In this Article
By: All Allied Health Staff
In Texas, healthcare managers can fulfill many different roles that are essential for healthcare facilities to run smoothly and meet patient needs. As huge as Texas is, both in terms of geography and population, it’s no surprise that the healthcare administration and management fields are vast and teeming with a diverse array of opportunities. Healthcare managers may also have to contend with the state’s unique healthcare challenges, including things like a large immigrant population and evolving reproduction laws.
By taking the time to look into what healthcare managers earn in Texas, you can get a better idea of whether you’re being paid fairly and make more informed decisions about your future career goals.
Quick view
There are about 51,030 people employed as medical and health services managers in Texas according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The median wage per hour is $51 and the forecasted job growth for the coming decade is 23.2%, which is much faster than the average across all occupations.
Healthcare managers work for many different types of healthcare organizations including large healthcare systems, academic medical research facilities, state health departments and health insurance companies. Some of the biggest healthcare management employers in Texas include:
- Baylor Scott & White Health, Dallas, multiple locations, TX:
- Headquartered in Dallas, Baylor Scott & White Health is the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas and one of the largest in the United States with 51 hospitals and over 800 patient care sites.
- HCA Healthcare, multiple locations, TX:
- One of the largest for-profit healthcare systems, HCA has 186 hospitals and over 2,400 care sites in 20 states, many of which are concentrated in Texas.
- Texas Health Resources, North Texas:
- Texas Health Resources is a large, faith-based healthcare system based out of Arlington that has multiple locations across North Texas.
- Memorial Hermann Health System, Houston, TX:
- Memorial Hermann is one of the largest networks of hospitals and healthcare services in Southeast Texas, primarily serving the Greater Houston area.
- UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas-Forth Worth, TX:
- UT Southwestern is a top academic medical center with hospitals, clinics and research facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Salary statistics
The median annual salary for medical and health services managers in the U.S. is $117,960, but there are many factors that can impact your salary such as your location, years of experience, education level, specialty healthcare management credentials and others.
Median healthcare manager salary in Texas
The median annual salary for medical and health services managers in Texas is $106,590, but keep in mind that experience, education level, location and other factors can all impact an individual’s earning potential.
Medical and Health Services Managers
10%$62,130
25%$81,910
50%$106,590Median
75%$135,550
90%$197,790
Median Hourly Wage$51
Job growth23.2%
Total Employment57,150
| Metro area | Median Salary | Bottom 10% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $119,990 | $72,990 | $205,390 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | $117,400 | $70,220 | $179,400 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $111,610 | $61,760 | $206,650 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $107,760 | $65,160 | $185,270 |
| Waco, TX | $106,650 | $66,530 | $192,670 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $106,270 | $53,670 | $216,130 |
| Midland, TX | $106,040 | $67,620 | $168,810 |
| Lubbock, TX | $105,070 | $62,000 | $162,760 |
| Odessa, TX | $102,440 | $61,720 | $166,870 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | $101,880 | $65,740 | $137,060 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2024 median salary; projected job growth through 2034. Actual salaries may vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.
Salary range for healthcare managers in Texas
According to the BLS, annual salaries for medical and health services managers in Texas generally range between $62,130 (10th percentile) to $197,790 (90th percentile), though some people earn below or above this range. This accounts for entry-level professionals and seasoned healthcare managers.
Pay by metro area
Salaries can vary a lot depending on where you live in a state. In Texas, salaries for healthcare managers tend to be higher in the populated metropolitan areas compared to the rural nonmetropolitan areas, but not always by as much as you’d think. For example, the median annual salary for healthcare managers in the West Texas nonmetropolitan area is only a few thousand dollars less than the median annual salary for San Antonio, the second-largest city in Texas by population.
Check out what the BLS reports as the highest paying metropolitan areas in the country and see how they compare to Texas salaries.
Salary growth and job outlook in Texas
The BLS estimates that the employment of medical and health services managers in the United States will grow 23.2% through the next decade which is much, much faster than the average across all occupations.
The BLS attributes much of this growth to two possible factors. The first is that more healthcare services will be needed to keep up with and care for an aging baby-boom population, and the second is that there is a need for more healthcare administrators that have health information technology (IT) experience as electronic health records (EHR) systems and other digital healthcare technologies become even more widespread.
Texas may experience even more growth in the healthcare management field compared to other states for a few reasons. The already immense population of Texas is growing fast—in fact, Texas had the third-highest population growth rate in 2023 behind South Carolina and Florida. Some of the fastest growing cities in the state include Josephine, Weston, Caddo Mills, Liberty Hill and Celina. As the population continues to expand, more healthcare services (and healthcare managers) should be needed to care for the residents of Texas.
Factors affecting healthcare manager salaries in Texas
Many different factors can influence salaries in the healthcare management field in Texas, such as:
- Experience:
- In general, workers receive salary increases over time and qualify for better paying jobs as their resume grows and diversifies. Healthcare managers with more years of experience, therefore, simply tend to earn more compared to their entry-level coworkers.
