innovation hub

Plano is the 7th best U.S. city to find a job in 2026, report finds

There are lots of reasons to live in Plano, including its job market.

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

Dallas neighbor Plano has worked its way into 7th place in WalletHub's new study ranking the best places to find a job in 2026.

The just-released "Best Cities for Jobs (2026)" report compared 182 U.S. cities based on 31 relevant metrics "that shape the strength of local job markets" across two main categories: a socioeconomics rank and a job market rank.

WalletHub determined the top three best U.S. cities to find a job in 2026 are Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 1); Columbia, Maryland (No. 2); and Portland, Maine (No. 3).

The report found Plano's job market ranking — which covered job opportunities, employment growth, unemployment rates, job automation risk, and more — is the 6th best in the U.S.

Plano also ranked No. 40 in the nationwide socioeconomic category, which analyzed housing affordability, median annual income, average work and commute times, transit accessibility, and many other factors.

While these employment indicators are important to consider when researching the best place to find work, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the quality of the jobs available matters just as much as the quantity of available jobs in a city.

"There are plenty of secondary factors to take into account as well, from how easy a city makes commuting to jobs to whether it’s a good place for raising a family or engaging in recreational activities outside of work," Lupo said.

Plano is home to the headquarters and regional offices for major corporations including Toyota, J.C. Penney, Frito-Lay, PepsiCo, Bank of America, Capital One, Ericsson, and soon, AT&T.

Plano was dubbed the No. 6 best city for remote workers in 2025, and the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metro recently ranked No. 3 a separate national ranking of the best cities for startups.

Elsewhere in Texas, 10 more cities made it into the top-100 best places for finding a job: Austin (No. 9), Irving (No. 18), Grand Prairie (No. 24), Amarillo (No. 32), Garland (No. 48), Dallas (No. 54), Arlington (No. 60), Fort Worth (No.77), San Antonio (No. 78), and Corpus Christi (No. 100).

The top 10 best U.S. cities for finding a job in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 2 – Columbia, Maryland
No. 3 – Portland, Maine
No. 4 – South Burlington, Vermont
No. 5 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 6 – Orlando, Florida
No. 7 – Plano, Texas
No. 8 – Washington, D.C.
No. 9 – Austin, Texas
No. 10 – Huntsville, Alabama

job market innovation wallethub ranking employment plano

hospital honors

Dallas children's hospital declared one of nation's best by U.S. News

Children's Health Dallas/Facebook

Dallas is home to one of the best pediatric hospitals in Texas.

Dallas has many renowned hospitals providing exceptional care, and now a local medical center has earned national acclaim for its top-notch healthcare for children and adolescents.

Children's Health Dallas ranks No. 2 among Texas' children's hospitals in U.S. News and World Report's 2026-2027 Best Children's Hospitals. It is also the No. 2 best pediatric hospital in the Southwest region.

Each year, U.S. News surveys more than 100 children's hospitals and thousands of pediatric specialists to determine it's Best Children's Hospitals rankings. The winning hospitals excel at various factors, such as "clinical outcomes, compliance with established best practices, and level and quality of hospital resources directly related to patient care."

Out of the 90 total children's hospitals selected across 34 states and Washington, D.C., only six were based in Texas.

"For two decades, U.S. News has helped guide families to top-tier pediatric care," said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, in a release. “Finding the right medical team for a rare diagnosis or complex surgery can be overwhelming, and U.S. News’ annual evaluation of the Best Children’s Hospitals provides a clear starting point for parents and referring pediatricians alike."

Children's Health Dallas ranked as the No. 1 hospital in the U.S. for pediatric Orthopedics, and it earned top-10 rankings for its pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery (No. 5) and Urology (No. 10) specialties.

The hospital also earned top-50 ranks in eight more nationally ranked specialties:

No. 15 – Neonatology
No. 17 – Neurology and Neurosurgery
No. 17 – Cancer
No. 20 – Gastroenterology & GI Surgery
No. 22 – Pulmonology & Lung Surgery
No. 26 – Nephrology
No. 35 – Diabetes & Endocrinology
"Top 50" Best Children's Hospitals for Behavioral Health

Elsewhere in North Texas, Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth ranked as the 6th best pediatric hospital in the Southwest. Cook Children's earned top-50 rankings in the following specialties: Diabetes & Endocrinology (No. 36), Cancer (No. 41), Neurology & Neurosurgery (No. 44), Cardiology & Heart Surgery (No. 47), and "Top 50" in Behavioral & Mental Health.

The best children's hospital in Texas
Texas Children's Hospital in Houston reigns as the No. 1 pediatric hospital in the Lone Star State and in the Southwest, and it was the only Texas hospital to be named in U.S. News' national Best Children's Hospitals Honor Roll list for 2026-2027.

Texas Children's also leads as the No. 1 best hospital in the U.S. in two pediatric specialties — Cardiology and Heart Surgery, and Diabetes and Endocrinology. It earned top-five acclaim in seven more nationally ranked specialties: Nephrology (No. 2); Pulmonology and Lung Surgery (No. 2); Urology (No. 2); Neurology and Neurosurgery (No. 3); Gastroenterology and GI Surgery (No. 5); Neonatology (No. 5); and Orthopedics (No. 5).

The hospital also ranked as the country's 12th best pediatric cancer hospital, and it's one of the top 50 Best Children's Hospitals for Behavioral Health in the U.S.

Other high-performing Texas pediatric hospitals include MD Anderson's Children's Cancer Hospital and Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, and Dell Children's Medical Center in Austin.

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