Homestate Glory

Texas ranks ahead of California in best cities for jobs

Forbes recently ran the employment numbers and found, unsurprisingly, that Texas is home to some of the best U.S. cities for jobs in 2013. For its ranking, the publication looked at the short, medium and long-term employment performance of 398 metropolitan statistical areas.

"Some East Coast boosters of the Golden State are making [the claim that California is pulling ahead of Texas], but we don't see it in this year's numbers," say columnists Joel Kotkin and Mike Shires. "Besides the tech-rich Bay Area, home to two of our top 10 large metro areas, there are no other major California cities near the top. ... In contrast, the Texas juggernaut rolls on. Growth there has not only been steady, it's been widely spread across the state."

Five of the Lone Star State's major metro areas rank among the top big cities for jobs: Fort Worth-Arlington takes No. 4 on the list, trailed by Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, which saw 2 percent employment growth in 2012, at No. 5.

With 3.5 percent employment growth in 2012, Dallas-Plano-Irving is No. 6 in the ranking for the second year in a row. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos places No. 10, and San Antonio ranks No. 12.

Smaller metro areas are also gaining economic traction: Midland and Odessa rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, among small cities with less than 150,000 jobs, followed by San Angelo at No. 5. Corpus Christi ranks No. 4 among mid-sized cities.

Forbes credits the "unconventional oil and gas boom" for much of Texas' success but also notes strong growth in technology, manufacturing and business services.

San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City ranks No. 1 on the 2013 list. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin comes in at No. 2, followed by Salt Lake City.

Dallas-Plano-Irving ranks No. 6 on Forbes' list of best big cities for jobs 2013.

Photo by Matt Pasant

Dallas-Plano-Irving ranks No. 6 on Forbes' list of best big cities for jobs 2013.

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State of innovation

Texas ranks among 5 best states to start a business in 2025

Photo by Mykyta Kravčenko on Unsplash

Texas' friendly business climate has allowed the state to regain its rightful position among the top five best states to start a new business.

As one of the largest states in the U.S., it's no surprise Texas is big on business and entrepreneurship. Now the state is earning new praise among WalletHub's 2025 list of "Best & Worst States to Start a Business."

The Lone Star State claimed the No. 4 spot in the report's rankings — putting Texas in a better shape than it was last year when it earned No. 8 in WalletHub's 2024 report.

The study compared all 50 states across 25 metrics to determine the best places to start, grow, and find success with a new business. Factors that were considered include the number of startups per capita, job growth rates, financing accessibility measures, labor costs, and corporate tax rates.

The three states to outperform Texas are Florida (No. 1), Georgia (No. 2), and Utah (No. 3). Idaho rounded out the top five.

Across the study's three main categories, Texas performed the best in the "business environment" rank, earning No. 1 nationally. This section compared the states based on its five-year business survival rates, average business revenues growth, and more.

Texas ranked No. 12 in the nationwide comparison of "access to resources" – which covers working age population growth, venture investment amounts per capita, and other means – and earned a fair No. 34 in the report's "business costs" ranking.

But Texas can still do better with its business friendliness to reclaim a top-three overall ranking, which the state last earned in 2023.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report that it is imperative for potential new business owners to establish their enterprise in a place that can maximize their ability to succeed.

"Around half of all new businesses don’t survive five years, so the idea of becoming a business owner can be daunting, especially with the current high cost of living," Lupo said. "The best states have low corporate tax rates, strong economies, an abundance of reliable workers, easy access to financing and affordable real estate. On top of that, you’ll need to make sure you start in a place with an engaged customer base, if you’re operating locally."

Dallas has also proven to be at the top of the destination list for entrepreneurs who are looking for their next venture.

The top 10 best states to start a new business in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Florida
No. 2 – Georgia
No. 3 – Utah
No. 4 – Texas
No. 5 – Idaho
No. 6 – Oklahoma
No. 7 – Nevada
No. 8 – Colorado
No. 9 – Arizona
No. 10 – Kentucky

business entrepreneurship rankings texas wallethub