Rich Getting Richer

Dallas-Fort Worth cashes in with big increase in ultra-wealthy residents

DFW's ultra-rich population is on the rise.

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Just as Dallas-Fort Worth’s population is growing rapidly, so too is its population of ultra-wealthy people.

A report released October 7 by Wealth-X shows that DFW saw the biggest jump in super-rich residents — 17 percent from 2018 to 2019 — among U.S. metro areas with the largest populations of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.

The data shows that DFW was home to 3,165 ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals last year, landing it at No. 10 among ultra-wealthy cities in the world.

Wealth-X, which which provides data and analysis about wealthy consumers, defines UHNW as those with a net worth of more than $30 million.

Included in the Metroplex's ultra-wealthy crowd are 14 billionaires who earned spots on this year’s edition of the Forbes 400. Leading the DFW pack is Walmart heiress Alice Walton of Fort Worth, with a net worth estimated at $66.5 billion as of October 6. Among Texas’ metro areas, DFW boasts the most billionaires.

New York City topped Wealth-X’s worldwide list, with 10,435 UHNW individuals. Other U.S. metros joining DFW and NYC in the global top 10 are Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C. Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, and London round out the list.

The average net worth of a UHNW individual in 2019 was $122 million. Billionaires represented just 1 percent of the global UHNW population, yet their cumulative wealth amounted to a 27 percent share ($9.4 trillion).

According to the report, the worldwide ultra-wealthy sector expanded by 290,720 people from 2018 to 2019, an increase of 9.5 percent. Meanwhile, their combined net worth climbed 9.7 percent to $35.4 trillion.

North America witnessed the most substantial UHNW gains from 2018 to 2019. The number of ultra-wealthy individuals rose 14.5 percent to 105,080, representing a 36 percent share of the global UHNW class. In the same period, the collective net worth of UHNW individuals in North America shot up by 14.4 percent to $12.4 trillion.

The economic upheaval caused by the coronavirus pandemic has shifted the wealth landscape, though. For instance, Wealth-X says North America’s UHNW population dipped by 1 percent from December 2019 to August 2020, and their wealth shrank by 3 percent.

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happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports