The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is no longer one of the best places to live, according to a new report.
DFW has officially lost its top-tier status as one of the top 100 best places to live in the U.S., plummeting from the low-to-mid 30s in previous years to its current placing of No.113 (out of 150), according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023-2024.
“This year’s rankings are a reflection of the current economic, social and natural factors that impact a place’s livability for its residents,” said Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News & World Report, in a press release.
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“People are considering more than housing when they look at an area’s affordability – they want to know how much goods cost in that area. The ever-present risk for severe weather and a community’s ability to recover – coupled with the area’s opportunities for social activities – are also taken into account when evaluating a best place to live.”
The Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023-2024 were determined based on a methodology that assessed a number of Americans’ preferences and then categorized data into four indexes: quality of life (36%), value (23%), desirability (22%), and job market strength (19%).
In total, 150 U.S. metros were evaluated using data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as U.S. News’ own internal resources.
DFW received an overall score of 6 out of 10 after evaluating the four aforementioned criteria. The ratings for each category are provided below.
- Desirability: 6
- Value: 5.8
- Job market: 6
- Quality of life: 6.1
“Those who live in Dallas and Fort Worth tend to be young professionals, while the surrounding suburbs are largely filled with young families who want both a close-knit community and easy access to the cities,” an analysis of DFWs rankings said.
“People from both demographics are flooding the area, and the population has swelled from about 5.8 million people in 2005 to more than 7 million people today. New developments have drawn in both families looking for their dream home and professionals looking to advance their careers.”
Although DFW fell out of the top 100 for best places to live in the U.S., the metro ranked No.98 for best places to retire and No.3 for best places to live in Texas.
Two Texas metros outranked DFW in U.S. News’ 2023-2024 national ranking, the Austin metro at No.40 and the San Antonio metro at No.103. Austin came in first as the best place to live in Texas, with an overall score of 6.4, and San Antonio finished second, with an overall score of 6.1.
Seven other Texas cities finished in the top 150. Killeen ranked No.122, with an overall score of 5.9, El Paso ranked No.128, with an overall score of 5.8, Beaumont ranked No.131, with an overall score of 5.7, Corpus Christi ranked No.132, with an overall score of 5.7, Brownsville ranked No.134, with an overall score of 5.7, McAllen ranked No.137 with an overall score of 5.7, and Houston ranked No.140, with an overall score of 5.6.
The best place to live in the U.S., according to the report, is Green Bay, Wisconsin, with an overall rating of 6.9.
The full list of rankings can be found here.
