Global accolades

Dallas named one of world’s 100 best cities in prestigious new report

Dallas ranks as the No. 47 city in the world.

Courtesy photo

If you live in Dallas, you can confidently say you live in one of the best cities on the planet — at least according to one new study.

Dallas ranks No. 47 on the new list of 100 best cities in the world. Two other Texas cities also make the list, slightly ahead of Dallas: Houston, at No. 42; and Austin, at No. 43.

The annual ranking quantifies and benchmarks the relative quality of place, reputation, and competitive identity for the world's principal cities with metropolitan populations of one million or more. Vancouver, Canada-based Resonance Consultancy Ltd., which specializes in marketing, strategy, and research for the real estate, tourism and economic development sectors, conducted the study.

This year, London tops the list, followed by Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Dubai.

Dallas, with a metro population of 7,320,663, is a home to “economic reality,” the report says.

Highlights for Dallas that helped earn it a spot on the list include:

No. 6 global ranking in Airport Connectivity, thanks to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Sixth largest LGBTQ+ community
No. 24 ranking in the world for Global 500 companies
A No. 42 ranking for Convention Center that the study says is likely to ascend now that Dallas City Council has approved plans for a new $2-billion, 2.5-million-square-foot facility to be built adjacent to the current one by 2028
A No. 82 Programming ranking due to institutions like the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Museum of Asian Art and the renowned Nasher Sculpture Center, plus theaters, symphony and opera venues, restaurants, and bars

As for No. 42 Houston, the report describes the city as an “educated, diverse, and hard-working” powerhouse.

Highlights for Houston include:

A population increase of almost 300,000, thanks to both domestic and international immigration
A No. 26 global ranking for Culture, with more than 145 languages spoken at home
A No. 31 ranking for Restaurants, with a flurry of post-pandemic launches
A top 10 global GDP per Capita finish
One of the top five Googled cities over the last year

The next best city, No. 43 Austin, is quickly becoming America’s new hometown, according to the report.

Highlights for Austin include:

A No. 40 ranking for Global 500 headquarters
A No. 38 employment ranking, as tech giants like Oracle move headquarters to the city
The No. 23 ranked University of Texas at Austin
South by Southwest, the annual summit of business, music and creativity

On the list overall, only 25 U.S. cities made the cut, and only New York was ranked in the top 10. You can view the full list and find more information about the 100 best cities here.

rankings

high income households

Surprising Dallas suburb emerges as a new magnet for the wealthy

Photo courtesy of Visit Mesquite

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A new income study has revealed Dallas' wealthiest aren't settling down in Lewisville anymore — they've set their sights on Mesquite, instead.

Mesquite had one of the highest growth rates of new wealthy residents nationwide in SmartAsset's new analysis, "Cities Adding the Most High-Income Households – 2026 Study."

Based on U.S. Census income data, SmartAsset's experts ranked 357 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 residents based on the growth in high-income households as a percentage of total households between 2023 and 2024. The report defines high-income households as those earning an income of at least $200,000.

Mesquite had the seventh-highest growth in wealthy households in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 31 nationwide.

The report's findings show Mesquite had 2,186 high-income households in 2023. By the following year, the suburb had a 52.3 percent growth rate in wealthy earners, bringing the total number of high-income households to 3,717.

A total 6.7 percent of all Mesquite households made at least $200,000 in income in 2024. For added context, the median income for a Mesquite household during that same year was $66,083.

The rise in wealthy newcomers might not be as much of a surprise to locals: There's currently a 1,400-acre master-planned community being developed to accommodate the city's growth, and discount chain BJ's Wholesale Club is expected to debut a Mesquite warehouse in early 2026.

According to the report, an influx of affluent households can have a significant impact on a city's local economy, most commonly through contributing "more dollars to the local and state tax bases, and to surrounding businesses."

"At the same time, this relative economic strength may sway entities to cater more to the preferences of these households to earn their patronage," the report said. "Quick growth in high income households may accelerate tax collection and business prosperity, just as their departure may cause some concern for local politicians, business owners, and neighbors."

In SmartAsset's 2025 report, Lewisville was the top Dallas-Fort Worth city that added the most wealthy new residents, but that figure has since plummeted. Lewisville ranked No. 312 in this year's rankings with a surprising 7.5 percent decline in high-income households from 2023-2024.

Texas cities with the biggest growth in high-income households
The East Texas city of Beaumont, located about 90 miles from Houston, had the biggest growth rate of high-earners in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 6 nationally.

Three more Dallas-Fort Worth cities ranked in the top 100: Arlington (No. 56), McKinney (No. 69), and Irving (No. 90). Arlington had a 33.3 percent growth rate in high earners from 2023-2024, and now boasts 13,444 wealthy households. McKinney had 23,740 high-income households in 2024, an increase of 29.8 percent from the year before. Irving's wealthy population grew 24.1 percent, and claims 11,404 high income households.

Other Texas cities that ranked among the national top 100 include:

No. 8 – Odessa
No. 14 – Laredo
No. 18 – College Station
No. 20 – Conroe
No. 28 – Waco
No. 59 – Amarillo
No. 66 – Atascocita
No. 72 – McAllen
No. 77 – League City
No. 94 – Brownsville

houston suburbs conroe smartasset wealthy suburbs affluent households