Faring best economically

Black residents thrive most in this diverse Dallas suburb, study shows

Grand Prairie ties with Virginia Beach, Virginia, as the place where Black Americans fare best economically.

Photo courtesy of Austin Board of Realtors

By at least one measure, Grand Prairie ranks as the best U.S. city for Black Americans.

In a study released February 5 in conjunction with Black History Month, personal finance website SmartAsset puts Grand Prairie in a tie with Virginia Beach, Virginia, as the place where Black Americans fare best economically. SmartAsset took into account six factors in analyzing 129 of the largest U.S. cities: median Black household income, Black homeownership rate, share of Black adults with a bachelor’s degree, share of business owners who are Black, Black participation in the workforce, and Black poverty rate.

“Nationwide, when it comes to wealth and personal finance success, Black Americans have struggled more compared to the rest of the population. ... In some parts of the country, however, economic outcomes for Black Americans are more favorable,” the study says.

According to the study, Grand Prairie boasts the fourth highest Black workforce participation rate (79.9 percent) and the lowest Black poverty rate (less than 5 percent) among all 129 cities in the study. Additionally, more than one-third of Black adults in Grand Prairie hold a bachelor’s degree (ranked sixth out of 129), and the median Black household income exceeds $63,000 (ranked 10th out of 129).

Close to 23 percent of Grand Prairie’s nearly 195,000 residents — or more than 44,000 people — identify as Black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Statewide, almost 13 percent of residents are Black. Niche.com ranks Grand Prairie as DFW’s sixth most diverse suburb.

Among the top 25 cities in the SmartAsset study, Dallas-Fort Worth claims six spots. The other DFW city in the top 10 is Garland, ranked seventh.

SmartAsset says the Black homeownership rate in Garland is the fifth highest in the study (50.98 percent), while the Black workforce participation rate comes in at No. 11 (75.8 percent). It also ranks in the top 15 for median Black household income ($60,030) and the share of Black adults with a bachelor’s degree (32.5 percent). However, Garland’s poverty rate for Black residents (23.7 percent) is the worst of any city in the top 10.

Nearly 15 percent (about 36,000) of Garland’s roughly 240,000 residents are Black, the Census Bureau says.

The four other DFW cities in the top 25 are:

Arlington, No. 11. Its Black homeownership rate (32.74 percent) far surpasses that of Plano (20.54 percent) and Irving (17.91 percent).
Plano, No. 12. Among the top 25, it nabs the highest share of Black adults with a bachelor’s degree (48.4 percent).
Irving, tied for No. 14 with Nashville. Of the DFW cities in the top 25, it ranks third for Black household income ($60,672).
Fort Worth, No. 25. At 24.8 percent, Cowtown exceeds the national average (22.5 percent) for Black adults with a bachelor’s degree.

Outside DFW, only one Texas city appears in the study’s top 25 (El Paso, at No. 16).

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License Plate News

Dallas car buyers get metal license plates stat under new Texas law

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Texas license plate

A new state law will go into effect in Texas that makes it easier for car owners to get permanent metal license plates: The new law, House Bill 718, was actually passed by the 88th Legislature in 2023, but it goes into effect on July 1, 2025. It will allow car dealers to begin issuing metal license plates directly when they sell a car, whether it's new or used.

In the previous needlessly elaborate process, new car owners would receive a temporary paper license, and then apply for metal license plates. The new law will eliminate that requirement, allowing car buyers to get metal license plates when they purchase a car from a dealer.

The new law arose out of the huge imbroglio over temporary paper tags, which were designed to be used on a temporary basis while car buyers waited to receive their permanent plates. But scammers were obtaining car dealer licenses, then printing up hundreds of thousands of temporary paper tags and selling them to people hoping to avoid paying for insurance and car registration.

The paper tags gave Texas a black eye because they became a crime problem not just in Texas but nationally, turning up on cars involved in crimes in Texas, New York, and beyond. In a 2021 investigation, the FBI found more than a half-million fraudulent paper tags, sold by just three people to buyers across the country.

Bill 718 was initially designed to go into effect in September 2023, then March 2025, but the final bill bumped the deadline back to July 1, 2025. That's thanks to The Texas Independent Automobile Dealers Association, who were "concerned" about having an adequate supply of metal plates in such a short time frame. Let's hope they got it together!

The new rules are as follows:

Buying from a Dealer: Consumers purchasing a vehicle from a Texas dealer will receive metal license plates instead of paper temporary tags, driving off the lot with their plates already in place.

Until their registration sticker arrives from their county office, customers must keep their buyer’s plate receipt in the vehicle to be able to verify the purchase and pending registration to law enforcement.

Trading In a Vehicle: When consumers sell or trade in a vehicle with general issue plates, dealers may transfer the plates to another vehicle sold within 10 days, if the plates match the appropriate vehicle type, per Senate Bill 1902, passed by the 89th Legislature this year. (Consumers with specialty license plates will keep their plates.)

Buying/Selling a Vehicle in a Private Sale: The private party sales process remains unchanged: Sellers should remove their license plates and registration sticker from the vehicle when they deliver the vehicle to the buyer. The seller can request to transfer the plates to another vehicle they own—if appropriate for the vehicle type—by visiting their county tax assessor-collector's office.

Sellers should submit a Vehicle Transfer Notification to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle.

Buyers must submit a title and registration application at their county tax assessor-collector’s office and obtain new plates to register the vehicle in their name within 30 days of purchase.

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