The 10 Best Places To Live In Texas For 2024


The best places to live in Texas for 2024 are University Park, West University Place, and Colleyville. Find out where your city or town ranks.

In a land where everything is famously bigger, uncovering the best places to live in Texas requires swallowing your Texas pride.

Take a step back and look at the data to determine which Texas cities are bigger and better.

Unlike other sites that randomly decide Austin has to be the best place to live, we stick to the cold hard facts from sources like the Census, Zillow, and FBI. For this study, we compared factors like crime, incomes, real estate prices, and schools for the 342 places in Texas with over 5,000 people.

So, grab your Tex-Mex and a margarita as we look at the top ten best places to live in Texas.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Table | Map | Methodology | Summary


You might have come here expecting to see Dallas and Houston as one of the best places in Texas. Even though those cities offer up a ton to residents, it’s better to live outside the cities and commute.

University Park is the perfect example — it’s a small suburb outside of Houston with everything you could ever want without the constant hustle and bustle.

For more reading, check out:

The 10 Best Places To Live In Texas For 2024

Best Places To Live In Texas Map

University Park, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Drumguy8800 at English Wikipedia | GFDL
StatUniversity ParkTexas
Population25,17929,243,342
Rank Last Year2
Median Home Value$2,037,260$298,423
Median Income$250,001$73,035
Unemployment Rate4.1%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.01350.0270

More on University Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

University Park is a Dallas suburb of 25,179 people that has a lot going for it. With a median age of 33, University Park is the youngest city to make this list, so you know it’s a vibrant place with fresh ideas. It’s also the 2nd most densely-populated city in Texas, which adds to the dynamism here. And with Dallas right there, you can be in America’s largest urban art district in under 15 minutes.

In general, residents of University Park don’t have money problems, because they’re the 2nd best-paid workers in Texas, pulling in around $250,001/year. Moneyed individuals don’t often go in for crime, and that holds true in University Park, where violent crime is the 7th lowest in Texas and the total crime rateis 50% lower than the national average.

Add to that top-notch schools and an excellent housing market, and you’ve got a recipe for the best place to call home in Texas.

West University Place, TX

Source: Public domain
StatWest University PlaceTexas
Population14,96329,243,342
Rank Last Year3
Median Home Value$1,706,657$298,423
Median Income$250,001$73,035
Unemployment Rate5.7%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.01010.0270

More on West University Place: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Kicking off our list of best places to live in Texas is West University Place, an affluent suburb of Houston. As the most densely-populated city in Texas, West University Place is sure to have enough activity even for your most social of social butterflies. I mean, in just fifteen minutes you can be at an Astros game or Houston’s world-class Museum of Natural Science, depending on your inclination.

Over half of the population in West University Place has a master’s degree or higher, so you know that folks here aren’t dummies. All those fancy diplomas really pay off for residents, because at $250,001/year, West University Place has the 2nd highest median income in Texas. And since people with good jobs usually also have health insurance, West University place also has the 4th highest rate of insured residents in the state.

Nobody gets left out of the good times in West University Place, as evidenced by the city’s ranking as the place with the 3rd lowest poverty level in Texas. Seeing as poverty and crime usually go hand in hand, it’s no surprise that West University Place also boasts the 11th lowest rate of violent crime in Texas.

Colleyville, TX

Source: Wikipedia User IDidThisThing | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatColleyvilleTexas
Population25,87629,243,342
Rank Last Year7
Median Home Value$825,914$298,423
Median Income$196,298$73,035
Unemployment Rate3.7%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.00490.0270

More on Colleyville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Another Dallas-Fort worth suburb, Colleyville is a city of 25,876 with across the board strong statistics. Noted for its consistently high-ranking public schools, you’d better believe kids who grow up in Colleyville get off on the right foot. Evidently, the importance of education transcends age, because about 30% of Colleyville’s residents kept earning degrees after earning their bachelor’s.

That work ethic really pays off for Colleyville’s residents, who earn the 10th highest pay in Texas, around $196,298/year. And since smart people with good jobs don’t have much reason to go around committing crimes, Colleyville also has the 7th lowest crime rate in the state, about 75% lower than the national average.

