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The income it takes to be middle class in Dallas leads our top stories

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Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week includes a new report on middle class earnings and two exciting openings. Plus, we unveil the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards nominees. Catch up on our hottest headlines below, then visit this guide for more weekend fun.

1. This is the income it takes to be middle class in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2026. A new study tracking the upper and lower thresholds for middle class households across the nation's largest cities has revealed Dallasites have to make a few grand more than last year to maintain their middle class status. In other North Texas cities, residents can make up to $291,000 and still be labeled "middle class."

2. Dallas restaurateur Ed Murph, owner of Norma's Cafe, dies at 78. Dallas restaurateur Edward "Ed" L. Murph III, owner of Dallas' treasured home-cooking chain Norma's Cafe, passed away on Monday, February 23; he was 78.

3. Announcing the Dallas nominees for 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. It's time for the anticipated unveiling of our Dallas Tastemaker nominees, who represent the very best in Dallas dining right now.

Dallas Tastemaker Awards The 2026 Tastemaker nominees have been revealed. Ashley Gongora

4. Grocery giant Tom Thumb to open newest store in Dallas-Fort Worth. Supermarket chain Tom Thumb opened the doors to its newest location in Dallas-Fort Worth on Friday, March 6.

5. Underground hi-fi 'listening bar' Shyboy opens in downtown Dallas. A new lounge is turning up the volume beneath the streets of downtown Dallas. Shyboy, billed as Dallas' first "hi fi bar," will debut at 1313 Main St., in the subterranean level of The Drakestone building.

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Stretching the budget

A $100,000 salary in 2026 goes further in Dallas than it did last year

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A 2026 income study has good news for big earners in Dallas: A six-figure salary goes further than it did last year.

A Dallasite's $100,000 salary is worth $80,103 after taxes and adjusted for the local cost of living, according to the new financial analysis from SmartAsset. That's nearly 4 percent higher than last year, when the same salary had an adjusted value of $77,197.

Six-figure earners in Plano also got a slight — 2 percent — value boost to their salaries this year, the report revealed. A $100,000 salary in Plano is worth $72,653, compared to $71,372 last year.

SmartAsset used its paycheck calculator to apply federal, state and local taxes to an annual salary of $100,000 in 69 of the largest American cities. The figure was then adjusted for the local cost of living (which included average costs for housing, groceries, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous goods and services). Cities were then ranked based on where a six-figure salary is worth the least after applicable taxes and cost of living adjustments.

Plano ranked 27th and Dallas ranked 47th in the overall ranking of U.S. cities where $100,000 is worth the least.

If the rankings were flipped and the cities were ranked based on where $100,000 goes the furthest, that places Dallas in the No. 22 spot and Plano as No. 43 nationally.

Manhattan, New York remains the No. 1 city where a six-figure salary is worth the least. A Manhattan resident's take-home pay is only worth $29,420 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living, which is 3.10 percent lower than it was in 2025.

SmartAsset determined Manhattan has a 29.7 percent effective tax rate on six-figure salaries. Meanwhile, the effective tax rate on a $100,000 salary in Texas (based on the eight cities examined in the report) is 21.1 percent. It's worth highlighting that New York implements a statewide graduated-rate income tax from 4-10.90 percent, whereas Texas is one of only eight states that don't tax residents' income.

Oklahoma City, No. 69, is the U.S. city in the report where a $100,000 salary stretches the furthest. A six-figure salary is worth $91,868 in 2026, up from $89,989 last year.

This is the post-tax value of a $100,000 salary in other Texas cities, and their ranking in the report:

Austin (No. 53): $82,446
Lubbock (No. 59): $84,567
Houston (No. 60): $84,840
San Antonio (No. 62): $86,419
El Paso (No. 67): $90,276
Corpus Christi (No. 68): $91,110

According to the report, getting some "financial breathing room" by making six-figures really depends on where someone lives and what their lifestyle is. For residents living in the 42 states that levy some amount of income tax, their take-home pay dwindles further.

"And depending on how taxes are filed, reaching a $100,000 income may push a household from the 22 percent to 24 percent marginal tax bracket," the report's author wrote. "Meanwhile, locations with high costs across housing and everyday essentials may be less forgiving to a $100,000 income."

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