Do you want to know where the best suburbs Austin has to offer are located? Then you’re in the right place because this is HomeSnacks tenth time ranking the ten best Austin suburbs.
Austin isn’t just the capital ofTexas; it’s also the live music capital of the world. Perhaps no event is more well-known than the annual South by Southwest Festival that goes down each March, but a plethora of other shows ensures that you can fill up every single day of your calender with live music, if you’re so inclined. A good place for music and some of the tastiest grub you can find in Austin is South Congress Avenue, known to locals as SoCo. Outdoorsmen and women will find plenty to live at McKinney Falls State Park, but even if you’re not down for a 15-minute drive, Zilker Metropolitan Park boasts quite a bit of green for a city park. Not to mention the gorgeous Zilker Botanical Garden and the natural spring/public swimming area of Baton Springs Pool that you can find within the park.
There’s no doubt about it, Austin is an aesthetically pleasing place to call home. But if you’d rather be a regular visitor than a resident, you’ll have to find the perfect suburb to call home. We came up with our list of stellar suburbs by consulting data from the FBI and the Census to find places with low crime, unemployment, and poverty rates, quality housing that won’t break the bank, and plenty of stuff to do. We also gave each city a SnackAbility score based on that data, plus a few extra things like commute times, diversity, and educational opportunities.
We found a pattern — most of the best Austin suburbs are situated north or west of the city. They range from as far as a half-hour away from Austin’s downtown to just a ten-minute drive. There’s also a huge disparity between affordability, with homes in West Lake Hills typically selling for around $1,000,000, while a Pflugerville home will only set you back about $220,000. One thing that each suburb had in common was a reasonable cost of living; even the priciest suburb on this list is only about 40% more expensive to live in than a typical U.S. city.
So get ready to order your first breakfast taco, jive to some live music, and Keep Austin Weird, because we’re heading to the best suburbs the city has to offer.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Austin for 2024:
There’s a reason Austin ranks among America’s fastest-growing cities. But if big-city life isn’t your thing, then any of the suburbs listed above is sure to make a good home.
So what’s the absolute best Austin suburb? According to the data, The Hills is Austin’s premier suburb for 2024.
Since we’ve already taken a look at the area surrounding Austin, check out our list of Austin’s best neighborhoods to see what it’s like inside the city itself. And if you’re curious about an Austin suburb not featured on our list, consult the full list of Austin’s 23 suburbs down below.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Texas:
The 10 Best Austin Suburbs To Live For 2024
1. The Hills, TX
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Population: 2,505
Median Income: $152,250
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on The Hills: Real Estate
The Hills is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Austin area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome The Hills.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $152,250 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Austin region. And only 2.58% are out of work. Homes average more than $867,346 each.
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Population: 18,835
Median Income: $154,118
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Lakeway: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Lakeway is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Austin for 2024.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 3.33% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
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Population: 8,771
Median Income: $104,949
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.5%
More on Bee Cave: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Bee Cave, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Austin metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Bee Cave.
4. Briarcliff, TX
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Population: 2,273
Median Income: $123,000
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.4%
More on Briarcliff: Real Estate
Briarcliff ranks as the 4th best suburb of Austin for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Briarcliff and the schools are some of the best around.
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Population: 76,344
Median Income: $118,903
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 5.5%
More on Cedar Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Cedar Park.
Cedar Park gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the Austin area, where houses sell for an average of $489,193. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
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West Lake Hills is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.46%.
According to online reports, West Lake Hills is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Austin area, meaning you need to get in soon.
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Population: 5,495
Median Income: $104,141
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Dripping Springs: Data | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Dripping Springs.
Dripping Springs schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 21.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
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Population: 62,491
Median Income: $129,684
Unemployment Rate: 3.7%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Leander: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Leander is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 8.91% of people lack insurance, good for 12th in the area.
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Population: 14,997
Median Income: $105,378
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 7.9%
More on Buda: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Buda?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
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Population: 64,528
Median Income: $111,151
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Pflugerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Pflugerville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Austin for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Austin was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Austin.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 23 suburbs to evaluate around Austin.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 23 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Austin.” We’re lookin’ at you, The Hills.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Austin suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Austin ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Austin are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Austin but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Texas reading, check out:
Table: Best Austin Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hills, TX | 2,505 | $152,250 | $867,346 |
| 2 | Lakeway, TX | 18,835 | $154,118 | $782,679 |
| 3 | Bee Cave, TX | 8,771 | $104,949 | $910,939 |
| 4 | Briarcliff, TX | 2,273 | $123,000 | $531,771 |
| 5 | Cedar Park, TX | 76,344 | $118,903 | $489,193 |
| 6 | West Lake Hills, TX | 3,360 | $210,000 | $2,124,938 |
| 7 | Dripping Springs, TX | 5,495 | $104,141 | $737,947 |
| 8 | Leander, TX | 62,491 | $129,684 | $445,365 |
| 9 | Buda, TX | 14,997 | $105,378 | $411,841 |
| 10 | Pflugerville, TX | 64,528 | $111,151 | $402,967 |
| 11 | Round Rock, TX | 120,465 | $91,888 | $436,302 |
| 12 | Jonestown, TX | 2,395 | $112,841 | $485,485 |
| 13 | Georgetown, TX | 71,788 | $87,465 | $447,599 |
| 14 | Hutto, TX | 29,498 | $105,743 | $367,638 |
| 15 | Woodcreek, TX | 2,389 | $80,227 | $414,550 |
| 16 | Kyle, TX | 48,484 | $85,199 | $331,816 |
| 17 | Wimberley, TX | 2,858 | $92,868 | $547,624 |
| 18 | Manor, TX | 15,341 | $96,657 | $337,782 |
| 19 | Lockhart, TX | 14,463 | $68,270 | $303,514 |
| 20 | Liberty Hill, TX | 5,265 | $93,198 | $479,584 |
| 21 | Bastrop, TX | 9,955 | $59,087 | $364,373 |
| 22 | Elgin, TX | 10,043 | $85,014 | $292,243 |
| 23 | Taylor, TX | 16,449 | $66,626 | $300,890 |
