If you asked many North Texans, they may not want to live anywhere else. But according to the 2024-2025 U.S. News and World Report Best Places to Live list, we're struggling to get out of the basement.
Dallas-Fort Worth ranked a surprising No. 95 (out of 150) on the latest list. Erika Giovanetti, U.S. News' loans expert, and reporter, provided insight into why Dallas-Fort Worth didn't fare better.
"Dallas holds a very special place in my heart, so I feel your pain," Giovanetti said. "It's really going to be that value category when it comes to housing affordability, and the other part of the value category is price parity."
The high cost of living and housing affordability are significant hurdles that have positioned the metro area lower on the list.
One of the other major factors contributing to the region's lower ranking is its quality of life metrics. Giovanetti pointed out that Dallas-Fort Worth lagged behind in several quality of life areas.
Among these factors, the daily commute scored particularly poorly. "The commute score was pretty bad. It was one of the worst in the country," Giovanetti said.
2024-2025 U.S. News Best Places to Live – Texas cities
9. Austin
48. McAllen
62. El Paso
77. Corpus Christi
87. Brownsville
89. San Antonio
95. Dallas-Fort Worth
99. Houston-Beaumont
107. Killeen
The top Texas city this year was Austin securing the No. 9 spot.
Giovanetti explained that while Austin did not excel in the value category, it was highly desirable due to its vibrant tech hub and high quality of life.
"Austin has the number nine job market in the country," she said. "Additionally, Austin really outperformed when it comes to quality of life, especially when you're looking at college readiness and health."
Now that the important part is out of the way (Texas)...let's look at the rest of the country.
Naples, Florida ranks as the best place to live in America for the upcoming 2024-2025 cycle.
The city exemplifies a perfect balance of desirability, economic opportunity, and quality of life metrics, setting it apart from other contenders
"Naples had a really great balance of all of the things that we look at that are important to Americans," Giovanetti said. "Naples performed really well for desirability, but one of the things that Americans said was most important to them this year is the cost of living, and that really translated to two categories for us. We have the value category and the job market category."
"Naples really outperformed when it comes to the job market. It ranked number four in our analysis for the job market category, and that's due to its low unemployment rate and relatively high salaries," she said. "It's a place where there's a lot of retirees, so there's a lot of health care jobs available for people who are looking to move."
2024-2025 U.S. News Best Places to Live – Top 10
1. Naples, FL
2. Boise, ID
3. Colorado Springs, CO
4. Greenville, SC
5. Charlotte, NC
6. Raleigh, NC
7. Huntsville, AL
8. Virginia Beach, VA
9. Austin, TX
10. Boulder, CO
Other cities making the top five, reflecting a diverse array of appealing locations across the United States, included Charlotte, North Carolina, Greenville, South Carolina, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Boise, Idaho. This geographic variety showcases the differing factors that influence livability across the country.
"I would say one thing that surprised me about this year's rankings is maybe the diversity of the different kinds of places we saw in the top five," Giovanetti noted.
For those curious to see the full list and find out where their hometown ranks, all the details are available at realestate.usnews.com.
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