Dallas neighbor Plano has soared into the top 10 best U.S. cities for veterans to live, a new WalletHub report says.

To assess the best and worst places for veterans to live, analysts compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 19 relevant metrics, such as the share of military skill-related jobs, veteran income growth, the availability of VA health facilities, among others.

Plano ranked as the No. 4 best city for military retirees in the nation this year, taking a big leap from its former No. 11 rank in 2025.

Plano offers the 10th best quality of life for veterans out of all 100 cities in the report, and the city ranks 25th for its "health" rank — determined by the number of VA benefits administration and VA health facilities per veteran population and the quality of VA health facilities.

Plano's employment rank for veterans is the 28th best in the U.S., and the suburb boasts the 29th best economy for former service members based on WalletHub's analysis of veteran housing affordability, median income and income growth, educational opportunities, and the share of veterans living in poverty.

Local veterans are being honored with Veterans Day deals and discounts all across the city this; find the list here.

"When veterans return home from serving our nation, it’s important for them to live in a place that provides good education and employment opportunities, along with access to quality care for their physical and mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "The best cities for veterans have all these characteristics, plus added bonuses like large veteran populations for community support, plus many restaurants and entertainment venues that offer veteran discounts."

Meanwhile, Dallas proper ranked as the No. 22 overall best U.S. city for veterans to live in 2026, moving up the list after ranking 25th for the last two years.

This is how Dallas stacked up across the study's four main categories:

• No. 16 – Health
• No. 32 – Economy
• No. 36 – Quality of life
• No. 66 – Employment

The Veterans Association reports nearly 17.2 million veterans live in the U.S., and many of them struggle in some way with transitioning from military to civilian life, including homelessness.

"While the government has pledged to support veterans with health care, housing, employment and education benefits, not everyone returning from service is able to access the care, work or housing they need," the WalletHub report said. "Veterans do have a relatively low unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, compared with 4.2 percent for the overall population. Still, homelessness remains a major concern, with over 32,000 veterans experiencing homelessness."

Elsewhere in North Texas, Fort Worth ranked as the 5th overall best city for veterans, Garland ranked 24th, Irving came in 33rd, and Arlington ranked as No. 34.

Austin's livability leads the nation
Austin was once again declared No. 1 best place in the U.S. for veterans to live in 2026, continuing the city's long-running streak leading the nation for its livability for former service members.

Austin offers veterans the fifth best quality of life in the U.S., the study found, and the city's economic standing for veterans is the 11th best in the country.

"Austin, TX, is the best city for veterans, in large part because it has the best colleges for veterans in the country, along with the ninth-highest median annual income for veterans, at over $66,000," the report said.

Austin also ranked 25th and 44th, respectively, in the health and employment categories, showing that the city provides high-quality VA health facilities and local employers provide great job benefits for service members.

"It's also good for veterans to live in a place where they can form a community of support with others who have gone through similar experiences," the report said.

Other Texas cities that earned spots in the report include San Antonio (No. 25), Laredo (No. 28), Lubbock (No. 32), Houston (No. 51), Corpus Christi (No. 58), and El Paso (No. 67).

The top 10 best U.S. cities for veterans to live are:

• No. 1 – Austin, Texas
• No. 2 – Madison, Wisconsin
• No. 3 – Scottsdale, Arizona
• No. 4 – Plano, Texas
• No. 5 – Fort Worth, Texas
• No. 6 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
• No. 7 – Gilbert, Arizona
• No. 8 – Raleigh, North Carolina
• No. 9 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• No. 10 – Irvine, California