Charitable Competition

Why your vote matters in the first-ever CultureMap Charity Challenge

Charitable giving, whether you donate time or money, certainly is a year-round endeavor. But during the holidays, we are most inspired by the efforts of local nonprofits that continually better our community and the world.

Few cities can compete with Dallas when it comes to philanthropic spirit. To honor that, we have partnered Briggs Freeman Sotheby International Realty to bring you the first-ever CultureMap Charity Challenge.

Here's the lowdown: We have selected 12 local charities. You vote for your favorite every day, once a day, through December 20. The organization with the most votes will become CultureMap's community service project for 2014. Plus, we're throwing in a $2,500 cash donation and an advertising package. The winner will be announced January 6.

Vote now for one of these deserving organizations:

American Red Cross, which provides compassionate care for those in need through disaster relief, supporting America’s military families, lifesaving blood donations, health and safety services, and international services.
A.W.A.R.E., which promotes Alzheimer's awareness and financial support for its parent organization, the Alzheimer's Association.
Carry The Load, whose mission is to restore the meaning of Memorial Day and honor fallen heroes, veterans, active duty military, firefighters, law enforcement and rescue personnel through a national rally.
LEAP Foundation, which transforms the lives of children and adults around the world who have severe facial or body deformities by providing free specialized medical services.
Men of Nehemiah, which serves homeless and incarcerated men with addictive disorders by providing residential accommodations, substance abuse treatment, life skills and job placement training, case management, and recovery support services.
SPCA of Texas, which is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, which improves the care of children worldwide through innovative research and teaching programs, and teaching physicians from around the world.
The Birthday Party Project, which partners with accredited homeless shelters to host themed birthday parties for the children living there.
The Family Place, which empowers victims of family violence by providing safe housing, counseling and skills that create independence while building community engagement and advocating for social change to stop family violence.
The Salvation Army, which operates 7,500 centers across the United States that provide food distribution, disaster relief, rehabilitation centers, anti-human trafficking efforts and children’s programs.
The Trinity Trust, whose mission is to partner with the City of Dallas and other nonprofit groups to achieve the highest standards of excellence in all aspects of the Trinity River Corridor Project.
The Wilkinson Center, a poverty rescue and prevention agency for the working poor that assists more than 14,000 people annually in Dallas. The center provides compassion, community and financial responsibility to empower their clients to become self-sufficient and improve their lives.

Now it's really up to you, so get to it. As you learn more about these nonprofits, we hope you'll find one — or several – to support this holiday and throughout the coming year. If we all do that, then everyone is a winner.

American Red Cross

Photo courtesy of Red Cross

American Red Cross

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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

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