Where the 1 percent live

Affluent Dallas neighbor cashes in as the richest city in Texas for 2023

This Southlake mansion is on the market for $12.5 million.

Photo courtesy of Realtor.com.

North Texans wanting a glimpse into the lives of the 1 percent won't have to travel far to get a peek. Southlake has been named the richest city in Texas for 2023 in a recent study.

HomeSnacks.com has been ranking cities, neighborhoods, counties, and states across America for more than five years, using data from the Census Bureau, OpenStreetMaps, the FBI, and other sources. For this year's study, released January 18, the website compared 355 cities with populations of at least 5,000 people to determine where "the richest of the rich" live.

With a median income of $239,833, and a unemployment rate of just 2.2 percent, it's no surprise to see Southlake flashing cash around. HomeSnacks shows the median home price for Southlake at $697,000, but as of this writing, Realtor.com lists the city's median home price listing at $1.3 million. Southlake was also HomeSnacks' richest city in Texas for 2022.

The Tarrant County city wasn't the only North Texas place flaunting its wealth in this study, which considered poverty rate, median household income, unemployment rate, and other factors to come up with the rankings. Five other North Texas cities were in the top 10, and a total of 13 Dallas-Fort Worth area cities cashed in with a top-20 ranking.

Lucas, a Collin County suburb with a population of 7,612 in the 2020 census, came in fourth, moving up from fifth place last year. With a poverty rate of just 1.1 percent and a median income of $159,563, the (comparatively) tiny little town is a haven for the well-heeled.

Falling into the "more than comfortable" range are Coppell (No. 6), Heath (No. 7), and Highland Village (No. 8). Note that's Highland Village, a Denton County suburb, and not Highland Park, which ranked third in 2019 and 2020. This year, the wealthy enclave bounded by Dallas on the on the south, east and west came in 36th.

It appears that wealth is not only moving into Texas, but moving around, as well. Two years ago, Frisco ranked third, but has fallen to number 29 in the latest rankings. Carrollton found its way into the top 50 this year, at 49th place.

Of the top 20 cities this year, only one - Coppell - is (partially) in Dallas County. But North Texas as a whole dominates the top of this list with 10th through 15th place occupied by Keller, Royse City, Corinth, Krum, Rockwall, and Roanoke, in that order.

Elsewhere in Texas ...

The Houston suburb of Bellaire came in at No. 2 with a whopping median income of $211,202 and other signifiers of affluence, moving up two spots from last year's rankings. Pearland, with a median income of $107,941 is the only other Houston-area city to rank in the top 20, squeaking in at number 20.

Alamo Heights, near San Antonio, ranked third, holding on to its spot from last year. Bexar and Comal county cities Fair Oaks Ranch and Bulverde came in 16th and 17th. Median income in Fair Oaks Ranch is $127,917, while it's just $100,419 in Bulverde.

The Austin area nabbed some of the top spots, too, with Lakeway coming in fifth and Bee Cave in ninth place. Statistics on Lakeway show a median home price of $481,900 and a median income of $142,566. Bee Cave, where the median income is $100,179 moved up four spots from 13th last year.

Texas' top 10 richest cities for 2023 are:

1. Southlake
2. Bellaire
3. Alamo Heights
4. Lucas
5. Lakeway
6. Coppell
7. Heath
8. Highland Village
9. Bee Cave
10. Keller

Visit HomeSnacks' website to see the top 100 richest cities in Texas, download the full list and rankings, or search to see where your city came in on the list.

HomeSnacks North Texans Southlake rankings

in this economy?

This is the salary you need to live comfortably in Dallas in 2026

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Single Dallasites need to make nearly $97,000 to live comfortably in the city, the report found.

A 2026 report analyzing how much it costs to live "in sustainable comfort" in the biggest U.S. cities has found Dallas residents need to make $1,040 more than they did last year to live comfortably in the city.

Dallas is tied with neighbors Garland and Irving at No. 72 in SmartAsset's national ranking of the cities with the highest salary needed to live comfortably in 2026, with single adult residents needing to make $96,970 a year to qualify as "financially stable." Last year, single Dallasites needed to make $95,930 to be considered financially stable.

Families with two working parents and two children need to make a household income of $214,490 to have a financially stable life in Dallas, the report found. That's only $749 higher than what families needed to make last year.

To determine the rankings, SmartAsset's analysts examined 100 of the largest U.S. cities and used the latest cost of living data – such as the costs for housing, food, transportation, and income taxes where applicable – from the MIT Living Wage Calculator for childless individuals and for two working adults with two children.

For the purpose of the study, the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy was used to determine "comfortable lifestyle" costs for both individuals and families: 50 percent of income to cover needs and living expenses, 30 percent for "wants," and 20 percent for savings or paying down debt.

Here's breakdown of a Dallas resident's comfortable lifestyle based on SmartAsset's findings:

$48,485 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$29,037 dedicated to wants
$19,358 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

This is SmartAsset's interpretation of a comfortable lifestyle for families of four:

$107,245 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$64,347 dedicated to wants
$42,898 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

SmartAsset said single individuals and families should compare the fluctuating local cost of living and their long-term goals to fully "understand the context" of their respective household incomes. But it's worth pointing out that a financially stable life in Dallas isn't quite attainable for many residents: The city had a median household income of $74,323 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Elsewhere in North Texas, the report found that families in Frisco and McKinney "are closest to a comfortable salary."

"In Frisco, [Texas], the median household earns $145,444 – substantially higher than the national median of $83,730," the report's author wrote. "This figure also accounts for 63.1 percent of the $230,464 income a family of four in Frisco needs to live comfortably. In McKinney, TX, the $124,177 median household income accounts for 53.9 percent of the $230,464 needed."

The two suburbs also tied with Plano for the 29th highest salary needed nationally to live comfortably in 2026. Single adults living in these cities need to make $109,242 a year to live a financially stable life this year.

Fort Worth and Arlington tied for No. 68 overall, with single adults needing a $97,552 salary to live comfortably, and $217,235 for working families of four.

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