Texas

Texas’ ‘best’ and ‘worst’ small cities, according to new study

October 1, 2024

  

(NEXSTAR) — While Texas is well-known for its megacity, Houston, and its big cities, like Dallas and San Antonio, the Lone Star State is also peppered with small cities that are filled with Texas charm. Recently, WalletHub released its 2024 Best Small Cities in America report to find out which hidden gems you might be missing out on.

Texas’ highest ranked small city?

Actually, it turns out there’s a tie. Both Rockwall and Leander ranked 97th nationally, with Rockwall earning a slightly better overall score. To create the ranking, WalletHub scored 1,318 cities with populations between 25-100,000 across 45 different metrics, including affordability, economic health, education/health, and quality of life.

Cities were given scores out of 100, with 100 being the highest/”best.”

Rank City Total score Affordability rank Quality of life rank Safety rank
97. Rockwall, Texas 67.03 1,067 502 61
97. Leander, TX 66.97 49 866 413
96. Allen, TX 66.3 153 544 53
95. Cedar Park, TX 65.95 157 217 488
93. Flower Mound, TX 65.45 34 541 129
89. New Braunfels, TX 64.67 422 184 253

Rockwall, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, received its best scores in the economic health category (91st) and safety (61st), while New Braunfels received a higher score than most other Texas cities that aren’t Rockwall, with a triple-digit high score of 422.

And what about Texas’ poorly ranked small cities?

Both Fort Hood and Port Arthur share a low No. 2 national ranking (alongside multiple other U.S. cities), with Port Arthur earning only a slightly better overall score.

Here’s a sample of Texas’ worst-ranking cities.

Rank City Total score Affordability rank Quality of life rank Safety rank
2. Fort Hood (now known as Fort Cavazos), Texas 45.47 1,067 900 1,037
2. Port Arthur, TX 45.87 784 1,036 1,224
3. Eagle Pass, TX 46.85 796 730 1,173
3. Kingsville, TX 46.99 833 843 1,125
4. Big Spring, TX 47.78 285 1,074 1,275
6. Balch Springs, TX 49.01 583 1,314 1,034

While some of these Texas cities may rank high in regards to affordability, many owe their placement to some very low quality of life and safety rankings. Of all Texas cities, Big Spring, located between Midland and Abilene, earned the best affordability score (285th nationally), while Fort Cavazos’ affordability ranking is in the quadruple digits.

Fort Cavazos, located near Killeen, is a 218,000-acre area located mostly in Coryell County, according to Texas State Historical Association. Fort Hood was renamed last year for several reasons, including its original name having Confederate ties and a series of disturbing incidents that have occurred there — most notably, the 2020 murder of soldier Vanessa Guillen. The name was changed to Fort Cavazos, in honor of a Texas general, who was the U.S. Army’s first Hispanic four-star general.

Curious how other states and cities fared? Visit WalletHub for the complete ranking.