People complain a lot about government, but several Texas cities are running like well-oiled machines. WalletHub's annual assessment of how efficiently some of America’s largest cities spend taxpayer dollars is out, and Dallas is, once again, near the top of the list.
Of the 78 U.S. cities surveyed, Dallas comes in at No. 7, down three spots from the previous year.
As WalletHub acknowledges, the rankings were determined by the return on investment (ROI) cities received in only three key categories: education, police, and parks and recreation. However, researchers believe efficient spending in these areas is a "strong indicator" that there is a high level of efficiency in other expenditure categories, namely public transportation, infrastructure, and health.
Dallas ranks No. 10 for parks and recreation, down three spots from the previous year. However, the city saw marked improvement in the law enforcement category, up to No. 13 from No. 27 in 2015. At No. 22, our education ranking remains almost unchanged.
Houston scoots past Dallas as the fifth best-run city in the nation. Four other Texas cities are in the top 20, including El Paso (No. 14), Austin (No. 16), San Antonio (No. 19), and Lubbock (No. 20).
