6C. City of Houston vs Harris County: pay for similar jobs¶
Method. City ranges come from the City's civilian pay structure effective July 4, 2026 (grades 3-40; the HR job-classification list, 908 classifications, maps each title to its grade) and City actuals from the open-data payroll files for 2025 and 2026 (23,582 full-time employees in 2025; the file carries pay grade and department but not job title, so "actual" City pay is the median for everyone in the classification's grade). County pay comes from the NEW Salary Plan (1,355 titles, hourly x 2,080), the FY26 sworn step plan and the FY27 elected-official table; the county publishes no actual pay by title. Pairings are exact where titles match (69 titles) and by job content otherwise (34 roles; data/coh_vs_county_hand_matched.csv).
Finding. Harris County's ranges sit above the City's for nearly every comparable civilian job. Of 69 identically titled classifications the county minimum is higher in 61 (median +23% at the minimum, +2% at the maximum). Across the 34 hand-matched roles the county minimum is higher in all 34 (median +26%) and the county maximum in 18 (median +1%); in 22 of 34 roles the City's median actual pay for the grade is below the county's minimum for the equivalent job. These are comparisons of published ranges, not of actual pay for equivalent work: job content, seniority, effective dates and total benefits are not matched, and the county publishes no actual pay by title. The exceptions run the other way at the top of the City's scale: City department directors and some senior managers have wider ranges than the county's mid-level executive grades, although the county's top executives ($411,000 to $536,141) out-earn every City employee (highest: City Attorney, $351,900).
Figure 11. Civilian pay ranges for matched roles. Blue = City pay-structure range effective July 4, 2026, with the City's 2026 median actual pay for that grade (dot); orange = county range in the new plan.
| Role | City title (grade): range; median actual 2026 | County title: range | County vs City minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custodian | Custodian (5): $37,440-$47,766 | Custodian: $41,600-$58,240 | +11% |
| Administrative assistant | Administrative Assistant (17): $49,730-$91,103; $60,112 | Administrative Assistant III: $52,291-$72,966 | +5% (max -20%) |
| 911 call-taker | 9-1-1 Telecommunicator (14): $42,545-$78,988; $53,060 | Communications Officer I (LE step plan): $52,291-$72,966 | +23% (max -8%) |
| Paralegal | Paralegal (12): $39,504-$71,802; $46,862 | Paralegal I: $65,603-$91,520 | +66% |
| Accountant (entry) | Accountant (17): $49,730-$91,103; $60,112 | Accountant I: $65,603-$91,520 | +32% |
| Registered nurse (public health) | Public Health Nurse I (19): $54,493-$102,551; $67,725 | Registered Nurse I: $70,387-$105,581 | +29% |
| IT systems analyst, entry | Programmer Analyst I (16): $47,093-$86,341; $55,078 | Applications Systems Analyst I: $70,387-$105,581 | +50% |
| Electrician | Electrician (18): $52,205-$96,535; $70,096 | Electrician II: $58,573-$81,702 | +12% (max -15%) |
| Engineer, licensed | Engineer (26): $78,470-$152,433; $98,722 | Engineer III: $87,901-$132,454 | +12% (max -13%) |
| Attorney, entry | Assistant City Attorney I (24): $70,666-$136,056; $82,846 | Assistant District Attorney I / Assistant Attorney: $88,317-$132,454 | +25% (max -3%) |
| Attorney, senior | Senior Assistant City Attorney I (30): $97,764-$194,267; $135,302 | Assistant District Attorney IV: $124,072-$186,098 | +27% (max -4%) |
| Court reporter | Court Reporter (19): $54,493-$102,551; $67,725 | Court Reporter: $87,901-$132,454 | +61% |
| Trial-court judge (county-paid) | Judge of Municipal Courts (31): $108,017-$212,705; $146,668 | County Court at Law judge (elected; FY27 pay tiers): $198,994-$244,483 | +84% |
| Division / operations manager | Division Manager (29): $90,875-$181,928; $120,923 | Department Director of Operations I: $124,072-$186,098 | +36% |
| Deputy director | Deputy Director (Executive Level) (34): $132,290-$264,593; $188,536 | Assistant Director: $155,626-$233,459 | +18% (max -12%) |
| Department director | Department director (grades 38-39): $182,127-$364,254; $336,375 | Executive Director (grades 15-19; e.g. Public Health): $195,229-$411,424 | +7% |
Table 12. Sources: City of Houston civilian pay structure effective 7/4/2026 (grade ranges) and HR job-classification list (title to grade); City payroll 2026 (grade medians; data.houstontx.gov); Harris County NEW Salary Plan (FY27 Vol. I v3 PDF pp. 490-522). Generated from data/coh_vs_county_hand_matched.csv; the director row uses the City's declared grade 39 and mixes executive grades on both sides.