As for escaping the hustle and bustle of the big cities, not many cities on this list can boast having a 46-acre natural refuge, complete with nine ponds and countless fishing spots. Colleyville can, though.

Coppell, TX

Source: Wikipedia User nthomas76207 | CC BY 2.0
StatCoppellTexas
Population42,51329,243,342
Rank Last Year4
Median Home Value$591,824$298,423
Median Income$143,817$73,035
Unemployment Rate1.9%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.01460.0270

More on Coppell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

A bedroom community of the Dallas-Fort Worth Area, Coppell is a city of 42,513 that ranks as the 4th best place to live in Texas. Coppell is a place where the economy works for everyone, as evidenced by the super-low rates of unemployment (1.9%) and poverty (2.6%). It also has one of the premier educational systems in the state, with GreatSchools giving Coppell’s schools an average score of 8/10 (with plenty of 10/10s available, depending on your district).

All these things are great indicators of Coppell’s high quality, but we haven’t come to the city’s best feature: being only ten minutes away from the Legoland Discovery Center. At 39, Coppell has a lower median age than most places listed here, so we think residents’ Lego appreciation is proportionally higher.

Bellaire, TX

Source: Public domain
StatBellaireTexas
Population17,16329,243,342
Rank Last Year1
Median Home Value$986,454$298,423
Median Income$215,636$73,035
Unemployment Rate2.5%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.02300.0270

More on Bellaire: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Bellaire is a city of 17,163 surrounded by Houston and West University Place. We named Bellaire one of the best cities for families in Texas, and a lot of those same factors land it on this list. For instance, an 8.5/10 GreatSchools average rating for local public schools and awesome kid friendly amenities around like the Children’s Museum Houston.

If you’ve always wanted to get in on a book club, you’ve got a good shot in Bellaire, because around 50% of its residents have a master’s, PhD, or professional degree. You also won’t have to worry much about the vicissitudes of Wall Street or Washington here, because Bellaire has the 7th lowest poverty levels and 3rd highest rate of residents with health insurance in Texas.

Alamo Heights, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Nightryder84 | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatAlamo HeightsTexas
Population7,41729,243,342
Rank Last Year8
Median Home Value$699,020$298,423
Median Income$149,332$73,035
Unemployment Rate1.1%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.03380.0270

More on Alamo Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

We’re heading back down to the greater San Antonio area to arrive at our 6th best city in Texas, Alamo Heights. Alamo Heights is a city of 7,417 people almost completely surrounded by the bigger city, which helps give it the title of 9th most densely populated city in Texas. Those who like to be in the center of the action will find plenty to love in Alamo Heights. It’s also a great jumping off point for getting to Natural Bridge Caverns, Texas’ largest underground attraction and a serene, but strangely eerie, spot to spend the day.

Alamo Heights has a diverse population, high-quality public schools, and hot markets for both jobs and housing. It’s also the place with the highest rate of insured residents in Texas, with 99.0% of people being covered.

Trophy Club, TX

Source: Public domain
StatTrophy ClubTexas
Population13,25129,243,342
Rank Last Year5
Median Home Value$662,834$298,423
Median Income$183,125$73,035
Unemployment Rate4.0%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.00640.0270

More on Trophy Club: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

An affluent suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Trophy Club comes in as the 7th best place to live in Texas for 2024. As the town with the 14th lowest rate of crime in the state, Trophy Club is one of the safest places to live in Texas.

Trophy Club is also younger than most places on this list, with a median age of 40. The young folks are doing quite well for themselves, because the median household income in Trophy Club is $183,125/year. Combined with home prices of around $662,834, Trophy Club actually has the lowest overall cost of living among the cities featured here. And having the 10th lowest rate of poverty in Texas means that everyone in Trophy Club gets in on the good times.

Don’t worry about a dearth of activity here, because in just 30 minutes you can find yourself at Fort Worth’s Sundance Square, where the nightlife is popping.

