Work-from-home news

Dallas suburb plugs in as No. 1 U.S. city for remote workers in 2025

Frisco is a hotspot for remote workers.

Photo by Maskot/Getty

The Dallas suburb of Frisco is a hotspot for remote workers in 2025: A new report anoints the techy city as the best city in America for remote workers.

Frisco earned a near-perfect score of 99 out of 100 in the study, conducted by digital business card company Wave Connect.

Two other Dallas suburbs also made the study’s top 10: Allen (No. 3, with a score of 78) and Plano (No. 6, with a score of 57).

Wave Connect analyzed the 40 U.S. cities with the largest remote worker populations and evaluated them on eight factors, including share of remote workers, median pay, cost of living index, yearly rent, dining costs, internet cost and speed, coworking availability, and safety index.

“The data reveals that smaller cities can actually offer better value to remote workers,” says George El-Hage, founder and CEO of Wave Connect. “For example, remote professionals in Frisco and Allen can combine six-figure salaries with housing costs under $25,000 annually, creating wealth-building opportunities that may not exist in expensive coastal markets.”

“If the shift to remote work continues,” El-Hage adds, “we might see traditional tech hubs losing residents to these more affordable destinations that offer both digital infrastructure and financial freedom.”

In the study, Frisco, Allen and Plano benefited from the lowest cost-of-living index (92.7) in the top 10. Allen boasted the lowest average yearly rent in the top 10 — $18,000.

On the internet front, Frisco had the second-highest download speed (271 megabytes per second). And in the money department, Frisco came in third place for median annual pay for remote workers ($111,000), and it tied for the lowest average yearly spending on restaurant meals ($2,300).

The top 10 cities for remote workers, according to the Wave Connect study, are:

No. 1 Frisco, Texas
No. 2 Cary, North Carolina
No. 3 Allen, Texas
No. 4 Bellevue, Washington
No. 5 Arlington, Virginia
No. 6 Plano, Texas
No. 7 Naperville, Illinois
No. 8 Highlands Ranch, Colorado
No. 9 Alexandria, Virginia
No. 10 Santa Clara, California

Frisco is on a roll when it comes to work-from-home accolades. A recent SmartAsset survey crowned Frisco as the U.S. city with the biggest share of remote workers. The study found over 40,000 Frisco residents work from home, which is more than a third of all of the city's workers aged 16 and older (117,193 total workers).

And data published recently by the U.S. Census Bureau shows remote workers in the Dallas metro area earn nearly 51 percent more than their commuting counterparts.

dfw suburbs frisco texas remote workers wave connect study work from home innovation

career hotspot

Dallas excels as one of America's best cities to start a career

TREC Dallas/Facebook

Dallas is the second-best Texas city to start a career.

College graduates staying in Dallas are in the right place, according to a new WalletHub study. Dallas has made the top-15 on a new list of the best places in America for starting a career.

Dallas ranked 12th out of 182 U.S. cities based on its quality of life and vast opportunities for new college graduates transitioning into the workforce. The study compared each city based on 25 relevant metrics, like the availability of entry-level jobs, each city's annual job growth rate, workforce diversity, median annual income, housing affordability, and others.

Atlanta, Orlando, and Austin respectively comprised the top three best places to start a career.

Dallas ranked No. 11 nationwide for its professional opportunities for new college graduates, and appeared 69th overall for its quality of life. Whether its starting a new business or entering a high-earning job field, Dallas has many more opportunities than the vast majority of other cities on the list.

"The best cities for starting a career not only have a lot of job opportunities but also provide substantial income growth potential and satisfying work conditions," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "It’s also important to consider factors such as how fun a city is to live in or how good of a place it is for raising a family, to ensure life satisfaction outside of your career."

Three more North Texas cities made it into the top 100 best U.S. cities for early career professionals include Plano (No. 32), Irving (No. 42), and Fort Worth (No. 64).

Other Texas hotspots for early career professionals
Austin boasts the best quality of life out of all 182 cities in the report, and the 10th best professional opportunities. The state capital also outperformed all other U.S. cities with the highest monthly average starting salaries for early career workers after being adjusted for the city's cost of living. Austin also offers the 15th highest number of entry level jobs per capita, the report said.

"In addition, Austin’s median annual household income is the 10th-highest in the nation, providing strong earning potential for those starting a career or a business," the report said. "Austin is also the sixth best city for singles, offering a vibrant social scene alongside strong career opportunities for young professionals."

Elsewhere in Texas, Houston ranked 51st on the list, Amarillo ranked 73rd, and San Antonio was No. 85.

The top 10 best cities for starting a career are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Austin, Texas
No. 4 – Tampa, Florida
No. 5 – Miami, Florida
No. 6 – Charleston, South Carolina
No. 7 – Pittsburgh
No. 8 – Knoxville, Tennessee
No. 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah
No. 10 – Columbia, South Carolina

wallethub reports innovation jobs