Lists! Lists! Lists!

Dallas neighbor deemed one of Money's Best Places to Live 2019

Wylie is among the best places to live in 2019.

The small North Texas town of Wylie has just earned a big accolade: It's one of the best places to live in America.

On September 16, Money magazine released its annual Best Places to Live 2019, and the Dallas neighbor claimed a spot on the list.

Coming in at No. 26 out of 100, Wylie is applauded for its median household income ($82,763), projected job growth (17 percent), and high school graduation rate (95 percent). Noting it as one of the fastest-growing cities in Texas, Money also highlights Wylie's quality of life aspects, such as 232 clear days per year, a low crime rate, and an average commute time of 32 minutes.

To determine the best places to live, Money first looked at cities with populations of 50,000 or greater. If a city had more than 300,000 residents, the magazine then broke it down into neighborhoods. (For example, Austin's Hyde Park neighborhood took the No. 51 spot on this year's list.) According to Money's methodology report, this left 1,796 potential places.

Working with Witlytic, a data and optimization firm, the magazine then examined each area's economic health, cost of living, ethnic and economic diversity, public education, income, health and safety, ease of living, and amenities. Once those number were crunched, reporters got to work researching, reporting, and "searching for the kinds of intangible factors that aren’t revealed by statistics."

In addition to Wylie, Texas had four spots on the list, the maximum allowed for each state. Round Rock was the big winner at No. 2, followed by Austin's Hyde Park neighborhood (No. 51) and San Marcos (No. 76).

Money debuted its Best Places to Live list 30 years ago as a way to help consumers better decide where to live.

"The average American will move nearly a dozen times during his or her lifetime. Our Best Places to Live franchise gives individuals and families the guidance they need to make informed decisions about where they will have the best living experience across the country," says Shaina Mishkin, writer at money.com, in a press release.

Topping the list this year is Clarksville, Tennessee, located about 45 miles northwest of Nashville. Rounding out the rest of the top 10 is Fishers, Indiana (No. 3); Chicago's Fulton River District (No. 4); Charlotte, North Carolina's Country Club Heights (No. 5); Draper, Utah (No. 6); Bentonville, Arkansas (No. 7); Madison, Wisconsin (No. 8); Meridian, Idaho (No. 9); and Winter Garden, Florida (No. 10).

lists reports

closing the gaps

Texas no longer leads U.S. for racial progress, new report says

The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Dallas

The Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center/Facebook

WalletHub's report is released annually ahead of MLK Day.

Texas has been overtaken as the No. 1 state that has made the most racial progress, according to a new study.

The Lone Star State led the nation in 2025, but now ranks in third place behind Georgia (No. 1) and Mississippi (No. 2). It also ranked No. 5 nationally in the list of states with the most racial integration.

WalletHub's "States That Have Made the Most Racial Progress" study is released annually ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The report compares all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 22 relevant metrics divided into two main rankings: racial integration (which the study defines as "the current integration levels of white people and Black people") and racial progress (defined as "the levels of racial progress achieved over time").

The report's author clarifies that the study focuses only on the racial integration between Black people and white people "in light of racial tensions in recent years that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement."

"We released this report ahead of the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who played a prominent role in the Civil Rights Movement to end segregation and discrimination against Black people," the report says.

The study further divided each ranking into four main categories measuring the gaps between white people and Black people over time; spanning employment and wealth, education, social and civic engagement, and health. Texas performed the best in education and health, ranking No. 4 nationally in both categories, and it ranked in sixth place for its social and civic engagement. The state ranked 16th in the category for employment and wealth.

According to WalletHub, Texas has "done a lot" to reduce gaps in health outcomes for white and Black residents, such as reducing gaps in health insurance coverage, and reducing the share of Black Texans suffering from "poor health" and diabetes. It also notes that Texas "made the second-most progress when it comes to obesity," but it did not acknowledge the racial bias in body mass index (BMI) that has been increasingly flagged in recent years.

The report further praises Texas for reducing the gap in business ownership between white and Black Texans, and for its improvement in reducing discrimination in the parole system. WalletHub does not offer data behind the parole claim.

"It’s encouraging to look at the data and see that some states have made significant strides toward racial equality over the past few decades," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo regarding the overall report. "This change demonstrates that state-level policies and residents’ attitudes regarding equality have grown considerably better."

Though racial disparity gaps are closing between white and Black people, racial profiling and discrimination is still a major issue affecting Black people and other people of color across the country.

In 2023, a senate bill banned public Texas universities from having diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices and programs, prompting warnings of discrimination against Black, Hispanic, and other marginalized students, including those with disabilities.

The top 10 states with the most racial progress in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Georgia
No. 2 – Mississippi
No. 3 – Texas
No. 4 – North Carolina
No. 5 – Maryland
No. 6 – Florida
No. 7 – New Jersey
No. 8 – Massachusetts
No. 9 – Louisiana
No. 10 – New Mexico

wallethub texas report mlk day