millennial magnet

Dallas neighbor surprises as a booming millennial hotspot in 2026

Millennials have their sights set on this surprising Dallas neighbor.

A new Dallas-Fort Worth city has emerged a top destination for millennial movers, a new migration report has found: Irving.

This surprising Dallas neighbor ranked as the No. 21 most popular U.S. city for millennials in SmartAsset's annual report, "Where Millennials Are Moving – 2026 Study."

The report calculated the percentage of the total population represented by millennials (people aged 25-44) in more than 250 of the largest U.S. cities. Then it ranked the cities by the rate of millennials who moved there in 2024 (the year with the most recent available data), also as a percentage of the total population. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's 1-Year American Community Survey.

According to the data, 8.53 percent of Irving's total population were millennial transplants that arrived in the city in 2024. That means more than 22,000 people between the ages of 25 and 44 packed up and moved to Irving that year.

To zoom out on the city's greater millennial population, there are currently about 89,800 millennials who call Irving home. These individuals make up around 35 percent of the city's entire population, the study determined.

SmartAsset also broke down how many millennial transplants arrived in Irving from elsewhere in Dallas County, a different Texas county, a different state altogether, and another country:

Moved in from same county: 12,025 people
Moved in from different county in same state: 4,149 people
Moved in from a different state: 2,847 people
Moved in from abroad: 2,982 people

Millennials make up about 36 percent of the American workforce, the report noted, so it's likely not a surprise that many of them would choose to live in a city like Irving that has plenty of entertainment opportunities, high-performing schools for families, and new restaurants.

"With more flexibility than ever due to remote work and rapidly developing technologies, many Millennial households opt to move locations in pursuit of job opportunities, higher pay, preferable lifestyles, and family considerations, among other reasons," the report's author wrote.

The study proposed that U.S. cities that are successful in attracting newcomers within the 25-44 age group may see some benefits from "stronger and more diverse workforces, disposable income flowing to local businesses, and additional tax revenue." Yet it also warned that an influx of transplants can result in greater competition in a city's housing market and "a change in the business mix for preexisting locals."

The top 10 most popular destinations for millennials on the move in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Cambridge, Massachusetts
No. 2 – Seattle, Washington
No. 3 – Sunnyvale, California
No. 4 – Orlando, Florida
No. 5 – Arlington, Virginia
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – Bellevue, Washington
No. 8 – Sandy Springs, Georgia
No. 9 – Denver, Colorado
No. 10 – Santa Clara, California

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the golden years

Dallas rests easy on U.S. News' 2027 list of best big cities to retire

Cool Thursdays Concert Series at Dallas Arboretum

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum

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Dallas is earning new acclaim on U.S. News and World Report's just-released list of the best U.S. cities for retirees in 2027.

The 2027 Best Places to Retire list evaluated over 850 U.S. cities based on six livability metrics that best serve American retirees: quality of life, affordability, health care, retiree taxes, job market, and population and migration. The top 250 finalist cities were then ranked nationally and by city size.

Midland, Michigan topped the list for the second consecutive year and is followed by Homosassa Springs, Florida (No. 2) and Weirton, West Virginia (No. 3).

Dallas ranked as the 21st best large U.S. city to retire for 2027, while neighboring Fort Worth ranked 7th nationally.

U.S. News said affordability is the "most considered factor" when it comes to picking the best place to live a low-stress retirement life, and that's what Dallas and its neighbors deliver. Affordable cities give retirees "a sense of security and comfort as they live out their golden years," according to Megan Wood, U.S. News assistant managing editor of home services and real estate.

"It’s no secret that affordability is top of mind for Americans this year, which is why U.S. News updated its weighting criteria to better align with what retirees prioritize," Wood said. "The 2027 rankings reflect key metrics used to highlight the places that
best suit retiree needs."

According to the city's profile on U.S. News, Dallas offers a lower cost of living compared to "similarly sized metro areas" and boasts a slightly lower home value compared to the national average.

"The national average home value is $359,870, while the median home value in Dallas is $354,396," the profile said.

Flower Mound is the only Dallas-Fort Worth city that appears among the overall top 50 best places to retire for 2027, ranking 43rd nationally. But it's a six-place drop from last year's ranking when the suburb last ranked 37th.

Eight more DFW cities ranked in the overall top 250:

No. 131 – McKinney
No. 174 – Allen
No. 190 – Little Elm
No. 203 – Frisco
No. 216 – North Richland Hills
No. 222 – Carrollton
No. 243 – Wylie
No. 246 – Plano

Elsewhere in Texas, Houston neighbors The Woodlands and Spring respectively maintained their standings as the No. 4 and No. 5 overall best cities for retirees for the second year in a row. The Woodlands topped the separate list of the best midsized U.S. cities to retire, while Spring landed 5th among the smallest U.S. cities.

These are the top 10 best large U.S. cities to retire for 2027:

No. 1 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 2 – Houston, Texas
No. 3 – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
No. 4 – El Paso, Texas
No. 5 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 6 – Indianapolis, Indiana
No. 7 – Fort Worth, Texas
No. 8 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 9 – Albuquerque, New Mexico
No. 10 – Phoenix, Arizona

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Dallas neighbor surprises as a booming millennial hotspot in 2026

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the golden years

Dallas rests easy on U.S. News' 2027 list of best big cities to retire