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2018’s Best & Worst Cities for Texas Families

Jun 22, 2018

Texas is one of the largest states in the country, both in terms of square mileage and population, which should be no surprise considering everything is supposed to be bigger there. That’s certainly true as far as the steaks, cowboy hats and football stadiums are concerned. But what about the homes, school systems, salaries and all of the other important factors that truly make life larger in a given place?

As a whole, Texas is an economically strong state. It has the second largest state economy in the U.S., behind only California. And its unemployment rate of 4.1% is only a bit higher than the national average of 3.8%.

But living in Texas isn’t all about the money. There’s plenty of attractions to make the state a great place for families, like the Houston Space Center, Big Bend National Park and the Alamo.

In order to help Lone Star residents and those interested in joining the herd settle down in the right spot, WalletHub compared the 117 of the largest cities in Texas based on 21 relevant metrics that speak to their suitability for families of all types. This includes measures such as the number of playgrounds per capita, the violent crime rate and the divorce rate. Below, you can find the results as well as a detailed methodology and a Q&A with a panel of leading experts.

1MAIN FINDINGS2ASK THE EXPERTS
3METHODOLOGY

Main Findings

Best Places to Live in Texas

Overall Rank (1=Best) City Total Score ‘Family Life & Fun’ Rank ‘Education, Health & Safety’ Rank ‘Affordability’ Rank ‘Socioeconomic Environment’ Rank
1 Frisco, TX 73.69 12 8 1 5
2 Allen, TX 72.44 2 15 2 13
3 Southlake, TX 71.71 46 1 4 10
4 Colleyville, TX 70.57 92 2 7 1
5 Flower Mound, TX 69.62 48 6 11 4
6 Murphy, TX 69.60 53 7 8 2
7 Keller, TX 66.88 95 3 12 11
8 Plano, TX 66.83 19 18 14 16
9 Coppell, TX 66.73 38 12 22 6
10 McKinney, TX 66.54 16 22 10 17
11 Rockwall, TX 66.06 79 20 6 8
12 Sugar Land, TX 65.98 108 13 3 7
13 Cedar Park, TX 65.87 5 14 23 23
14 University Park, TX 65.13 1 4 66 12
15 Lake Jackson, TX 64.48 69 26 5 22
16 Pearland, TX 64.20 72 19 13 14
17 Wylie, TX 63.91 50 16 21 18
18 Sachse, TX 63.57 83 9 29 3
19 Friendswood, TX 62.96 90 11 18 25
20 Mansfield, TX 62.68 68 21 19 9
21 Little Elm, TX 62.53 62 31 9 33
22 Leander, TX 61.61 32 24 26 31
23 League City, TX 61.33 98 27 15 20
24 Cibolo, TX 61.24 100 5 36 24
25 Round Rock, TX 60.89 14 29 37 27
26 Grapevine, TX 59.03 43 25 46 28
27 Midlothian, TX 58.65 97 23 31 26
28 The Colony, TX 57.90 103 32 17 40
29 Pflugerville, TX 57.75 59 38 32 29
30 College Station, TX 57.62 20 17 72 44
31 Hutto, TX 57.36 55 10 41 58
32 Burleson, TX 57.05 84 36 24 34
33 New Braunfels, TX 56.61 35 46 50 32
34 Schertz, TX 55.16 106 39 33 21
35 Harker Heights, TX 54.85 42 52 30 48
36 Kyle, TX 54.78 71 35 53 39
37 North Richland Hills, TX 54.21 96 48 40 30
38 Richardson, TX 53.59 104 49 52 19
39 Carrollton, TX 53.54 82 45 60 35
40 Missouri City, TX 53.53 115 34 16 53
41 Georgetown, TX 52.75 116 33 64 15
42 Deer Park, TX 52.65 109 37 20 59
43 La Porte, TX 52.53 114 28 35 52
44 Bedford, TX 52.36 110 42 39 37
45 Rowlett, TX 52.22 112 44 43 36
46 Midland, TX 52.20 47 65 47 47
47 Weatherford, TX 52.15 86 43 38 57
48 Denton, TX 51.94 81 64 25 51
49 Copperas Cove, TX 51.71 76 58 27 62
50 Temple, TX 51.46 7 66 44 78
51 Waxahachie, TX 51.42 57 51 78 43
52 Wichita Falls, TX 51.25 4 89 34 74
53 Del Rio, TX 50.97 65 40 63 63
54 San Angelo, TX 49.59 24 91 65 54
55 Haltom City, TX 49.50 22 62 76 68
56 Rosenberg, TX 49.32 89 50 45 77
57 Euless, TX 49.05 93 54 79 45
58 Hurst, TX 48.69 107 73 59 38
59 Belton, TX 48.65 23 60 51 93
60 Abilene, TX 48.20 60 74 57 66
61 Farmers Branch, TX 47.95 45 59 97 42
62 Fort Worth, TX 47.71 10 104 48 80
63 Grand Prairie, TX 47.59 73 72 80 49
64 Odessa, TX 47.39 21 111 49 56
65 Kingsville, TX 47.18 28 57 71 92
66 Austin, TX 47.15 31 76 96 50
67 Lewisville, TX 47.08 85 69 93 41
68 Victoria, TX 46.90 58 92 55 64
69 Killeen, TX 46.69 13 85 69 82
70 Amarillo, TX 46.67 8 112 42 73
71 Bryan, TX 46.50 40 71 86 69
72 Converse, TX 46.15 105 55 54 72
73 Mission, TX 45.94 9 53 103 85
74 Cedar Hill, TX 45.83 91 67 68 75
75 Big Spring, TX 45.61 44 108 28 83
76 Nacogdoches, TX 44.87 3 30 112 102
77 Arlington, TX 44.68 67 101 73 61
78 Irving, TX 44.64 78 75 108 46
79 Conroe, TX 44.61 102 77 74 60
80 Alvin, TX 44.59 111 68 70 67
81 Corpus Christi, TX 43.89 34 103 58 89
82 Lufkin, TX 43.70 25 87 91 84
83 El Paso, TX 43.37 15 63 111 94
84 Kerrville, TX 43.36 87 47 106 70
85 Garland, TX 43.26 101 88 92 55
86 Corsicana, TX 42.87 41 102 84 76
87 Tyler, TX 42.82 88 83 87 79
88 Baytown, TX 42.42 30 100 61 106
89 Lubbock, TX 42.29 54 116 62 65
90 Galveston, TX 41.86 6 99 94 104
91 McAllen, TX 41.69 63 56 107 97
92 Eagle Pass, TX 41.51 61 41 105 107
93 Waco, TX 41.47 27 98 89 103
94 Seguin, TX 41.17 99 86 67 101
95 Edinburg, TX 40.90 18 95 104 90
96 Texas City, TX 40.83 80 96 56 111
97 Longview, TX 40.77 49 107 85 87
98 San Antonio, TX 40.62 51 113 83 81
99 Pasadena, TX 40.62 94 90 88 91
100 DeSoto, TX 40.55 117 78 81 71
101 Pharr, TX 40.54 26 61 110 108
102 Harlingen, TX 40.51 52 82 100 95
103 Paris, TX 39.98 64 94 75 109
104 San Marcos, TX 39.62 17 79 117 100
105 Greenville, TX 39.49 75 93 95 98
106 Brownsville, TX 38.95 11 70 114 112
107 Mesquite, TX 38.77 74 105 98 86
108 Laredo, TX 38.19 39 80 115 105
109 Dallas, TX 37.51 56 97 113 99
110 Beaumont, TX 36.55 37 115 77 113
111 Duncanville, TX 35.64 113 106 99 88
112 San Juan, TX 35.63 33 81 116 114
113 Weslaco, TX 35.20 66 109 102 110
114 Port Arthur, TX 34.67 36 110 82 116
115 Texarkana, TX 34.50 29 114 90 115
116 Houston, TX 33.69 70 117 101 96
117 San Benito, TX 32.46 77 84 109 117

