In acknowledgement of Black History Month 2024, a new report compiled by Black employees at online rental marketplace Apartment List has ranked Dallas the No. 6 best U.S. city for Black professionals.

Apartment List reviewed 76 cities across four major categories to determine the rankings: community and representation; economic opportunity; housing opportunity; and business environment.

Dallas earned a score of 59.1 out of a total 100 points, making it the third-highest-ranked city in Texas for Black professionals, behind San Antonio (No. 3) and Houston (No. 4).

The city earned top-10 rankings in three out of the four main categories:

• No. 5 – Community and representation
• No. 7 – Economic opportunity
• No. 7 – Business environment
• No. 39 – Housing opportunity

Dallas is commended for its strong Black community, business environment and economy, but there is some room for improvement when it comes to housing.

Visiting eateries like Brunchaholics and Absolutely Edible Cakes – spots where viral food critic Keith Lee visited earlier in February – is just one example of how Dallas residents can show their support of locally-owned Black businesses.

Elsewhere in Texas

Texas cities dominated the overall top 10. San Antonio ranked just above Houston, with Austin (No. 7) not too far behind Dallas.

San Antonio came in less than 6.5 points ahead of Dallas with a total score of 65.44 points. The report praised San Antonio's scores across its economic opportunity (No. 2), housing opportunity (No. 7), and community and representation (No. 10). The city ranked No. 20 for its Black business environment.

But like Dallas, San Antonio also fell behind in its Black homeownership rates, according to the study.

"While the Black homeownership rate is higher than average at 44 percent, the homeownership gap (Black homeownership rate - non-Black homeownership rate) quite low at -19 percent," the report's author wrote. "Perhaps this could be explained by San Antonio’s overall homeownership rate, which is also lower than the state’s average. Additionally, the lower homeownership gap could explain the cost burden rate also being lower than average at 41 percent."

The top 10 cities for Black professionals are:

• No. 1 – Washington, D.C.
• No. 2 – Atlanta, Georgia
• No. 3 – San Antonio, Texas
• No. 4 – Houston, Texas
• No. 5 – Palm Bay, Florida
• No. 6 – Dallas, Texas
• No. 7 – Austin, Texas
• No. 8 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
• No. 9 – Lakeland, Florida
• No. 10 – Charlotte, North Carolina