Southlake, TX

Source: Wikipedia User NETarrantMan | CC BY 3.0
StatSouthlakeTexas
Population30,77929,243,342
Rank Last Year9
Median Home Value$1,122,373$298,423
Median Income$250,001$73,035
Unemployment Rate2.5%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.01270.0270

More on Southlake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Next up #8: Southlake – a Dallas/Fort Worth suburb located about 25 miles north of the city centers near DFW airport. There’s plenty to do if you live in Southlake. There are restaurants like Taverna Rossa and TruFire and shopping nearby. And there’s Summit Park on Main Street.

Homes here will cost you a pretty penny – with the median price being 250,001, but that’s a bargain compared to some other places on this list. People here are making a cool 250,001 a year and the poverty and unemployment rates are both under 4%.

The public schools are fantastic – with 96% of high school students reading at the correct level and a 94% graduation rate.

Highland Park, TX

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was Ansem27 at English Wikipedia | GFDL
StatHighland ParkTexas
Population8,84029,243,342
Rank Last Year6
Median Home Value$2,475,526$298,423
Median Income$249,923$73,035
Unemployment Rate4.8%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.02220.0270

More on Highland Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

You should have no trouble recognizing that you’re living in high society in Highland Park, an affluent town that, together with University Park, comprises the Park Cities enclave of Dallas. Homes in University Park are the 1st costliest in Texas, going for a median price of $2,475,526. That’s okay though, because University Park residents are also the 4th best paid in the state, pulling in around $249,923/year.

Some other markers of University Park’s excellence are its sub-3% rates of poverty and unemployment and its distinction as the 26th least violent place in Texas. As a bonus, folks in University Park only commute 19 minutes to and from work, which is the shortest trip you’ll see on this list. In about the same amount of time, you can get to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens to add a bit of color to your life.

Keller, TX

Source: Wikipedia User 1958publius | CC BY-SA 4.0
StatKellerTexas
Population45,32029,243,342
Rank Last Year10
Median Home Value$603,388$298,423
Median Income$162,094$73,035
Unemployment Rate3.0%5.2%
Crime Per Capita0.00760.0270

More on Keller: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

We’re going to stick around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to wrap up our list of best places in Texas with Keller, a suburb of 45,320. There’s no one statistic that earns Keller a spot on this list. Is the school system way above average? Yes. Is the crime rate among the lowest in the state? You betcha. Are poverty and unemployment rates hovering around 3%? You’d better believe it.

Folks in Keller earn the 14th highest salaries in Texas, with a median household income of $162,094. Of all the places on this list, the cost of living in Keller is second-lowest only to Trophy Club. As an extra attraction, having the top-notch Keller Farmer’s Market and Keller Pointe athletics center right in your neighborhood means it’s easy to eat healthy and stay active here. That’s the kind of quality that pays dividends down the road.

Mapping The Best And Worst Places To Live in Texas

Best Places To Live In Texas Size Requirement

Before we even started to collect data on the best places to live in Texas, we had to answer a tough question: Is it fair to pit Austin, with a population of 958,202, against places with a population of 18?

We firmly decided no, that just isn’t fair.

So, to create our ranking, we broke the best places to live into three tiers:

  • Cities — Populations over 5,000
  • Towns — Populations between 1,000 and 5,000
  • Small Towns — Populations below 1,000

This filter left 342 cities, 580 towns, and 518 small towns.

We then decided no matter how much anyone loves their town, the best cities to live in Texas have more of everything, and therefore, you need over 5,000 people to truly be ‘the best.’

Methodology: How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Texas

Now that we had our set of the best possible cities, it was time to rank them using Saturday Night Science.

We ranked each place in Texas across a number of criteria from one to 342, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, crowning the city posting the lowest overall score, the “Best Place To Live In Texas.”

The criteria we looked to determine the best places were:

  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Population Density (Higher is better)
  • Unemployment Rate
  • Commute Time
  • Crime
  • Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data, FBI Crime Data, and Zillow. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking Texas’s best places to live.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Texas. Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with University Park at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Summary: The Best Places In Texas

If you’re looking at areas in Texas with the best economic situations, where there’s lower than average crime, and a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

The best places to live in Texas are University Park, West University Place, Colleyville, Coppell, Bellaire, Alamo Heights, Trophy Club, Southlake, Highland Park, and Keller.