- Education:
- People with higher levels of education tend to make more on average according to data from the BLS. Healthcare managers may want to consider getting a graduate degree such as Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA) to increase their earning potential.
- Employer characteristics:
- Larger companies typically have the resources to provide more competitive salaries and benefits packages compared to smaller healthcare organizations, so company size can affect how much you can earn. In addition, government or public healthcare facilities might offer different salary structures compared to employers in the private sector.
- Location:
- Where you live and the associated cost of living can affect salary potential. In Texas, metropolitan areas like Dallas-Fort Worth, Killeen, Austin and Houston have some of the highest median annual wages in the state for healthcare managers.
- Specialization:
- Healthcare managers that have niche skills and/or certifications in areas like finance, nursing home management or IT may be able to command higher salaries because of their specialized areas of knowledge.
How can I know if I am being paid fairly as a healthcare manager in Texas?
Knowing whether you are being paid fairy in just about any job rarely has a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. It takes some research from several different sources to get an accurate picture of what you might be able to earn as a healthcare manager in Texas.
Consider starting by researching salary data from various online sources. Data from the BLS, for example, offers comprehensive salary information for healthcare managers across different states and metropolitan areas. BLS reports are reliable and can provide a clearer picture of how salaries vary within Texas. Understanding these regional differences can help you gauge whether your salary aligns with what is typical in your specific area.
From there, you can check websites like Glassdoor, Payscale and Salary.com which provide insights into average salaries for healthcare managers in the state. These platforms allow you to customize your search by location, experience level and specific job titles, giving you a more tailored understanding of your earning potential in Texas. Comparing your salary to the averages listed on these sites can give you a sense of whether you’re being compensated fairly.
Finally, look for industry-specific reports from organizations like the American College of Healthcare Executives. These reports often provide more detailed and specialized information, reflecting the current trends and salary benchmarks within the healthcare management field. By combining insights from these sources, you can confidently assess whether your compensation is competitive for your role in Texas.
Education and training
There aren’t any standardized education requirements for healthcare managers in Texas, but there are some commonalities that you can generally expect from most healthcare management jobs out there.
First and foremost, most healthcare management jobs generally require candidates to have at least a bachelor’s degree. Employers may or may not care what you earned your degree in to qualify, but a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, healthcare management, public health, business administration, the health sciences or something similar are great majors for undergraduate students wanting to pursue a career in healthcare management.
Higher level roles may require candidates to have a graduate degree, such as a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), Master of Business Administration (MBA) or a Master of Public Health (MPH). Doctoral degrees are not usually necessary for healthcare managers unless they wish to teach in academia, but a doctoral degree could make sense for someone that wants to climb to the very top of the career ladder and work as an executive for a major healthcare company, for example.
Remember, however, that your professional education doesn’t end once you graduate. Healthcare managers should complete ongoing professional development and training to keep up with the latest advancements in medicine, healthcare policies, laws and regulations.
Cost of living considerations
The cost of living in an area can potentially affect salaries drastically. It’s important to consider a city’s average housing, food, transportation and healthcare costs to determine how livable a given wage may be.
Data from RentCafe indicates that the overall cost of living in Texas is 7% lower than the national average, but that number can change when you look at specific areas within Texas. Still, most places have a cost of living that is lower than the national average, even in some of the biggest metropolitan cities in the state. For example, the cities of Plano, Gainsville City, Hutto and Dallas are the only ones listed with a cost of living that is greater than the national average. Places like Austin, Houston and San Antonio, meanwhile, have a cost of living that is between 1-9% lower than the national average.
Texas’ relatively inexpensive cost of living is likely a big contributor to its growing population, as people continue to seek refuge from sky-high housing costs that have become the norm in many areas, especially large coastal cities.
Texas professional associations for healthcare managers
Professional associations can be fantastic resources for people to find out more about industry trends and developments, participate in networking opportunities and get access to a wealth of benefits that many of these organizations offer to their members. Check out some of these local organizations for healthcare managers in Texas:
- The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) has several local chapters for Texas healthcare professionals in Southeast Texas, Central Texas, North Texas, East Texas, Southwest Texas, Midwest Texas and South Texas.
- The Texas Health Information Management Association (TxHIMA) is a component state association of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) for health information management professionals.
- The Texas Association of Healthcare Facilities Management (TAHFM) has been a professional association for healthcare facilities managers in the state since 1958.
- The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM), has two chapters for Texas professionals in the Greater Houston area and South Texas, both devoted to advancing the professional practice and development of healthcare risk management throughout the state.
- The mission of the Texas Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration and Education (TSHHRAE) is to meet the professional needs of human resources leaders in healthcare.
Find healthcare management salaries for different states
If you’re beginning your search to find the right state to practice your healthcare management education, read our comprehensive and informative salary guides for some popular states: California | New Jersey | New York | Texas