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Dallas ranks among top 10 U.S. metros to start a business in new report

Dallas is a great place to start a biz.

Photo courtesy of The Riveter

A trio of Texas cities that were just recognized among the world's best have a new accolade to celebrate: they also rank among the best places to start a business.

Commercial real estate website 42Floors has named Austin (No. 3), Dallas (No. 8), and Houston (No. 9) to its list of the best U.S. metros to start a business, making Texas the top state for startup-friendly metros.

For the report, 42Floors "sought to determine which metros offered a mix of opportunity and affordability," focusing on those with at least 300,000 residents.

"Starting out in a business-friendly environment, being able to afford a small office, or even having access to the right consulting services and networking opportunities can all contribute to your new business’s chances for success."

All of this was considered in the rankings, which looked at such metrics as the metro's share of startups, number of coworking spaces, average labor costs per employee, regional price parity, taxes, and more.

Coming in at No. 3, "Austin has cemented itself as the epicenter of startup activity in Texas, with 43 percent of its metro’s companies established less than five years ago," notes the report. Austin also has the "third-lowest establishment exit rate, denoting a higher degree of new business survivability than other places."

No. 8 Dallas, the report notes, has a "slightly lower establishment exit rate and a higher density of coworking spaces," and Big D boasts more affordable office space than Houston ($1,300 less per year, according to the report).

Regarding No. 9 Houston, the report says, "Space City distinguished itself with a cost of living on par with the national average (and 5 percent lower than that of Dallas)," while also having the lowest average labor costs per employee, $45,750, among the Texas cities in the top 10.

While San Antonio didn't make the top 10, the report notes it had a "good showing with potential for entrepreneurs," and came it at No. 19 overall. The No. 1 metro to start a business, says 42Floors, is Las Vegas.

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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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