Ask the Experts: Lone-Star Relocation

For a closer look at Texas real estate and job markets, we turned to a panel of leading experts familiar with the area. You can find their bios and responses to the following questions below.

  1. What are some tips for young families looking for quality public schools and affordable housing in Texas?
  2. How can local officials in Texas make their cities more attractive to young families?
  3. Looking just within Texas, to what degree is child development and a family’s quality of life influenced by the city in which they live?

Methodology

To help identify the most family-friendly cities in Texas, WalletHub compared the state’s 117 largest cities in four categories: 1) Family Life & Fun, 2) Education, Health & Safety, 3) Affordability and 4) Socioeconomic Environment.

We did so using 21 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was scored from 0 to 100, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for families. We then used the weighted average of these individual-metric scores to calculate an overall score for each city, with which the cities were ultimately ranked.

Please note that “city” refers to city proper and excludes surrounding metro areas. Other cities were excluded from the sample due to limited data availability.

Family Life & Fun – Total Points: 25

  • Number of Playgrounds per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
  • Number of Attractions (e.g., zoos, museums, theaters): Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
  • Share of Families with Children Under 18: Double Weight (~8.33 Points)
  • WalletHub “Weather” Ranking: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
  • Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

Education, Health & Safety – Total Points: 25

  • Quality of School System: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
  • High School Graduation Rate: Half Weight (~1.47 Points)
  • Air Quality: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
  • Pediatricians per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
  • Share of Uninsured Children (newborn to age 18): Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
  • Violent-Crime Rate per 1,000 Residents: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)
  • Property-Crime Rate per 1,000 Residents: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)

Affordability – Total Points: 25

  • Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the median annual family income divided by housing costs. It accounts for both rent and house prices.
  • General Affordability: Full Weight (~12.50 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the median family annual income divided by the cost of living index.

Socioeconomic Environment – Total Points: 25

  • Separation & Divorce Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Share of Two-Parent Families: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Share of Families Below Poverty Line: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Share of Households Receiving Food Stamps: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Wealth Gap: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

 

Original article: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-to-live-in-texas/22419/