University Park made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Texas for 2024.

If you’re curious enough, here are the worst places to live in Texas according to the data:

  1. Port Arthur (Pop. 55,897)
  2. Hutchins (Pop. 5,633)
  3. Robstown (Pop. 10,246)

For more Texas reading, check out:

Best Places To Live In Texas Table

RankCityPopulationUnemployment RateHome ValueMedian IncomeRentCrime Per Capita
1University Park25,1794.1%$2,037,260$250,001$2,6860.0135
2West University Place14,9635.7%$1,706,657$250,001$3,5010.0101
3Colleyville25,8763.7%$825,914$196,298$2,7850.0049
4Coppell42,5131.9%$591,824$143,817$1,7430.0146
5Bellaire17,1632.5%$986,454$215,636$2,4230.0230
6Alamo Heights7,4171.1%$699,020$149,332$1,3900.0338
7Trophy Club13,2514.0%$662,834$183,125$1,9080.0064
8Southlake30,7792.5%$1,122,373$250,001$2,5180.0127
9Highland Park8,8404.8%$2,475,526$249,923$2,6730.0222
10Keller45,3203.0%$603,388$162,094$1,8500.0076
11Terrell Hills5,0454.1%$840,452$199,643$1,1000.0131
12Corinth22,5022.6%$411,905$116,083$1,6760.0088
13Flower Mound76,6303.9%$582,405$154,471$2,0390.0084
14Lakeway18,8352.8%$782,679$154,118$2,5630.0116
15Allen105,4444.3%$506,564$121,259$1,7470.0104
16Woodway9,3994.1%$368,615$111,014$1,7200.0113
17Murphy20,8805.2%$583,866$152,847$2,3540.0075
18Cedar Park76,3443.3%$489,193$118,903$1,6770.0149
19Frisco202,0753.9%$650,075$144,567$1,8030.0156
20Sachse27,8295.1%$443,583$127,888$1,6700.0082
21Friendswood40,8884.6%$435,930$121,301$1,6360.0065
22McKinney196,1603.7%$506,871$113,286$1,7400.0122
23Bee Cave8,7711.2%$910,939$104,949$1,7870.0194
24Parker5,5732.3%$1,011,628$202,727$00.0045
25Heath9,7713.3%$701,027$211,522$1,8860.0078
26Fairview10,3542.0%$640,850$103,219$1,7030.0071
27Sugar Land110,0775.0%$431,661$132,247$1,8680.0167
28Iowa Park6,5291.8%$147,973$61,667$9490.0046
29Melissa15,2444.1%$450,384$138,465$2,2690.0045
30Wylie57,0633.5%$411,646$109,465$1,8440.0068
31Leander62,4913.7%$445,365$129,684$1,8020.0105
32Fulshear21,5524.9%$601,277$170,602$1,7450.0050
33Mansfield73,6803.7%$423,311$112,465$1,6700.0154
34Rockwall47,8593.1%$440,779$114,799$1,7280.0177
35Fair Oaks Ranch9,9174.1%$670,180$150,237$2,3160.0134
36Roanoke9,5654.1%$429,441$113,171$1,6980.0145
37Hewitt16,0344.7%$292,938$75,898$1,3080.0108
38Celina21,5011.6%$551,707$142,643$1,8530.0108
39Pearland124,4783.2%$367,684$111,123$1,6220.0182
40Plano284,9484.4%$503,025$105,679$1,6990.0209
41Prosper31,5074.5%$764,610$178,224$1,8920.0114
42Nassau Bay5,2151.5%$411,649$74,542$1,2370.0203
43Canyon15,0892.6%$266,143$67,631$9190.0100
44Pflugerville64,5283.9%$402,967$111,151$1,6770.0185
45Wolfforth5,7798.6%$273,241$100,703$1,3880.0066
46Saginaw24,1063.5%$310,280$99,752$1,6680.0149
