america's best cities
Dallas soars to top-10 spot on new list of America's best cities

Dallas jumped from No. 14 in 2025 to No. 8 in 2026.
Dallas has soared onto a new ranking of America's 10 best cities for 2026, certifying the city is a cornerstone of the country's growth and economic prosperity.
Dallas ranks No. 8 nationwide in the annual "America's Best Cities" report from Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing firm Resonance Consultancy. Each year, the report ranks the relative qualities of livability, cultural "lovability," and economic prosperity in 393 American cities with metropolitan populations of 500,000 or more.
Dallas ranked higher than any other city in Texas, but the Lone Star State still had a strong presence among the top 25. Houston and Austin, respectively, were named the 9th and 11th best American cities this year, and San Antonio appeared at No. 24.
Previously, Dallas was dubbed the 14th best American city in 2025 and ranked 16th in the 2024 report.
Rather than profiling each individual city like in past reports, the 2026 edition focuses on regional and state prosperity. Texas' economic dominance is second only to Florida's, and the state's growth is solidified by the Dallas-Houston-Austin "triangle," where each metro has its own distinct economic identity, but when combined "form one of the most formidable regional economies in the world."
"In our 2026 survey, Dallas ranks third nationally as the place Americans believe offers the best job opportunities, Austin fifth, and Houston seventh," the report's author wrote. "That concentration of perceived economic opportunity in a single state is unmatched, and the GDP data confirms it isn’t just perception."
After being named one of the best places to start a business or a career earlier in 2026, Dallas has continued to punch above its weight with its success in tourism, education, and housing growth.
The top 10 best cities in America for 2026 are:
- No. 1 – New York
- No. 2 – Los Angeles
- No. 3 – Chicago
- No. 4 – Miami
- No. 5 – San Francisco
- No. 6 – Seattle
- No. 7 – Las Vegas
- No. 8 – Dallas
- No. 9 – Houston
- No. 10 – Boston
