Survey Says

Dallas suburbs dominate list of best Texas cities for job seekers

Irving's wide variety of business opportunities make it one the best Texas cities for job seekers.

Photo courtesy of Irving Convention Center

A recent study of the best Texas towns for job seekers shows that Dallas-Fort Worth is booming for those looking for work. The study, conducted by consumer finance website NerdWallet.com, found that half of the 10 best cities for finding jobs are right here in town.

To devise the rankings, Nerdwallet used information from the U.S. Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics on population growth, unemployment rates and median income. League City in Galveston County was ranked No. 1, but Allen took silver, thanks to strong population growth and low unemployment. Allen Independent School District received mention as the biggest employer for the city, further cementing Allen as a great town for raising a family.

McKinney and Grand Prairie made the fourth and fifth spots. McKinney has seen tremendous growth over the last decade, doubling its population between 2000 and 2010. A large portion of jobs are in the tech, medical and manufacturing industries for companies like Torchmark and StatLab.

Grand Prairie’s location near DFW Airport makes it a hot spot for companies like Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter. Irving is No. 8, thanks to a large variety of companies, including ExxonMobil, BlackBerry, Verizon, Citigroup and Allstate.

The last North Texas town is also the largest on the list. Plano took the dime spot for having a diversified portfolio of finance, tech, medicine and software companies such as McAfee, Capital One, and the Medical Center of Plano. Other cities on the list are Sugar Land, Midland, Edinburg and Bryan.

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Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

Topgolf Facebook

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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