Figure 12. Sworn base pay. The county set its FY26 rates to match HPD's July 2025 scale; HPD then rose 8% in July 2026; the county has budgeted a second parity step for FY27 but has not published the new step table, so FY27 county rates are not known. Cadet: HPD's published base ($52,000); the 2026 payroll median for that pay code is $61,776.
Sworn officers. Cadet base: HPD $52,000 (published scale) vs county $52,291. Year-one base: HPD $81,000 vs county deputy $78,458; at 10-11 years $98,028 vs $96,637; the county's 17-year deputy ($112,362) exceeds HPD's senior officer ($109,290); sergeant, lieutenant and captain top steps are within 2% of each other ($125,989/$127,816; $141,203/$141,648; $166,682/$165,235). HPD adds patrol pay ($1,600-$2,400), shift and weekend differentials and a $2,002 equipment allowance; county deputies get smaller allowances but can hold contract-patrol assignments at regular pay. Agency heads: Police Chief $336,375 vs Sheriff $330,000; each of the eight constables $305,000; Fire Chief $315,675 vs Fire Marshal $305,000.
Leadership. Mayor $236,189 (he declined the $300,000 available) vs County Judge $208,416; 16 council members $79,781 vs four commissioners $199,347; Controller $236,206 vs Treasurer $139,547 and Budget Director $411,278; City Attorney $351,900 (appointed) vs County Attorney $305,000 (elected); Public Health director $289,800 vs county Public Health executive director $456,976; IT director $309,601 vs Universal Services $456,976; Public Works director $336,375 and Airport director $346,725 vs County Engineer $479,835 and Toll Road director $485,014; the Mayor's chief of staff $351,379 vs County Administrator $411,000. Nine county department heads earn more than the $400,000 U.S. presidential salary; no City employee does.
Structures, raises and benefits. The City has 37 civilian grades from $27,352 (grade 3, limited to specified seasonal and shared classifications) to $389,759 and an $18.00 floor ($37,440) from July 2026; the county has 20 grades from $41,600 to $516,069 and a $20.00 floor since May 2025. City municipal employees received 3.5% in FY26 and FY27 (HOPE contract, 12% over three years), police 10% then 8%, fire 3% in FY27; the county gave no across-the-board raise but lifted minimums for 147 of 203 comparable titles in the pay-equity restructuring and raised sworn pay about 36%. City median full-time base pay was $77,793 in 2025 ($58,695 for civilians; $61,339 in 2026); county average salary is roughly $77,000 ($1.6B payroll, 20,800 employees). Both offer a $0 single-coverage medical option, but the City's ($0 Limited Network) requires $42.50 a pay period of wellness and non-tobacco discounts and its other plans cost $23.61 (high-deductible) and $63.63 (Open Access); family coverage is $141.80 to $381.75 at the City versus $193.84 to $290.77 at the county; City deductibles run $200 to $1,750 versus $0 to $600. City civilians contribute 3% to HMEPS (1.8% benefit multiplier) and pay Social Security; county employees contribute 7% of pay to TCDRS, the county's budgeted employer contribution is 14.5% of payroll and the plan's retirement-credit match is 225% (ACFR Note 9), and they pay Social Security; HPD officers contribute 10.5% to HPOPS and do not pay Social Security, while county deputies are in TCDRS with Social Security. The City budgets $22,005 per employee for health in FY2027; the county $25,342.