The 10 Best Places To Live In Texas For 2026

The best places to live in Texas for 2026 are University Park, Trophy Club, 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 354 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 2026

Best Places To Live In Texas Map

University Park, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Drumguy8800 at English Wikipedia | GFDL
StatUniversity ParkTexas
Population25,15530,188,424
Rank Last Year1
Median Home Value$2,420,170$300,957
Median Income$250,001$78,476
Unemployment Rate3.6%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.01500.0252

More on University Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

University Park is a Dallas suburb of 25,155 people that has a lot going for it. With a median age of 29, 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 18th 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.

Trophy Club, TX

Source: Town of Trophy Club
StatTrophy ClubTexas
Population13,73330,188,424
Rank Last Year5
Median Home Value$701,040$300,957
Median Income$201,054$78,476
Unemployment Rate2.0%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.00410.0252

More on Trophy Club: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

An affluent suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Trophy Club comes in as the 2nd best place to live in Texas for 2026. As the town with the 5th 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 43. The young folks are doing quite well for themselves, because the median household income in Trophy Club is $201,054/year. Combined with home prices of around $701,040, Trophy Club actually has the lowest overall cost of living among the cities featured here. And having the 12th 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.

Colleyville, TX

Source: Wikipedia User IDidThisThing | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatColleyvilleTexas
Population26,01230,188,424
Rank Last Year3
Median Home Value$913,049$300,957
Median Income$218,328$78,476
Unemployment Rate3.0%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.00570.0252

More on Colleyville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Another Dallas-Fort worth suburb, Colleyville is a city of 26,012 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 9th highest pay in Texas, around $218,328/year. And since smart people with good jobs don’t have much reason to go around committing crimes, Colleyville also has the 16th 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.

West University Place, TX

Source: Public domain
StatWest University PlaceTexas
Population14,98230,188,424
Rank Last Year2
Median Home Value$1,560,991$300,957
Median Income$250,001$78,476
Unemployment Rate5.9%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.01030.0252

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

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 11th 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 8th 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 14th lowest rate of violent crime in Texas.

Alamo Heights, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Nightryder84 | CC BY-SA 3.0
StatAlamo HeightsTexas
Population7,49230,188,424
Rank Last Year6
Median Home Value$731,191$300,957
Median Income$183,088$78,476
Unemployment Rate2.2%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.03040.0252

More on Alamo Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

We’re heading back down to the greater San Antonio area to arrive at our 5th best city in Texas, Alamo Heights. Alamo Heights is a city of 7,492 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 3rd highest rate of insured residents in Texas, with 97.6% of people being covered.

Coppell, TX

Source: Wikipedia User nthomas76207 | CC BY 2.0
StatCoppellTexas
Population42,15430,188,424
Rank Last Year4
Median Home Value$619,492$300,957
Median Income$146,235$78,476
Unemployment Rate2.6%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.00920.0252

More on Coppell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

A bedroom community of the Dallas-Fort Worth Area, Coppell is a city of 42,154 that ranks as the 6th 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 (2.6%) and poverty (5.4%). 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 41, Coppell has a lower median age than most places listed here, so we think residents’ Lego appreciation is proportionally higher.

Keller, TX

Source: Wikipedia User 1958publius | CC BY-SA 4.0
StatKellerTexas
Population45,97630,188,424
Rank Last Year8
Median Home Value$652,144$300,957
Median Income$174,950$78,476
Unemployment Rate2.7%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.00740.0252

More on Keller: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

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 45,976. 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 18th highest salaries in Texas, with a median household income of $174,950. 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.

Southlake, TX

Source: Wikipedia User NETarrantMan | CC BY 3.0
StatSouthlakeTexas
Population31,13730,188,424
Rank Last Year10
Median Home Value$1,301,364$300,957
Median Income$250,001$78,476
Unemployment Rate2.7%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.01030.0252

More on Southlake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

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.

