H-E-B News

H-E-B opens new store in San Marcos with town's first True Texas BBQ

The new H-E-B in San Marcos is 114,000 with more to come.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

A new H-E-B in San Marcos opened Wednesday, October 7, at 1074 E. McCarty Ln. That makes three H-E-B locations in San Marcos, and this store is the first with a True Texas BBQ restaurant.

More than 1,000 people attended the store's grand opening, according to a press release. People arrived as early as 6 pm the evening before.

The new store spans 114,000 square feet, including a pharmacy with a drive-through and specialty departments like a beer and wine section with a tasting station, a Healthy Living department, beauty, pets, and H-E-B Texas Backyard for gardening needs. Prepared meals will be on offer, including H-E-B Meal Simple plates, a sushi bar, Mi Tienda tamales, and rotisserie chickens. The bakery will also serve warm desserts including cookies, brownies, and pies.

At the True Texas BBQ restaurant, shoppers can pick up all-natural meats that are smoked in-house, plus classic barbecue sides. Guests can sit inside, take their meals to go, order through a drive-through.

In addition to the in-store services, the new store will offer curbside pickups and home delivery. Later, H-E-B will add a convenience store, fuel station, and car wash. The expansion is expected to open in spring of 2027.

"This new store allows us to better serve our customers in the San Marcos community," said H-E-B senior vice president, Central Texas region Cathy Harm in a press release. "They have shown their support for many years, and our Partners are eager to serve our customers with the quality service and expansive product selections they expect from H-E-B."

As part of its ongoing True Texas Tunes programming and partnership with H.O.M.E., the new store will feature musical entertainment in the True Texas BBQ restaurant every 2nd Saturday of the month from 11am – 1 pm beginning in November.

A number of partnerships will further connect H-E-B with the surrounding community. A partnership with H.O.M.E. (Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers) expands the grocery chain's existing True Texas Tunes live music programming for performances every second Saturday of each month. Performances will happen from 11 am to 1 pm starting in November.

The store has also donated a total of $30,000 to local organizations San Marcos Education Foundation, Hays County Food Bank, and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. Finally, it will provide $20,000 in trees and irrigation support to San Marcos High School via Texan By Nature.

heb openings barbecue grocery grocery stores

who needs a raise?

Here's the income needed to be in the top 1 percent in Texas in 2026

Hundred dollar bill, income study, top 1 percent earners in Texas

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

The income needed to be ranked among the top 1 percent of earners in Texas has surged over $800,000 in 2026.

In a state where local billionaires are wealthier than they've ever been, high-earning Texans need to make $73,000 more than they did a year ago if they want to be among the top 1 percent of earners, a new report has revealed.

SmartAsset's latest study analyzed income thresholds for the top 1, 5, and 10 percent of earners in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using 2022 IRS data for individual tax return filers (the most recent year available), adjusted to 2026 dollars.

Texas has the 11th highest income threshold, with residents needing to make a minimum of $817,158 to be considered among the top 1 percent of earners statewide. In 2025, Texans needed to make about $744,000 to be among the top 1 percent.

For comparison, residents living in the nation's capital must make at least $1.16 million to qualify as top 1 percent earners. The District of Columbia led the nation with the highest income threshold to be a top earner.

To be considered among the top 5 percent of earners in Texas, a resident would need to make $312,671. The income threshold to be considered among the top 10 percent is $210,609.

SmartAsset additionally found that 128,130 Texas residents qualified as top 1 percent earners in 2022. Nationally, the report estimated that fewer than 2 million households earn enough to be considered among the top 1 percent of earners nationwide, but 23 million households rank among the top 10 percent.

"In some places, households can enter the top 1 percent at income levels that fall well below the threshold elsewhere, reflecting an uneven landscape of wages and wealth," the report said.

A separate SmartAsset study that tracked the upper and lower thresholds for middle class households found Austin residents need to make anywhere from $60,287 to $180,860 to maintain their middle class status.

The top 10 states with the highest thresholds to be considered in the top 1 percent of earners in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – District of Columbia ($1,156,664)
No. 2 – Connecticut ($1,147,898)
No. 3 – Massachusetts ($1,006,921)
No. 4 – California ($987,325)
No. 5– New Jersey ($969,976)
No. 6 – New York ($959,562)
No. 7 – Florida ($956,449)
No. 8 – Washington ($903,303)
No. 9 – Colorado ($828,772)
No. 10 – Wyoming ($819,014)

income finance smartasset reports salaries