The Numbers Game

To mix things up a bit, I’ve compiled a short list of facts about the economic health of Texas, with focus on Austin. Enjoy!

2,376 – Number of patents issued in Austin in 2008. The University of Texas is third in the nation in the number of patents earned. Patents have a direct relationship to innovation and growth. Having "Silicon Valley East" also helps.

346,302 – Number of millionaires in Texas. That constitutes 4 percent of total Texas households. Have 25 friends? One just might be a millionaire.

$188,600 - Median home price in Austin. This is slightly higher than other Texas markets, but still below the national average.

9.4 – Percent of Americans unemployed in May. Texas was much lower than the average, with an unemployment rate of "only" 7.1 percent.

$149,389 – Median household income in Highland Park, Texas(!) Overall, Texas’ median income is much lower at $57,511.

2 – Austin’s rank in “The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009”. Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Dallas make up the other top five spots at 1, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. The top 75 housing markets in the country were analyzed by the magazine “Builder” to determine the top 15.

$14,379,118 – Dollars spent on the Mega Millions lottery in Texas.

.00000000569114597006 – Odds of actually winning the Mega Millions jackpot. You can also look at it as 1 in 175,711,536. You have a much better chance of getting struck by lightning (1 in 700,000 in any given year).

The moral of the story: Don’t buy lotto tickets, marry someone from Highland Park, and watch out for lightning.

--LeAnn Carlson