veterans day

Dallas ranks among best U.S. cities for military veterans to live

A veteran having a conversation in his home

Dallas has ranked as the 25th best city for veterans to live for the second year in a row, while neighboring Fort Worth improved its livability and now ranks in the top 10.

Photo by Land O'Lakes, Inc. on Unsplash

Dallas has just been declared the 25th best city for military veterans to live in America for 2025, according to a new study.

WalletHub's annual list of the "Best & Worst Places for Veterans to Live" compared 100 of the largest U.S. cities based on 19 relevant metrics, such as veteran unemployment rates, veteran income growth, the quality of each city's VA health facilities, local housing affordability, quality of life, and more.

Austin topped the list for the second consecutive year. The U.S. cities that round out the top five best places for veterans are Tampa, Florida (No. 2); Madison, Wisconsin (No.3); Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 4); and Colorado Springs, Colorado (No. 5).

Dallas has maintained its rank as No. 25 for two years in a row.

Dallas received the following rankings across the four major categories in the report:

No. 20 – Health
No. 41 – Quality of life
No. 44 – Economy
No. 44 – Employment

(And that's not even getting into the generosity of many Dallas restaurants that are offering free meals and deals for veterans on Veterans Day Monday November 11.)

Elsewhere in North Texas, neighboring Fort Worth made a big leap this year to rank as the 10th best U.S. city for military veterans after previously ranking No. 20 in 2024.

Plano ranked just outside the top 10 as the No. 11 best U.S. city for military veterans to live. Other DFW-area cities that earned spots in the report include Garland (No. 30), Arlington (No. 31), and Irving (No. 39).

Irving received additional nods for having the 5th lowest percentage of its veteran population living in poverty, and it landed in a five-way tie for the lowest veteran unemployment rates nationwide with Fremont, California; Lincoln, Nebraska; Chesapeake, Virginia; and Greensboro, North Carolina.

The report also found Garland boasts the 5th highest veteran income growth in the country.

Austin claims No. 1 nationally for the second time
The report said Austin remained at the top of the list for a second consecutive year because it offers the best colleges and universities for veterans nationwide, 10th highest median annual income for veterans (about $62,000), and the 7th best job growth rate nationally.

"In addition, Austin is great for going out to eat or enjoying entertainment as a veteran," the report's author wrote. "The city has the 12th-highest number of restaurants and the 10th-most arts/entertainment establishments per capita that offer military discounts."

Most importantly, WalletHub says Austin is the perfect fit for former military members who want to find community with other veterans who have had similar experiences during their time in the armed forces.

"Austin has the third-smallest projected decrease in veterans between 2024 and 2053, so that will certainly help veterans meet each other and forge friendships," the report said.

High-ranking cities for veterans in Texas
Other Texas cities that earned spots in the top 50 include Laredo (No. 32), San Antonio (No. 34), and Lubbock (No. 46).

Only three Texas cities lagged behind in the report: Houston (No. 59), El Paso (No. 67), and Corpus Christi (No. 74).

Earlier this year, WalletHub ranked Texas as the No. 21 best state for military retirees in 2025.

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

No. 1– Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Tampa, Florida
No. 3 – Madison, Wisconsin
No. 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 5 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
No. 6 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 7 – Orlando, Florida
No. 8 – St. Petersburg, Florida
No. 9 – Irvine, California
No. 10 – Fort Worth, Texas

At the opposite end of the list, Newark, New Jersey ranked as the worst place for veterans to live in 2025 for another year in a row. Detroit, Michigan (No. 99); Baton Rouge, Louisiana (No. 98), Memphis, Tennessee (No. 97); and Toledo, Ohio (No. 96) all ranked among the bottom five.

veterans day wallethub rankings dallas

in this economy?

This is the salary you need to live comfortably in Dallas in 2026

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Single Dallasites need to make nearly $97,000 to live comfortably in the city, the report found.

A 2026 report analyzing how much it costs to live "in sustainable comfort" in the biggest U.S. cities has found Dallas residents need to make $1,040 more than they did last year to live comfortably in the city.

Dallas is tied with neighbors Garland and Irving at No. 72 in SmartAsset's national ranking of the cities with the highest salary needed to live comfortably in 2026, with single adult residents needing to make $96,970 a year to qualify as "financially stable." Last year, single Dallasites needed to make $95,930 to be considered financially stable.

Families with two working parents and two children need to make a household income of $214,490 to have a financially stable life in Dallas, the report found. That's only $749 higher than what families needed to make last year.

To determine the rankings, SmartAsset's analysts examined 100 of the largest U.S. cities and used the latest cost of living data – such as the costs for housing, food, transportation, and income taxes where applicable – from the MIT Living Wage Calculator for childless individuals and for two working adults with two children.

For the purpose of the study, the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy was used to determine "comfortable lifestyle" costs for both individuals and families: 50 percent of income to cover needs and living expenses, 30 percent for "wants," and 20 percent for savings or paying down debt.

Here's breakdown of a Dallas resident's comfortable lifestyle based on SmartAsset's findings:

$48,485 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$29,037 dedicated to wants
$19,358 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

This is SmartAsset's interpretation of a comfortable lifestyle for families of four:

$107,245 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$64,347 dedicated to wants
$42,898 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

SmartAsset said single individuals and families should compare the fluctuating local cost of living and their long-term goals to fully "understand the context" of their respective household incomes. But it's worth pointing out that a financially stable life in Dallas isn't quite attainable for many residents: The city had a median household income of $74,323 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Elsewhere in North Texas, the report found that families in Frisco and McKinney "are closest to a comfortable salary."

"In Frisco, [Texas], the median household earns $145,444 – substantially higher than the national median of $83,730," the report's author wrote. "This figure also accounts for 63.1 percent of the $230,464 income a family of four in Frisco needs to live comfortably. In McKinney, TX, the $124,177 median household income accounts for 53.9 percent of the $230,464 needed."

The two suburbs also tied with Plano for the 29th highest salary needed nationally to live comfortably in 2026. Single adults living in these cities need to make $109,242 a year to live a financially stable life this year.

Fort Worth and Arlington tied for No. 68 overall, with single adults needing a $97,552 salary to live comfortably, and $217,235 for working families of four.

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