StatCorinthTexas
Population23,38530,188,424
Rank Last Year7
Median Home Value$410,565$300,957
Median Income$120,580$78,476
Unemployment Rate1.9%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.00760.0252

More on Corinth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

If you’re hunting for the best places to live in Texas, Corinth is a Denton County community that delivers. Just north of Dallas, this 23,385 community pulls a median income of $120,580 while keeping unemployment at a razor thin 1.9% and poverty at just 3.5%.

When you need a break from the metroplex grind, the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area is right next door for hiking, birding, and general decompression. At a median home value of $410,565, Corinth more than earns its spot among the best Texas neighborhoods and places to live, ranking at #9 on our list.

Flower Mound, TX

Source: Wikipedia User Runfellow | CC BY 3.0
StatFlower MoundTexas
Population78,38930,188,424
Rank Last Year9
Median Home Value$609,719$300,957
Median Income$161,235$78,476
Unemployment Rate3.4%5.3%
Crime Per Capita0.00660.0252

More on Flower Mound: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers

Flower Mound is another northern suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area located on Grapevine Lake. Flower Mound ranks as the 10th best place to call home in the Lone Star State.

People who live here say Flower Mound is a beautiful town with a heart of gold. They say people are always friendly, no matter if you’re a friend or a stranger. And, maybe everyone is in a good mood because they never have to sit in traffic. The only drawback is you’d have to drive into Dallas or Fort Worth for work, and those places are not as charming.

Home prices in Flower Mound are the 10th most expensive in Texas, at around $609,719. But, you get what you pay for. It’s super safe here and the schools are the best in the state when you measure performance and the budget they have. And about 3 in 4 people in Flower Mound have a college degree, so lots of people are smart.

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 979,539, 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 354 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 354, 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 2026. This report is our eleventh 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, Trophy Club, Colleyville, West University Place, Alamo Heights, Coppell, Keller, Southlake, Corinth, and Flower Mound.

University Park made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Texas for 2026.

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

  1. Port Arthur (Pop. 55,828)
  2. Robstown (Pop. 10,236)
  3. Wilmer (Pop. 6,391)

For more Texas reading, check out:

