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Dallas neighbor clocks in with 10th best job market in the U.S.

Frisco has the 10th best job market in the country, according to SmartAsset.

Photo by Roger Robinson/Visit Frisco

A buzzy city north of Dallas is a great place for job seekers: According to a new report by SmartAsset, the city of Frisco made the top 10 list of best job markets in the U.S.

Frisco came in at No. 10 on the list of Best Job Markets, a study that rated cities on factors like income, affordability, remote work, commute time, employment rates, and health insurance benefits.

The study examined 343 U.S. cities using figures from 2021 and 2022, the most recent data available.

Frisco had just a 2.4 percent unemployment rate, and median earnings landed at $72,421 annually. Additionally, Frisco residents' income over the three-year period from 2019-2022 rose by nearly 20 percent. The majority of Frisco workers (86.4 percent) also have health insurance through their employers.

A Frisco worker's average housing costs come out to $2,326 per month, and the total annual housing costs represent a sizable 38.5 percent of an individual's yearly income.

A little more than 38 percent of workers in Frisco work remotely, which is no surprise considering the suburb has the second-biggest remote workforce in the U.S., as determined by a separate SmartAsset study.

The privilege of remote-work flexibility means no real commute time, as long as you don't count the time it takes to get out of bed and walk into the home office. For those who do need to drive to-and-from work, the study says the average commute time is less than 28 minutes long.

Frisco was ranked among the top 10 best cities for tech workers earlier in 2024, so this latest accolade praising the city's job market is another persuasive factor in the list of attractive qualities bringing more folks to Dallas-Fort Worth.

"With costs of living skyrocketing in recent years and the demand for different skill sets changing, job seekers must be resourceful to find opportunities that best suit them," the report said. "This could mean relocating for higher income, an improved work-life balance, growth potential or benefits."

Dallas fell far behind, landing at No. 203 out of 343 total U.S. cities. The city's unemployment rate is only 4 percent, but median earnings barely edge over $41,000 a year. Only 15.5 percent of Dallasites work from home, and their housing costs account for just under 40 percent of their total income.

Other North Texas cities that made it in the top 200 in the report include:

No. 32 – Allen
No. 45 – Carrollton
No. 47 – McKinney
No. 65 – Plano
No. 98 – Richardson
No. 131 – Lewisville
No. 173 – Fort Worth
No. 182 – Irving

The full report and its methodology can be found on smartasset.com.

frisco smartasset reports rankings job market

License Plate News

Dallas car buyers get metal license plates stat under new Texas law

DMV

Texas license plate

A new state law will go into effect in Texas that makes it easier for car owners to get permanent metal license plates: The new law, House Bill 718, was actually passed by the 88th Legislature in 2023, but it goes into effect on July 1, 2025. It will allow car dealers to begin issuing metal license plates directly when they sell a car, whether it's new or used.

In the previous needlessly elaborate process, new car owners would receive a temporary paper license, and then apply for metal license plates. The new law will eliminate that requirement, allowing car buyers to get metal license plates when they purchase a car from a dealer.

The new law arose out of the huge imbroglio over temporary paper tags, which were designed to be used on a temporary basis while car buyers waited to receive their permanent plates. But scammers were obtaining car dealer licenses, then printing up hundreds of thousands of temporary paper tags and selling them to people hoping to avoid paying for insurance and car registration.

The paper tags gave Texas a black eye because they became a crime problem not just in Texas but nationally, turning up on cars involved in crimes in Texas, New York, and beyond. In a 2021 investigation, the FBI found more than a half-million fraudulent paper tags, sold by just three people to buyers across the country.

Bill 718 was initially designed to go into effect in September 2023, then March 2025, but the final bill bumped the deadline back to July 1, 2025. That's thanks to The Texas Independent Automobile Dealers Association, who were "concerned" about having an adequate supply of metal plates in such a short time frame. Let's hope they got it together!

The new rules are as follows:

Buying from a Dealer: Consumers purchasing a vehicle from a Texas dealer will receive metal license plates instead of paper temporary tags, driving off the lot with their plates already in place.

Until their registration sticker arrives from their county office, customers must keep their buyer’s plate receipt in the vehicle to be able to verify the purchase and pending registration to law enforcement.

Trading In a Vehicle: When consumers sell or trade in a vehicle with general issue plates, dealers may transfer the plates to another vehicle sold within 10 days, if the plates match the appropriate vehicle type, per Senate Bill 1902, passed by the 89th Legislature this year. (Consumers with specialty license plates will keep their plates.)

Buying/Selling a Vehicle in a Private Sale: The private party sales process remains unchanged: Sellers should remove their license plates and registration sticker from the vehicle when they deliver the vehicle to the buyer. The seller can request to transfer the plates to another vehicle they own—if appropriate for the vehicle type—by visiting their county tax assessor-collector's office.

Sellers should submit a Vehicle Transfer Notification to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles within 30 days of the sale of the vehicle.

Buyers must submit a title and registration application at their county tax assessor-collector’s office and obtain new plates to register the vehicle in their name within 30 days of purchase.

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