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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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Daring to care

Kindhearted Plano ranks among the 10 most caring cities in America

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Plano is one of the happiest and most caring places to be.

Plano has some of the kindest, most generous residents in the country. So says a new report that ranks the Dallas suburb the No. 10 most caring city in the United States.

The personal finance website WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. cities across 38 metrics across three key dimensions for its study, "Most Caring Cities in America (2025)". They include caring for the local community, caring for the vulnerable, and caring in the workforce.

The north Dallas suburb made a big leap over its 2023 ranking as the No. 17 most caring American city.

Out of the three main categories, Plano performed the best for its "caring for the community" rank (No. 8), which was determined based on the city's crime rates, the civic engagement of its residents, the share of a household's income donated to charity, and more.

Plano also cares for its community in other ways, whether it's through maintaining its long-held family-friendly reputation or by maintaining a pristine park system. All of these reasons contribute to why so many people are choosing to live in the second-happiest city in the nation.

Plano also ranked fairly well in the overall "caring for the vulnerable" category (No. 12), which covers child and adult poverty rates, adoption rates, availability of paid family leave, the number of rehab centers per capita, pet shelters and rescue services, and the "disability-friendliness" of employers.

Plano still has plenty of work to do when it comes to caring for its workforce, however, as the city ranked No. 71 out of all 100 U.S. cities. This metric focused on the number of first responders, healthcare professionals, teachers, and counselors per capita.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo says there are many factors that make cities like Plano a true "caring" and supportive place for its residents.

"The most caring cities donate a lot of money to charity and have high volunteer rates, but being a caring city overall requires much more than just giving time or money," Lupo said. "In addition, the top cities have low crime rates, environmentally-friendly residents and low rates of poverty and homelessness."

But small steps are important, too. Community care is as simple as helping an elderly neighbor unload groceries from their car, keeping a vigilant eye out for porch pirates or suspicious activity, and spending quality time with loved ones.

Plano was once again the highest ranked Texas city in WalletHub's list. Other North Texas cities that earned spots in the report include Irving (No. 36), Garland (No. 39), Fort Worth (No. 54), Arlington (No. 58), and Dallas (No. 77).

Elsewhere in Texas, Austin ranked No. 45, while San Antonio (No. 89) and Houston (No. 91) barely skirted onto the list.

The top 10 most caring U.S. cities, according to WalletHub, are:

No. 1 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 2 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 3 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 4 – Gilbert, Arizona
No. 5 – Chesapeake, Virginia
No. 6 – Fremont, California
No. 7 – San Diego, California
No. 8 – Madison, Wisconsin
No. 9 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 10 – Plano, Texas

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