the golden years

Dallas rests easy on U.S. News' 2027 list of best big cities to retire

Cool Thursdays Concert Series at Dallas Arboretum

Dallas has a lot to offer retirees, like cool evenings at the Arboretum.

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum

Dallas is earning new acclaim on U.S. News and World Report's just-released list of the best U.S. cities for retirees in 2027.

The 2027 Best Places to Retire list evaluated over 850 U.S. cities based on six livability metrics that best serve American retirees: quality of life, affordability, health care, retiree taxes, job market, and population and migration. The top 250 finalist cities were then ranked nationally and by city size.

Midland, Michigan topped the list for the second consecutive year and is followed by Homosassa Springs, Florida (No. 2) and Weirton, West Virginia (No. 3).

Dallas ranked as the 21st best large U.S. city to retire for 2027, while neighboring Fort Worth ranked 7th nationally.

U.S. News said affordability is the "most considered factor" when it comes to picking the best place to live a low-stress retirement life, and that's what Dallas and its neighbors deliver. Affordable cities give retirees "a sense of security and comfort as they live out their golden years," according to Megan Wood, U.S. News assistant managing editor of home services and real estate.

"It’s no secret that affordability is top of mind for Americans this year, which is why U.S. News updated its weighting criteria to better align with what retirees prioritize," Wood said. "The 2027 rankings reflect key metrics used to highlight the places that
best suit retiree needs."

According to the city's profile on U.S. News, Dallas offers a lower cost of living compared to "similarly sized metro areas" and boasts a slightly lower home value compared to the national average.

"The national average home value is $359,870, while the median home value in Dallas is $354,396," the profile said.

Flower Mound is the only Dallas-Fort Worth city that appears among the overall top 50 best places to retire for 2027, ranking 43rd nationally. But it's a six-place drop from last year's ranking when the suburb last ranked 37th.

Eight more DFW cities ranked in the overall top 250:

No. 131 – McKinney
No. 174 – Allen
No. 190 – Little Elm
No. 203 – Frisco
No. 216 – North Richland Hills
No. 222 – Carrollton
No. 243 – Wylie
No. 246 – Plano

Elsewhere in Texas, Houston neighbors The Woodlands and Spring respectively maintained their standings as the No. 4 and No. 5 overall best cities for retirees for the second year in a row. The Woodlands topped the separate list of the best midsized U.S. cities to retire, while Spring landed 5th among the smallest U.S. cities.

These are the top 10 best large U.S. cities to retire for 2027:

No. 1 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 2 – Houston, Texas
No. 3 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
No. 4 – El Paso, Texas
No. 5 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 6 – Indianapolis, Indiana
No. 7 – Fort Worth, Texas
No. 8 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 9 – Albuquerque, New Mexico
No. 10 – Phoenix, Arizona

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Go vote

DART will give free rides to voters around Dallas on Election Day

Photo courtesy of DART

Celebrating the opening of DART's Silver Line on October 25.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will offer free rides on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026 to help Dallas-area voters get to the polls.

The promotion covers all DART buses and trains, the Silver Line, GoLink on-demand service, the Dallas Streetcar, paratransit services, and Trinity Railway Express (TRE).

It does not cover the early voting period, which runs through October 30.

“Every citizen has a basic right to vote. However, transportation to get to a polling location stops far too many people from casting their ballots,” says Trenise Winters, EVP and chief operations officer, in a release. “We are excited to have the opportunity to provide this free service on election day.”

Here's how to access free rides on November 3:

DART buses and trains: Riders should be prepared to show a voter registration card or government-issued ID.
Silver Line: Rides will be free.
GoLink: Enter promo code VOTENOV3 when booking to receive a complimentary adult local day pass in the DART GoPass app.
Dallas Streetcar: Rides will be free.
Paratransit services: Riders must schedule their November 3 trip in advance by calling 214-515-7272 to receive the promotion.
Trinity Railway Express: Rides will be free.

Voters can find more information about the free rides program at dart.org/vote.

How to find a polling location
Voting locations and election information are organized by county. Dallas-area voters can find polling locations through their county elections websites:

Collin County: Election information for voters in Plano, Richardson, and Carrollton.
Dallas County: Election information for voters in Addison, Carrollton, Cockrell Hill, Dallas, Farmers Branch, Garland, Glenn Heights, Irving, Rowlett, and University Park.
Denton County: Election information for voters in Carrollton.
Ellis County: Election information for voters in Glenn Heights.
Rockwall County: Election information for voters in Rowlett.

How to plan a DART trip
Riders can plan their trip to a polling location using the Plan tool in the free DART GoPass app or the Trip Planner at DART.org. DART Customer Service is also available at 214-979-1111.

Voters using Google Maps can enter their polling location as the destination and select the transit option to get directions using DART.

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