High housing costs slowed income growth in Texas last year, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Texas Tribune reported.
The state’s median household income was $82,625, up slightly from the previous year. That is slightly lower than the national median household income of $84,780.
The state’s poverty rank shrank, but the number of older Texans and families living in poverty rose, census data indicates. Housing costs rose for both renters and homeowners.
More than half of the state’s 4.3 million renters are spending a third of their take-home pay on rent, while the share of homeowners with a mortgage considered “cost-burdened” rose slightly to 32% in 2025.
Hispanic and Black households had the largest increases in median income, now up to $70,438 and $64,664, respectively. That still lags behind white median household income at $92,479.
Nuclear power projects coming to Texas
Billions of dollars in federal grants and lucrative tax credits are driving more than a half/dozen nuclear power projects in the state, the Houston Chronicle reported.
A number of startup nuclear companies are located in the state, most setting up offices in and around Austin. Several universities, including Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Abilene Christian University, are partnering with the companies.
In Abilene, the startup Natural Resources is building a test reactor on ACU’s campus. The plan is to eventually produce small modular reactors on an assembly-line basis.
“I can see Stargate, one of the world’s largest data centers, out my window,” said CEO Jordan Robison. “The need is out there. We need to find clean, firm generation sources. The technology is proven, and we have the ability to bring the cost down.”
Some skeptics question whether nuclear power is economically feasible. Andrew Kleinman, an analyst at the research firm Wood Mackenzie, said no one has proven that building nuclear reactors can compete economically with more traditional power sources, such as natural gas plants, or wind and solar farms.
“It’s all still pretty early on. We have one project under construction and one that just got a construction permit,” he said. “We don’t know how much it’s going to cost, but odds are the first ones are going to be expensive.”
Texans are getting older, census data shows
The median age of a Texas resident last year was 36.2 years, according to census data, nearly 3 years older than the state’s median age a decade ago. The data shows that Texas still remains significantly younger than the country as a whole. The median U.S. age was 39.5 years, The Dallas Morning News reported.
“I don’t think I would flag it as a bad thing for Texas,” said Lloyd Potter, a professor emeritus at the Texas Demographic Center. He said the state’s rising educational levels and diverse workforce are encouraging signs.
Potter said the rising median age in Texas largely reflects the aging baby boomer population and lower birth rates.
“We’re still a young state, but we are getting older,” he added.
Families can use voucher money to shop online
Texas families who have opted to enter the state’s new school voucher program received another round of funding in October, and families have spent nearly $50 million on purchases through the online marketplace Odyssey, the Texas Standard reported. That is about 20% of the $270 million allocated thus far.
Families can receive up to $10,400 per child. While much of that goes for tuition and fees at private schools, money left over can be spent for books, school supplies, tutoring, therapy, and enrichment activities. Questions have been raised about oversight of the voucher program, which was originally funded with $1 billion of taxpayer money. Travis Pillow oversees the program for the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
“Everything that is on that online purchasing platform has been reviewed to ensure that it meets the requirements in the law and is an eligible education expense,” Pillow said.
Texas families can choose from more than 2,200 approved vendors. That includes businesses offering cheerleading, piano, and cooking classes, as well as jiu-jitsu lessons.
State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said allowing families to use taxpayer money for purchases beyond private school tuition is unfair.
“I can give you $10,000, and you can use a portion of that $10k, which is taxpayer money, in order to procure services and/or products at taxpayers’ expense,” West said. “You can’t do that in a public school.”
Waterfowl hunters can help halt spread of invasive species
Waterfowl hunters can do their part to halt the spread of invasive species that reduce habitat quality, block recreational access and harm aquatic infrastructure, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
They can do so by taking a few minutes to clean, drain, and dry their boats and equipment, including decoys and other hunting gear, before traveling between lakes. Some tips:
• Use a wet/dry vacuum to he lp remove plants from the boat, trailer and most equipment before rinsing with a water hose that can push plant fragments into small, unreachable spaces;
• Use a water hose to rinse waders and decoys after hand removing plants, mud and organisms, with a stiff brush to clean out boot treads;
• Take care to drain water out of decoys and consider adding drain holes to older, cracked decoys that tend to hold water or plant fragments.
One of the key culprits for Texas lakes is giant salvinia, a highly invasive aquatic fern that can double its coverage area in a week.
“Giant salvinia is often thought of as a plant that causes recreational access issues for anglers and boaters, but additionally it can create serious problems for waterfowl hunters,” said Jessica Metz of TPWD.
“This invasive plant can not only form thick mats that block hunters’ access to prime waterfowl hunting areas but also outgrow and replace the native plants that waterfowl rely on for food and high-quality habitat. Taking time to clean, drain and dry boats, equipment, waders, and other gear can help protect waterfowl as well as maintain your gear.”
Giant salvinia is currently found on 30 East Texas lakes and numerous rivers, creeks and marshes.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.
