Parade of professionals

Dallas-Fort Worth punches in as a top market for workers relocating during pandemic

DFW is the No. 7 market for relocating workers, says LinkedIn.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk appears to be Texas-bound. Popular podcaster Joe Rogan already has settled down here. But how many more folks are making the Lone Star State home during the coronavirus pandemic? The short answer: a bunch.

Data from job website LinkedIn indicates Austin is the main magnet for U.S. professionals seeking a new place to live, work, and play. But Dallas-Fort Worth is not far behind, landing at No. 7 on the national list.

For every person who moved out of DFW from April to October, 1.35 people moved in. That number is just slightly higher, at 1.53, in first-ranked Austin.

LinkedIn analyzed the top cities that gained the most people based on ZIP code changes across its 174 million U.S.-based LinkedIn members, CNBC reported. The analysis examined the inflow-outflow ratio, which is the number of new arrivals to an area versus the number of people who left.

According to a LinkedIn report published in early December, top sources of new arrivals in Dallas-Fort Worth over the past 12 months were New York City; Los Angeles; and Chicago. "So for every 10,000 LinkedIn members in Dallas-Ft. Worth, 4.5 workers moved to the city in the last year from New York City," the report says.

At the other end of the spectrum — and in a bit of a Texas switcheroo — Austin gained the most workers from DFW over the past year, followed by Denver and Seattle. "So for every 10,000 LinkedIn members in Dallas-Ft. Worth, 1.3 workers moved to Austin in the last year," the report says.

Places losing the most people nationwide were Hartford, Connecticut; the San Francisco Bay Area; and New York City, data shows.

Recent reports have lauded the sizzling economy in DFW, including the growth of tech jobs and commercial real estate opportunities.

“I think the DFW area will continue to be a center for growth once the pandemic is under control. The area offers a good mix of what companies are looking for, from workforce and infrastructure to a business-friendly climate,” Waco economist Ray Perryman said earlier this year.

lists rankings

let loose dallas

Dallas earns a slot on new list of America's most fun cities

Photo by Mark Patterson on Unsplash

Dallas is a fun place to be, the study says.

Dallas' fun entertainment and nightlife scenes have helped the city improve in WalletHub's just-released ranking of the most fun American cities in 2025. Dallas now stands tall as the 26th most fun U.S. city this year.

WalletHub's "Most Fun Cities in America (2025)" study compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics — spanning from the number of sports venues, music venues, and shopping centers per capita to the average cost for a restaurant meal — to determine how "fun" each city is. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

Las Vegas, Nevada continued its multi-year streak as the No. 1 most fun American city.

Across the three key dimensions, Dallas scored the highest for its nightlife and parties rank (No. 23), but its entertainment and recreation ranks (No. 35) and costs (No. 99) still have room for improvement. But overall, Dallas' level of "fun" is far higher than most U.S. cities.

Dallas' current "fun" status is five places higher than its 2024 rank as the No. 31 most fun American city.

Elsewhere in North Texas, Fort Worth ranked as the 60th most fun American city, while Arlington (No. 71) and Plano (No. 78) lagged farther behind.

Texas' most fun cities
Houston overtook Austin as the 6th most fun city in America and the No. 1 most fun Texas city for 2025. Austin, which ranked No. 6 last year, dropped two spots and now ranks No. 8 on the list.

Three more Texas cities that appeared in the top 100 include: San Antonio (No. 23), El Paso (No. 62), and Corpus Christi (No. 94).

"The decision of where to live could save or cost you a lot of money and fun, so it’s fair to wonder what makes a fun city," the report's author wrote. "In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, family, or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together."

Surprisingly, both Chicago and New York City dropped out of the top 10 most fun American cities. Chicago now ranks as No. 11, and New York City ranks 14th on the list.

WalletHub's top 10 most fun U.S. cities in 2025 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 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Austin, Texas
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Cincinnati, Ohio

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