47Portland20,1303.1%$256,988$83,493$1,7310.0150
48Cibolo32,6405.7%$341,576$116,510$1,8720.0167
49Boerne18,4752.5%$556,332$82,982$1,4530.0180
50Nederland18,5693.1%$193,238$73,706$1,2650.0170
51Midlothian35,4602.9%$443,526$119,323$1,5060.0119
52Carrollton132,2843.7%$410,598$95,380$1,5550.0189
53Hutto29,4986.1%$367,638$105,743$2,1030.0086
54Helotes9,1407.3%$472,660$124,367$2,4620.0188
55Bedford49,4554.4%$366,367$80,924$1,3320.0237
56Grapevine50,7635.0%$517,910$107,165$1,7500.0310
57Round Rock120,4653.8%$436,302$91,888$1,5860.0261
58North Richland Hills70,1143.1%$360,470$88,656$1,4650.0221
59Richardson118,0635.0%$436,131$94,362$1,7250.0238
60Lake Dallas7,6822.7%$339,586$72,386$1,3190.0085
61Fate19,0106.8%$369,189$121,935$2,2820.0062
62Seabrook13,5583.8%$346,205$96,223$1,4820.0161
63Lumberton13,6133.5%$265,395$99,066$9900.0100
64Benbrook24,3664.3%$308,272$80,971$1,3890.0136
65Rowlett63,2914.1%$381,572$110,954$1,8070.0177
66Aledo5,0532.0%$497,638$123,045$2,3260.0463
67Fredericksburg11,0203.8%$540,684$56,858$1,2960.0118
68Deer Park34,0464.9%$270,700$89,219$1,2550.0161
69Manvel11,2652.6%$413,399$105,188$1,6310.0129
70Seminole7,0242.5%$211,160$73,074$8780.0115
71Buda14,9973.6%$411,841$105,378$1,6480.0257
72Little Elm48,2416.5%$426,402$110,218$1,9160.0073
73New Braunfels92,9933.8%$374,671$85,827$1,4260.0184
74Port Neches13,6355.3%$214,948$85,086$1,0380.0122
75The Colony44,3234.1%$403,361$106,518$1,7390.0318
76Princeton18,4412.4%$332,177$93,586$1,7340.0119
77Kerrville24,3332.5%$350,078$58,797$1,0270.0111
78Georgetown71,7885.7%$447,599$87,465$1,5750.0165
79Bulverde5,8270.5%$484,817$107,315$1,3740.0261
80Robinson12,4705.3%$299,318$93,148$1,3850.0140
81Sunnyvale7,8735.9%$638,548$152,632$9990.0164
82Schertz42,5456.2%$333,518$94,173$1,5130.0133
83Willow Park5,0553.4%$415,055$104,931$2,3030.0208
84Nolanville6,1021.8%$302,455$66,295$1,0330.0080
85Whitehouse8,5126.1%$282,692$72,900$1,5850.0107
86Lewisville125,0283.8%$395,721$82,006$1,4550.0227
87Burleson48,9703.8%$317,969$87,312$1,5710.0163
88Dripping Springs5,4953.3%$737,947$104,141$2,0150.0416
89Fort Stockton8,4041.2%$167,067$65,657$8720.0052
90Harker Heights33,0364.7%$304,601$72,258$1,0630.0160
91Mont Belvieu7,8682.0%$413,425$132,010$1,5630.0216
92Red Oak14,8532.9%$339,153$105,309$1,4270.0164
93Burnet6,4643.2%$411,693$77,376$9970.0131
94Euless60,3604.7%$347,693$77,403$1,4970.0250
95Anna18,5853.4%$352,841$93,785$1,8880.0129
96Lucas7,7463.0%$1,003,546$205,288$1,7570.0454
97Hurst40,0533.1%$328,991$71,275$1,2460.0259
98Aubrey5,9322.3%$378,839$93,071$1,2750.0167
99Dalhart8,0132.2%$168,387$75,000$1,1330.0095
100White Oak6,2274.1%$240,222$94,273$1,1070.0119

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.