Dishwashers Salary
The median pay for a dishwashers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is $28,600/year ($13.75/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $35K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $28,997 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 73.9% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $29K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About dishwashers
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for dishwashers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 18% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 75.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for dishwasherss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for dishwashers in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $31K | $30K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $35K | $36K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $30K | $32K |
| El Paso | $27K | $30K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level dishwashers (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $29K. Top earners bring in $35K or more, a $13K spread from bottom to top.
Dishwashers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Dishwashers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $40K | +15% | 12,630 |
| District of Columbia | $39K | +11% | 3,580 |
| California | $38K | +9% | 74,160 |
| Colorado | $38K | +9% | 8,500 |
| Hawaii | $38K | +8% | 4,520 |
| Massachusetts | $37K | +7% | 14,100 |
| Illinois | $36K | +4% | 16,250 |
| Oregon | $36K | +4% | 6,680 |
| Vermont | $36K | +3% | 1,280 |
| New Jersey | $36K | +3% | 7,450 |
| Delaware | $36K | +3% | 1,520 |
| Maine | $36K | +2% | 2,940 |
| Connecticut | $36K | +2% | 7,340 |
| New York | $35K | +2% | 30,680 |
| Arizona | $35K | +1% | 10,120 |
| New Hampshire | $35K | +0% | 2,370 |
| Nevada | $35K | +0% | 11,360 |
| Minnesota | $34K | -2% | 8,710 |
| Maryland | $34K | -2% | 9,310 |
| Rhode Island | $34K | -2% | 2,790 |
| Alaska | $34K | -3% | 1,300 |
| Virginia | $33K | -5% | 12,520 |
| Missouri | $32K | -8% | 7,200 |
| Utah | $32K | -9% | 3,650 |
| Michigan | $31K | -10% | 11,510 |
| Florida | $31K | -10% | 40,480 |
| Tennessee | $31K | -12% | 7,810 |
| New Mexico | $31K | -12% | 3,250 |
| North Carolina | $30K | -13% | 12,050 |
| Montana | $30K | -13% | 2,120 |
| North Dakota | $30K | -14% | 800 |
| Pennsylvania | $30K | -14% | 19,570 |
| Idaho | $30K | -14% | 2,730 |
| Nebraska | $30K | -15% | 2,170 |
| Georgia | $30K | -15% | 11,300 |
| Texas | $30K | -15% | 33,630 |
| Wyoming | $30K | -15% | 1,060 |
| Ohio | $30K | -15% | 14,380 |
| Indiana | $29K | -15% | 7,000 |
| Iowa | $29K | -16% | 3,290 |
| South Carolina | $29K | -16% | 7,550 |
| Wisconsin | $29K | -16% | 8,190 |
| Kentucky | $29K | -17% | 4,890 |
| Alabama | $29K | -17% | 3,540 |
| South Dakota | $28K | -19% | 1,240 |
| Kansas | $28K | -19% | 2,480 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -21% | 2,630 |
| Oklahoma | $27K | -21% | 4,060 |
| West Virginia | $26K | -24% | 1,640 |
| Louisiana | $26K | -24% | 4,210 |
| Mississippi | $26K | -24% | 2,880 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track dishwashers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a dishwasher afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $29K, rent takes 75.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for dishwashers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new dishwashers typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,315/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 120% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is dishwasher a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $29K here vs. $35K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for dishwashers?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $29K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $29K — below the national median.
How much do dishwashers make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $28,600 a year, that works out to about $14 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,910, and experienced dishwashers can clear $34,830. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $29K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,085/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 75.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a dishwashers salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dishwashers salary is worth about $28,997 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do dishwashers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.
