Workin’ it

This Dallas neighbor clocks in as one of hardest-working U.S. cities

This is the fifth-hardest-working city in the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Visit Irving

A number of giant employers — including ExxonMobil, Fluor, Kimberly-Clark, Michaels, and NEC Corp. of America — call Irving home. Irving appears to be a giant when it comes to hard-working people, too.

A study released February 22 by personal finance website WalletHub ranks Irving the fifth-hardest-working city in the U.S. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows nearly three-fourths of Irving residents 16 and over are in the workforce; their average daily commute lasts 24 minutes. Around 240,000 people live in Irving.

Other Dallas-Fort Worth cities in the top 20 are Plano (No. 11), Dallas (No. 13), Fort Worth (No. 16), Garland (No. 18), and Arlington (No. 20). Other Texas cities in the top 20 are Austin (No. 7) and Corpus Christi (No. 9).

Anchorage, Alaska, tops the list.

To determine which cities outwork the rest of the U.S., WalletHub compared the 116 largest cities across 11 key metrics. Those metrics include average hours worked per week, employment rate, average commute time, and share of workers with multiple jobs.

The MetroTex Association of Realtors must have gotten the memo about Irving’s status as a hard-working city. The group plans to relocate from Dallas to new headquarters it plans to build in Irving.

In a similar move, Neighborly, the world’s largest franchisor of home service brands (such as Molly Maid and Mr. Handyman), said in October that it planned to open a second headquarters in Irving this year. By 2026, Neighborly plans to employ more than 200 people in Irving.

“Irving’s connectivity and accessibility to world-class talent make our community a top contender for business and were key factors in Neighborly’s real estate decision,” Beth Bowman, president and CEO of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Irving Economic Development Partnership, said in a release.

It's not surprising that Austin also secured a top-10 spot on the list. The Capitol City has become a magnet for relocation of technology companies and high-profile businesses like Tesla.

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share the road

Texas races to the bottom in new list of best states for cyclists

Photo by Garry Neesam on Unsplash

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In what will come as no surprise to cyclists around Dallas, the state of Texas is not a good place for bicycling riding. According to a new report of the "Most Cycling-Friendly States in the U.S.," Texas comes in at No. 47 — meaning that only three other states are worse.

The report, from Philadelphia personal injury law firm KaplunMarx, examines all 50 states based on six metrics: Air quality index, the number of cyclist deaths per one million residents, bike routes per square mile, local government actions supporting cycling, federal funding for cycling projects, and bicycle laws.

Texas musters a mere 31 points out of 100 for its "cycling friendly score."

The most cycling friendly state in the U.S.: Minnesota, which earned 84 points to claim the title.

According to the report's findings, there have been 15 local government actions per capita in Texas that integrate pedestrians and cyclists in transportation projects. Texas' has a 41 air quality index value, and there are approximately 1.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles in the state.

On cyclist deaths, Texas does a little better, with three cyclist deaths per one million residents in Texas — about nine percent lower than the national average.

According to KaplunMarx founding partner Ted Kaplun, there is an average of 857 cyclist fatalities in the U.S. every year. He adds that every measure or community effort to improve cyclist-friendliness is beneficial for all Americans.

"It's crucial for all states to continually assess and enhance their cycling provisions, learning from both high-ranking peers and their own experiences," he says.

Top-ranking Minnesota has only one cyclist death per one million state residents. It also has about 27.2 bike routes per 1,000 square miles.

After Minnesota, the remaining top five best states for cyclists are Massachusetts (No. 2), Rhode Island (No. 3), Washington (No. 4), and Iowa (No. 5).

At the bottom of the list are Nevada (No. 48), Arizona (No. 49), and Utah (No. 50) — all of which performed far worse than Texas to be declared the three least cycling-friendly states.

The entire country still has areas for improvement when it comes to creating a safer environment for cyclists, regardless of where each state landed on the list, according to Kaplun.

"With over 53 million Americans riding bicycles regularly, the importance of cycling-friendly infrastructure and safety measures cannot be overstated," said Kaplun in the report. "This isn't just about rankings – it's about enhancing the quality of life, promoting sustainable transportation, and most crucially, saving lives."

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