Lone Star News

Booming Texas ranks among 10 best states for jobs in 2026 report

Texas is the 8th best state for jobs.

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Business boosters often describe Texas as an economic engine, and a new ranking from personal finance website WalletHub underscores that assessment.

WalletHub put Texas at No. 8 on its new list of the best states for jobs. Nebraska grabbed the No. 1 spot, and West Virginia landed at No. 50.

To compile the list, WalletHub evaluated 34 metrics from two categories: job market and economic environment. It then crunched the numbers to create a score for each state. A score of 100 represents the most favorable conditions for job seekers.

Texas ranked 25th in the job market category and second in the economic environment category. Texas’ eighth-place showing was based on a score of 59.23.

“The best states for jobs make it easier for residents to find and retain jobs, and employers in these states also offer very competitive compensation and benefits,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “In addition, the top states are great places for people looking to raise a family, ranking among the best states for working parents.”

Data released in late October shows Texas led all states for job growth during the 12-month period that ended in September. In that time, Texas added 154,300 jobs at an annual rate of 1.1 percent.

“Texas is America’s jobs leader,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press release. “Businesses big and small invest with confidence in Texas and in our growing and skilled workforce. That means bigger paychecks for more Texans and more opportunities for Texas families to prosper for years to come.”

Abbott noted Texas reigns as the top state for attracting job-producing businesses and creating jobs at small businesses.

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This article first appeared on our sister site, InnovationMap.com.

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Iced out

Plano residents deal blow to proposed new arena for Dallas Stars

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

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Voters in Plano have rejected a proposition that would have authorized new taxes related to a planned new arena for the Dallas Stars.

Unofficial results from Tuesday's vote in the city of Plano showed 54.6% of the more than 102,000 votes cast were against the single ballot proposal to authorize taxes on tickets, parking, car rentals, hotel rooms and the professional teams that would use the arena.

Those taxes were to help the city pay off up to $700 million in bonds it has committed to the proposed $3 billion mixed-use development that would include the new arena.

The vote was about the proposed taxes, and not whether the $1 billion arena could be built as part of a large-scale redevelopment project of The Shops at Willow Bend, where the last enclosed mall built in Texas is being demolished. It could include sports, entertainment, retail, dining and public gathering spaces.

“The proposed redevelopment at The Shops at Willow Bend remains an important opportunity for our community," Plano Mayor John Muns said in a statement. “We are committed to thoughtful reinvestment and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars as we consider what comes next.”

The hockey-specific arena would be owned by the city, with the Stars intending to lease it for 30 years.

Stars officials hope to move in 2031 about 20 miles north of the downtown American Airlines Center, which they have shared with the Dallas Mavericks since it opened in 2001.

The leases at the AAC for both teams expire in 2031, and the Mavericks have plans for a similar project of their own away from downtown, about 10 miles north on the former site of Valley View Mall.

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