yikes

Dallas neighbor has the largest gender pay gap in the U.S., per report

It's 2024 and women are still making less money than men.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Achieving equal pay between men and women is still a long ways off, especially in one North Texas city. According to a new earnings study by Chamber of Commerce, the No. 1 city in the U.S. with the worst gender pay gap is none other than Frisco.

Frisco topped the list, which examined earnings for full-time workers in 170 of the most populous cities in the United States.

The study found that, in 2024, men in Frisco are currently making a staggering $52,216 more than women — representing an increase of $12,357 from 2023, when Frisco came in at No. 2 on the list.

The pay gap in Frisco is also dramatically higher than the national wage gap, which is a little over $11,000.

Elsewhere in Dallas-Fort Worth, McKinney remained in the No. 5 spot for the second consecutive year. McKinney men make $24,568 more than women, which is a $4,400 decrease year-over-year.

Plano's gender wage gap has worsened since 2023: The suburb is now listed among the top 10 worst pay gaps in the U.S., climbing to No. 6. The study says the Plano's wage gap is now $23,415, or nearly $2,300 more than last year.

In 2023, Dallas had one of the smallest gender pay gaps in the nation. But the city's tone has changed over the last year, and the gender pay gap is now $6,500 in 2024.

Things are much better in Garland where women make $1,377 more than men.

Here's how other North Texas cities fared, along with their gender pay gaps:

No. 33 – Irving ($13,592)
No. 65 – Grand Prairie ($9,792)
No. 81 – Fort Worth ($8,699)
No. 125 – Arlington ($6,228)

Statewide gender pay gap
Chamber of Commerce found Texas' gender pay gap has increased since last year: The 2023 study found women made nearly $11,000 less than men, and that number has increased in 2024 to nearly $12,000.

However, Texas' ranking has improved 10 spots from No. 29 last year to No. 19 this year.

For added context, New Hampshire has the No. 1 worst pay gap in the nation, with men making over $18,000 more than women.

Other Texas cities that earned spots in the report are:

No. 20 – Amarillo
No. 22 – Laredo
No. 24 – Austin
No. 30 – Corpus Christi
No. 31 – Pasadena
No. 52 – Lubbock
No. 59 – El Paso
No. 121 – San Antonio
No. 142 – Houston
No. 167 – Brownsville

dallas frisco mckinney reports

Sky's the limit

Futuristic air taxis are taking test flights over Dallas-Fort Worth

Photo courtesy of TXDot

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport served as the launchpad for a statewide air taxi pilot program.

By 2029, Dallas-Fort Worth skies could be buzzing with air taxis, much like they are with drones today.

Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport served as the launchpad for a statewide pilot program that could result in air taxis, self-piloted planes, and vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft permanently buzzing across the skies of Texas.

To kick off the "Project Nexus" pilot program in Texas, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and Texas Department of Transportation officials attended an event Thursday, September 10 at Fort Worth Alliance. It was the first demonstration in Texas of next-generation aircraft under the pilot program.

Texas is the sixth state to participate in the program.

Air taxi service on the radar for Dallas
The federal government has teamed up with aviation companies BETA Technologies and Joby Aviation as well as the Texas Department of Transportation to develop regional air taxi service in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and eventually Houston.

Roger Venables, Fort Worth’s aviation director, told CultureMap in January that he foresees regular air taxi service becoming a reality in the next five years.

On Saturday, September 12, a Joby-made electric air taxi will take a roundtrip flight between Fort Worth Alliance and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to test flight operations.

Joby says Saturday’s mission will be part of a five-day test involving Fort Worth Alliance and DFW Airport flights, and flights over the Fort Worth Stockyards, Toyota Motor North America’s Plano headquarters, and other sites.

A new facility at Fort Worth Alliance will be Joby’s long-term home for regional flight operations.

Building a 'framework' for electric aircraft
TxDOT said Project Nexus is aimed at creating “a scalable system” to connect urban areas, rural communities, and neighboring states as air mobility technology advances.

In a TxDOT release, Marc Williams, the agency’s executive director, said the pilot program will “build a framework for how electric aircraft could one day connect people, goods, and communities across the state.”

Three-phase project will test flight capabilities
Initial flights in the third-year pilot program won’t carry passengers, according to TxDOT. Instead, the flights will gather data, validate air travel routes, and help improve the safety of air mobility technology.

The first phase of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Project Nexus will feature piloted aircraft such as helicopters and fixed-wing planes. CultureMap previously reported Plano-based VertiPorts by Atlantic, which develops takeoff and landing sites for airplane-helicopter hybrids, would be part of Project Nexus.

The second phase will involve testing airborne medical and cargo logistics. This includes transporting critical medical supplies or donor organs between rural and urban hospitals in the Austin and San Antonio areas.

In the third and final phase, passengers will fly aboard air taxis across the Texas Triangle. Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio anchor the triangle.

“In Texas, we don’t wait for the future to arrive, we build it,” Cruz said in the TxDOT release. “The Lone Star State is pushing the boundaries by testing the next generation of aircraft through Project Nexus.”

“These technologies will connect communities, expand access to jobs and services, and strengthen supply chains,” the senator added. “What starts in Texas will help shape the future of aviation throughout the entire country.”

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