There are currently five Trader Joe’s locations within the Houston area, including Katy and The Woodlands, but on social media platforms, fans of the company’s reasonably priced products and specialty items are constantly fanning rumors about future openings. The company, which is notoriously tight-lipped about its plans, revealed few details.

“We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year,” a Trader Joe’s spokesperson said in an email.

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Regardless of an opening date, a Trader Joe’s opening is known for commanding long lines and customers wiping out products.

The chain is famous for its private labels, which allows it to price a range of products competitively. Two-Buck Chuck wine for the longest time was sold for $1.99 per bottle (its price has gone up to $3.99 in some markets). Today, a bevy of sites and food influencers review other popular products ranging from chili- and lime-flavored rolled corn tortilla chips to ice cream sandwiches.

An opening in Sugar Land comes at a time when the suburb is among the fast-growing in the U.S. The area had the sixth-highest population growth among U.S. cities between 2017 and 2022, according to the personal-finance website SmartAsset.

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The first Houston-area Trader Joe’s opened in 2012 taking over the old Alabama Theatre building near the Montrose area. Its debut also followed months of speculation about the store’s arrival.

A company spokesperson would not confirm a timeline for future openings. Of 545 Trader Joe’s stores across the country, 21 are located in Texas.

The Trader Joe’s website lists 13 forthcoming locations. More than half of those openings are slated for California, where the company is based, but there are also stores set to open in Vancouver, Wash.; Middletown Township, N.J., East Lansing, Mich.; and New York City.