The Lone Star State is thriving economically, doing much better than many other parts of the country. We’ve also got hoards of people moving here for jobs at places like Plano’s Toyota headquarters near Frisco, JPMorgan Chase, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. As these people consider DFW, ranking the cities becomes important.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, just released an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best Texas Cities for Families. The good news? Eight cities in North Texas made the top ten. The bad news? Dallas is ranked 107 out of 112.
Analysts at WalletHub compared 112 of the state’s cities across 21 key metrics in four categories: family life and fun; education, health, and safety; affordability; and socioeconomic environment. Their data set ranges from the number of playgrounds per capita to the the violent-crime and divorce rates.
So what made the ‘burbs so appealing and Dallas rank so poorly?
“Many big cities struggle in being family-friendly, especially depending on the size of the family— Dallas ranked poorly due to having the 2nd most expensive housing market in the state and the 4th lowest median family income (adjusted for cost of living) at just $47,428 per year,” said Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst. “It also has both a high crime rate and divorce rate, 27.18 percent, ranking 99th.”
Dallas ranked No. 41 out of 112 for family life and fun; No. 97 out of 112 for education, health, and safety; No. 96 out of 112 for socioeconomic environment; and No. 111 out of 112 for affordability—only San Marcos scored worse.
“By investing in education, local officials could help to eventually improve the city’s crime rate and family income levels,” Gonzalez said. “”Families can assume that parts of Dallas would be better for children than others, like those with better [schools] and nearby parks or amenities to take advantage of.”
Several of our mid-cities scored exceptionally well. Colleyville, for example, has has the lowest property-crime rate per 1,000 residents, 5.70, which is 12 times lower than in Weslaco, the city with the highest, 70.83. The city also has the lowest divorce rate, 6.7 percent, which is five times lower than in Big Spring, the city with the highest, 32.9 percent.
Southlake has the highest cost-of-living-adjusted median family annual income, $132,345, which is three times higher than in San Benito, the city with the lowest, $45,099. It also has the highest school-system quality, which is six times higher than in Odessa, the city with the lowest.
“Dallas suburbs ranked highly due to the wealth of services they offer to families, including great education, health and safety systems. These cities also boast some of the highest incomes in the state,” Gonzalez said. “Families already residing in Texas or the ones planning on joining the Lone Star state can use our report’s information to find out which city offers the best opportunities for setting down roots.”
