Jobs & Economy in Pearland
Pearland's economy has genuinely diversified beyond a pure Houston-commuter identity: the city added roughly 8,900 net new jobs between 2020 and 2025, with health care and life sciences accounting for nearly 28% of that net growth, even as a large share of residents still commute north to the Texas Medical Center corridor. Median household income has risen to a cited $112,300 (up from $97,400 five years earlier) or $118,842 depending on source -- well above the broader Houston-metro figure.
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Learn moreLocal Job Growth: Real and Recent
Between 2020 and 2025, Pearland added approximately 8,900 net new jobs, with health care and life sciences accounting for nearly 28% of that net growth, per aggregated economic-development reporting -- a genuine diversification away from a pure residential-commuter identity. Pearland-based employment (per Data USA/Census-linked figures) grew 2.92% from 2023 to 2024, from about 63,200 to 65,100 jobs located within the city.
Employment by Sector and Pay
The most common employment sectors among Pearland residents (which describes where residents work, not necessarily jobs located in Pearland) are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,968 people), Manufacturing (7,182 people), and Educational Services (7,027 people), per Data USA. Among sectors located in Pearland, the highest-paying in 2024 were Utilities (average $118,833), Mining/Quarrying/Oil & Gas Extraction ($114,103), and Manufacturing ($111,519) -- a reminder that even a "suburban" local economy carries some real energy- and industrial-sector wage exposure alongside its healthcare growth.
A Named, Recent Manufacturing Expansion
AOI began expanding its Pearland Manufacturing Campus in July 2026 to scale production of 800G and 1.6T optical transceivers, per 2026 reporting -- a real, current example of the kind of manufacturing investment contributing to Pearland's local job base, distinct from the healthcare-and-commuter identity that otherwise dominates.
Median Household Income
Pearland's median household income is cited at $112,300 (up from $97,400 five years prior, per Pearland Economic Development Corporation-aligned reporting) and separately at $118,842 with a 5.7% one-year increase for 2023-2024 (per a Census-based aggregator). Both figures land well above the Houston-metro-wide median cited elsewhere in this dataset ($60,440-$64,813), consistent with Pearland's position as one of the Houston area's more affluent suburbs -- though see the jobs-economy story on the moving topic page's tri-county caveat, since not every part of the city necessarily shares this profile evenly.
Key takeaways
- Pearland added roughly 8,900 net new jobs between 2020 and 2025, with health care and life sciences accounting for nearly 28% of that growth -- Pearland-based employment grew 2.92% from 2023 to 2024 (63,200 to 65,100 jobs).
- By resident employment, the top sectors are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,968), Manufacturing (7,182), and Educational Services (7,027); the highest-paying local sectors in 2024 were Utilities ($118,833), Mining/Oil & Gas Extraction ($114,103), and Manufacturing ($111,519).
- AOI began a July 2026 expansion of its Pearland Manufacturing Campus for 800G/1.6T optical transceiver production -- a real, current, named example of local manufacturing investment.
- Median household income is cited at $112,300-$118,842 depending on source -- well above the Houston-metro-wide median ($60,440-$64,813) cited elsewhere in this dataset.
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