Study Shows Lubbock Workers Are Really Underpaid

We're all in the same boat, scratching and surviving and working our collective tails off to try and get ahead. It's not easy for most, and if it seems to you like the money tree (or any other tree for that matter) doesn't seem to grow in the dusty landscape of West Texas, you're not alone in your assessment. Nor are you incorrect.

As reported by the website Stacker, the average salary in Lubbock tops out at just over $43,000 per year. In comparison, the average salary nationwide is just north of $53,000 per year. Which means that here in the Hub City, we make an average of 19 percent less than most folks in America.

That's 81 cents to every dollar that John Q. Public is bringing in. Ouch.

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Looking at the list, which you can find here, that $43,000 salary in Lubbock is nowhere near close to what the top 50 highest paying occupations in Lubbock are. For example, if you had the #50 job (high school math teacher) in Lubbock, you should be averaging about $75,000 per year. But that's still about $10,000 less than the national average.

So, what is the the top paying occupation in Lubbock (other than the fat stacks that Chris Beard is making)?

That would be a dentist, drilling into over $218,000 per year. For some reason, however, over in Longview, dentists are making about $270,000 per year. I guess their teeth are more jacked up than ours.

This doesn't take into consideration that we do have a lower cost of living here on the South Plains. In fact, the cost of living index according to Bestplaces.net is a tidy 79.9 on a 100 point scale. The average home price is about $100,000 less than the national average. And as much as we complain about rising gas prices, we're still below the national average.

So, yes, we could be banking more greenery here in West Texas. However, if we did, the cost of living would most likely go up, too. So, be careful what you wish for.