Three Dallas–Fort Worth suburbs — Lancaster, Farmers Branch, and Haltom City — landed in the bottom 10% of WalletHub’s new ranking of more than 1,300 small U.S. cities, which compared municipalities (population 25,000–100,000) across 45 indicators such as affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety.
Bottom-tier North Texas placements (percentile):
- Lancaster — 5th percentile
- Farmers Branch — 8th percentile
- Haltom City — 8th percentile
Top-performing North Texas placements (percentile):
- Allen — 96th
- Flower Mound — 93rd
- Rockwall — 89th
- Southlake — 79th; Colleyville — 79th
- Keller — 75th; The Colony — 80th; Pflugerville — 80th; Wylie — 71st; Sachse — 76th; Little Elm — 82nd; Grapevine — 68th
Texas notes:
- Port Arthur ranked among the state’s lowest at the 2nd percentile.
- State bright spots included Cedar Park (94th) and Leander (97th) near Austin.
Methodology snapshot: WalletHub grouped results by percentile (not just rank) and scored cities in five categories: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety. The report noted that small cities often provide a lower cost of living and shorter commutes but may trade off some big-city amenities.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the best small cities balance “strong job markets, high-quality education, good health care, safe living conditions, and plenty of local flair.”
Carmel, Indiana, topped the national list, while Port Arthur placed near the bottom for Texas.