City News Roundup

Mayor Mike Rawlings' letter gets leaked and more news from around Dallas

Given the shortage of funds and overwhelming public dislike, it seems unfathomable that some local mucky-mucks would still think the Trinity River toll road is a good idea, or that they might still be trying to lobby for it. But they do and they are. Fortunately, we can protest that in the streets, thanks to a move by the Dallas City Council.

Check out those stories and more of what happened this week in Dallas news:

Trinity River toll road shenanigans
Even though nooooobody wants a toll road along the Trinity Parkway, there's still people digging their heels in. The Trinity Commons Foundation is trying to raise funds to enable a redesign. The people fronting that are former Dallas city manager Mary Suhm and Trinity Commons Foundation executive director Craig Holcomb. Mayor Mike Rawlings is hosting a meeting about it on Wednesday at 8:15 am at Trinity Groves; he sent out a letter to a small group of people, but the letter made it onto Facebook. After the breakfast club meets and formulates some recommendations, there will be a public meeting. The Dallas City Council will then vote to accept or reject them.

Trains in the city
DART made a presentation to the Dallas City Council's transportation committee detailing plans to expand transit downtown. The agency has a shot at federal funds it could use to begin the second rail line through downtown that's been planned for a long time. Where it goes hinges on the location of the high-speed bullet train between Dallas and Houston. Texas Central Railway, the private company developing the line, has narrowed it down to five possibilities, all in the Central Business District. Texas Central Railway and DART want to connect the bullet train to DART, TRE, Amtrak, and any other trolleys or rail lines in development.

Jail visits by video
Inmates in Dallas County jails can now visit with their families and friends via video — but the visitors will have to pay. Dallas County officials approved a video program where calls will cost $10 for a 20-minute visit. County judge Clay Jenkins protested that it was a hardship on poor people and that officials could follow up and ban "through the glass" visitation, but he was the only one to vote against it.

Sticking it to the man
The Dallas City Council will let protesters protest again. They repealed an ordinance they passed earlier this year that placed arbitrary restrictions on protesters. Council member Philip Kingston and others said that the ordinance was an affront to free speech. Right on! Fight the power!

Chinese buying up Texas
Real estate professionals are seeing lots of new customers from out of town, especially China. They like the cheap prices of housing in the suburbs — Collin County in particular. But they're also buying condos in the city. Texas comes in third as the place where foreigners want to buy, behind Florida and California. "The Chinese people have a ton of money, and they pay cash," says an agent.

One whistleblower lawsuit, coming right up
A Dallas ISD school board panel on Thursday denied an appeal for Jeremy Liebbe, who was fired in September following an investigation he conducted into his boss, Tonya Sadler Grayson,who did not reveal her criminal history on her application. His father is lawyer Bill Liebbe, who vowed to file a lawsuit on Jeremy's behalf for whistleblower protection violations and defamation.

Real estate in Texas is appealing to international buyers.

Photo courtesy of Dave Perry-Miller & Associates

Real estate in Texas is appealing to international buyers.

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income news

What it takes to be a middle class earner in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2025

Photo by J King on Unsplash

Being a middle class earner in Dallas is harder than it used to be.

Maintaining a middle class status in Dallas-Fort Worth only gets harder as the years go on, and the income ceiling to even be labeled as such has just risen even higher. So says SmartAsset's annual "What It Takes to Be Middle Class in America" report for 2025.

According to the latest findings, middle-class income in big cities has a wide range: Depending on where the city is located, it it can be as low as $49,478 or as high as $71,359. This is up from 2024, when middle-class incomes started at $47,568.

Among Texas cities, Plano holds the No. 1 spot on the list with the highest middle-class income ranges.

A household in Plano would need to make a minimum of $72,389 but no more than $217,188 to be considered "middle class" in 2025. Last year, the necessary salary range to maintain a middle class designation in Plano was between $63,651 and $190,004 a year.

The report used a variation of Pew Research's definition of a middle class household, stating the salary range is "two-thirds to double the median U.S. salary." To determine income limits, the report analyzed data from the Census Bureau's 2023 one-year American Community Survey, where the most recent data was available.

New to the 2025 edition, SmartAsset also determined the middle class income thresholds for all 50 states.

Arlington, Virginia has the highest middle class income range in the country, with households needing to make between $93,470 and $280,438 a year to be labeled "middle class."

Middle class earners across Dallas-Fort Worth
Dallas households will also have a hard time maintaining a "middle class" designation, as the city climbed from No. 213 last year to No. 59 this year. Earners would have to make between $46,743 and $140,242 annually to be considered middle class in 2025. Last year, they would have needed to make between $43,596 and $130,800 a year.

In a shift from the 2024 report, SmartAsset decided to analyze only the top 100 most populous U.S. cities, after previously ranking 345 cities. That means Dallas-area suburbs like Allen and McKinney – which were among the top 40 cities with the highest middle class income threshold nationwide in 2024 – were left out of this year's analysis.

Here’s what it takes to be middle class in other DFW cities:

No. 43 – Irving: $52,885 to $158,670 yearly
No. 46 – Fort Worth: $51,383 to $154,164 yearly
No. 55 – Garland: $47,815 to $143,458 yearly
No. 61 – Arlington: $46,134 to $138,416 yearly

Elsewhere in Texas
On the opposite end of the scale, middle class earners in Lubbock have one of the smallest income ranges necessary to be labeled middle class in Texas: Between $36,297 and $108,902 a year. The city ranked 92nd nationwide.

The study says cost of living changes, rising inflation rates, and shifting wages nationwide have made it more difficult for Americans to maintain their "middle class" status.

"For middle-class Americans, the dream has long been a life of reasonable comfort — a stable home, the ability to save enough money to retire, and enough left over for periodic splurges like family vacations, updated cars, or home improvements," the report's author wrote. "But with living costs surging over the past few years, that dream is getting pricier."

Here’s what it takes to be a middle class earner in other Texas cities:

No. 18 – Austin: $60,995 to $183,002 yearly
No. 73 – Corpus Christi: $43,421 to $130,276 yearly
No. 75 – Houston: $41,754 to $125,274 yearly
No. 78 – San Antonio: $41,544 to $124,644 yearly
No. 82 – Laredo: $40,476 to $121,440 yearly
No. 86 – El Paso: $38,208 to $114,634 yearly

In SmartAsset's state-by-state analysis, Texas has the 23rd largest middle class income range. Texas households would need to make between $50,515 and $151,560 to be labeled "middle class" this year. The median income for a Texas household in 2023 came out to $75,780.

The No. 1 state with the highest income range required is Massachusetts, with middle class households needing to make between $66,565 and $199,716 yearly in 2025.

income middle class status reports smartasset dallas plano fort worth