dwindling savings

Dallas-Fort Worth ranked No. 1 with highest inflation rate in the U.S.

Monthly bills, subscriptions, and taxes, oh my.

Inflation has certainly rattled the national economy, but some cities are feeling that sting harder than others — especially Dallas-Fort Worth.

According to new study by personal finance experts WalletHub, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington has been saddled with the No. 1 highest inflation rate in the U.S.

The report compared 23 of America’s largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) with Consumer Price Index data to measure inflation trends in two timetables:

the most previous month (November)
the most recent year

In the most previous month November, Dallas-Fort Worth saw the biggest climb in the U.S. with an increase of .90 percent when compared to the two prior months.

In the most recent year, inflation in DFW increased by 5.2 percent year-over-year from November 2022. On that list, DFW came in at No. 2, behind Miami which endured a 5.7 percent increase.

DFW's inflation woes are still an improvement when compared to an April 2023 WalletHub report that saw DFW experiencing the 10th highest inflation rate in the U.S., at 5.8 percent year over-year.

Daniel C. O'Neill, a professor of political science and chair of the School of International Studies at University of the Pacific, cited previous government policies, post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery, and employee demands for higher pay as the major factors behind rising inflation.

As consumer demand rose with the introduction of stimulus checks and unemployment benefits during the pandemic, O'Neill explained, businesses post-pandemic had to raise their pay to attract workers.

"In addition, anecdotally it seems that many businesses hit especially hard by the pandemic, such as movie theaters and restaurants, raised prices when people returned to make up for some of those losses during the pandemic," he said. "While rising wages are a good thing, if they do not keep up with increases in the price of rent, food, gas, and other necessities, they are not real increases and wages."

Dallas-Fort Worth wasn’t the only Texas metro area to make WalletHub’s top 10. Houston ranked No. 7, with inflation rising 4.5 percent year-over-year from November 2022.

The top 10 metro areas where inflation is rising the most are:

No. 1 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 2 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida
No. 3 – Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
No. 4 – San Diego-Carlsbad, California
No. 5 – Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan
No. 6 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 7 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
No. 8 – Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California
No. 9 – Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado
No. 10 – Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland

The full report can be found on wallethub.com.

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gotta do better than that

Texas is not a great state to live in for 2025, study finds

Photo by Trac Vu on Unsplash

Texas' livability has taken a nosedive in 2025.

Texas' livability has taken a nosedive: After plummeting toward the bottom in WalletHub's 2024 ranking of the best and worst states to live in for 2024, Texas has continued its downfall and now ranks as the 38th "best" state to live in for 2025.

To put it another way, Texas is now considered the 13th worst place to live in the U.S.

WalletHub ranked all 50 states using 51 metrics to measure their affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Factors that were considered include housing affordability, the median debt per median earnings, income growth from 2019 to 2023, high school graduation rates, access to public transportation, and more.

Massachusetts once again claimed the No. 1 spot as the best place to live nationwide, followed by Idaho (No. 2), New Jersey (No. 3), Wisconsin (No. 4), and Minnesota (No. 5).

The Lone Star State fumbled in four out of the five categories, but at least its quality of life ranking (No. 9) still managed to nab a top-10 spot.

According to WalletHub, Texas has the 10th worst economy and the 10th worst education and health, ranking No. 40 in both categories. Confusingly, a separate WalletHub study claimed Texas had the 8th best economy in the nation.

Texas' affordability is only the 34th best in the U.S., and it ranked 38th for safety.

Here's how Texas fared in other rankings in the study out of all 50 states:

No. 30 – Income growth
No. 31 – Housing costs
No. 40 – Percentage of population in poverty
No. 50 – Percentage of insured population
No. 43 – Percentage of adults in fair or poor health
No. 46 – Homeownership rate
No. 49 – Average weekly work hours

Local foodies can at least be satisfied that Texas ranked No. 1 in the category of states with the most restaurants per capita. Texas entered a four-way tie for the top spot with Florida, New York, and California. But having numerous restaurants doesn't make up for the failures in other living standards.

Meanwhile, New Mexico landed as the worst state to live in 2025. Joining the so-called "Land of Enchantment" at the bottom of the list are Louisiana (No. 49), Arkansas (No. 48), Mississippi (No. 47), and Alaska (No. 46).

Before one makes any final decisions on where to live, WalletHub suggests considering other factors than how a state ranked based on a single study.

"You’ll need to balance things like the cost of living with job opportunities, quality of education and safety," the report's author wrote. "Personal preference also comes into the equation, as you’ll want to live somewhere with the types of attractions, recreational opportunities and weather that suit you."

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