Salaries in Richardson, TX

You might assume that a city with a median income north of $95,000 would feel flush, but Richardson’s secret is that it’s a high-performing suburb where the cost of living is only slightly above average. That median household income ($95,170) looks great on paper, but it’s the city’s educated workforce—over a third of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher—that really drives the local economy.

Richardson’s cost of living index sits at 103.3, meaning you’re paying about 3.3% more than the national average for goods and services. That’s not nothing, but it’s a far cry from the runaway inflation you see in coastal hubs. A one-bedroom apartment runs about $1,291 a month, which is manageable on a typical salary here. The real story is purchasing power: that 4.0% unemployment rate and the specific demand for skilled workers mean your COL-adjusted salary often goes further than the raw number suggests. For example, a software developer’s $128,519 salary has the same buying power as about $124,413 in an average U.S. city.

So who’s actually thriving here? Richardson is a major node in the Dallas tech corridor, with State Farm’s massive regional campus and a heavy presence of telecom and insurance companies. This creates a clear hierarchy: software developers command the highest salaries ($128,519), followed by accountants ($86,932) who support these large corporate operations. The trade and service jobs are there, but the real money is in the white-collar sector that supports the city’s corporate backbone.

Here’s the honest take: wages for middle-class roles like teaching and electricians are solid but haven’t necessarily kept pace with the city’s gentrification over the past few years. The average salary across all roles is just $54,101, which feels tight once you factor in housing. Richardson works best for dual-income households or those in the top-tier tech and finance jobs; for everyone else, it’s a comfortable but not necessarily lucrative proposition.

The data below breaks down exactly what you can expect to earn in Richardson’s key occupations, both in raw dollars and adjusted for what it actually costs to live there.