Best Places To Live In Texas Table

RankCityPopulationUnemployment RateHome ValueMedian IncomeRentCrime Per Capita
1University Park25,1553.6%$2,420,170$250,001$3,2720.0150
2Trophy Club13,7332.0%$701,040$201,054$1,9920.0041
3Colleyville26,0123.0%$913,049$218,328$3,2630.0057
4West University Place14,9825.9%$1,560,991$250,001$3,5010.0103
5Alamo Heights7,4922.2%$731,191$183,088$1,7270.0304
6Coppell42,1542.6%$619,492$146,235$2,0220.0092
7Keller45,9762.7%$652,144$174,950$2,1440.0074
8Southlake31,1372.7%$1,301,364$250,001$3,5010.0103
9Corinth23,3851.9%$410,565$120,580$1,8910.0076
10Flower Mound78,3893.4%$609,719$161,235$2,2310.0066
11Woodway9,5702.5%$368,722$115,108$1,6530.0109
12Highland Park8,7734.5%$2,891,618$250,001$1,9400.0250
13Murphy21,1884.2%$571,960$175,699$2,8470.0051
14Bellaire17,2063.7%$1,164,142$244,015$2,6720.0257
15Terrell Hills5,0704.3%$883,660$186,400$1,0780.0176
16Allen110,2653.7%$493,531$130,901$1,9320.0102
17Lakeway19,3073.5%$741,100$190,060$2,9810.0129
18McKinney210,6003.7%$481,963$124,215$1,9010.0097
19Friendswood41,0304.4%$457,134$126,508$1,6880.0064
20Frisco219,3044.6%$656,757$150,212$2,0140.0117
21Fulshear34,8682.8%$505,480$187,035$1,9520.0032
22Cedar Park78,3014.5%$471,698$129,545$1,8460.0128
23Sugar Land110,0164.1%$447,176$136,217$1,9570.0143
24Hickory Creek5,6111.2%$494,276$148,852$2,1920.0100
25Sachse30,4915.2%$433,036$131,808$1,7980.0092
26Parker5,9992.5%$1,088,169$229,080$00.0042
27Plano290,5944.0%$498,989$112,253$1,8410.0162
28Helotes9,6305.0%$462,259$132,675$2,5000.0117
29Pearland127,5143.3%$382,156$118,842$1,8600.0155
30Leander74,0673.4%$425,972$139,048$1,9390.0125
31Lumberton13,9632.5%$278,474$107,623$1,0670.0055
32Hewitt16,4324.2%$297,538$83,511$1,5380.0130
33Krum6,1890.7%$338,247$124,405$1,9740.0055
34Argyle5,3713.5%$594,341$181,352$2,7130.0063
35Melissa20,1363.6%$434,769$138,763$2,5320.0052
36Canyon15,7233.1%$295,886$69,772$9840.0077
37Bee Cave8,8623.1%$823,338$111,172$1,8770.0269
38Celina34,2682.8%$546,742$170,894$2,3790.0107
39Mansfield77,5103.9%$444,292$121,126$1,9540.0153
40Wylie60,3344.0%$421,547$119,522$2,1890.0095
41Lake Dallas7,8222.8%$347,096$76,879$1,5190.0069
42Fair Oaks Ranch10,7285.8%$697,347$174,327$2,1080.0069
43The Colony45,4544.1%$406,282$114,511$1,9580.0158
44Justin5,4475.5%$371,850$114,157$2,0000.0105
45Carrollton133,7403.3%$406,039$101,396$1,7350.0145
46Fredericksburg11,4194.3%$517,758$64,534$1,3860.0066
47Wolfforth6,7015.2%$268,400$106,250$1,6740.0082
48Hutto35,4833.4%$338,959$118,834$2,2550.0133
49Bedford49,0854.8%$374,676$83,971$1,5020.0165
50Round Rock127,7863.8%$407,077$99,287$1,7630.0217
51Heath10,7777.5%$708,330$220,828$3,5010.0059
52Burnet6,7322.1%$411,325$87,587$1,0190.0064
53Boerne20,5183.5%$554,313$84,541$1,5890.0145
54Aledo5,8251.5%$537,267$163,231$2,5500.0325
55Buda15,8593.4%$354,684$123,766$1,8520.0182
56Fate22,8845.4%$361,761$132,752$2,5000.0064
57Prosper37,8695.6%$784,350$195,281$2,1760.0128
58Rockwall51,1684.4%$480,553$115,580$1,9470.0163
59Rowlett65,4634.0%$371,473$112,081$1,9900.0154
60Cibolo35,1096.8%$335,092$122,365$2,1120.0107
61Richardson118,7315.0%$440,400$98,111$1,8570.0197
62Portland20,5433.2%$267,660$83,865$1,5770.0100
63Iowa Park6,5783.2%$192,108$66,622$9380.0079
64Harker Heights34,1283.9%$298,770$81,190$1,1460.0115
65Alpine6,0144.1%$254,370$60,139$8910.0020
66Nolanville6,6903.0%$311,056$72,480$1,1740.0088
67Pflugerville65,9715.3%$377,292$117,799$1,9320.0179
68Nassau Bay5,2301.9%$397,246$71,696$1,3310.0164
69Robinson12,8006.6%$300,373$99,289$1,4190.0064
70Grapevine51,1394.7%$552,148$111,376$1,8630.0224
71Fairview10,7834.4%$660,165$109,347$1,9470.0101
72Willow Park5,8742.3%$407,700$132,045$2,4150.0165
73Whitehouse9,1226.4%$284,993$99,458$1,4580.0049
74North Richland Hills70,7803.2%$367,727$97,305$1,7040.0246
75Kerrville24,7552.9%$351,636$62,102$1,0860.0074
76Burleson52,9183.5%$338,944$93,928$1,6850.0138
77Bulverde6,4861.4%$476,431$112,188$1,7940.0248
78Roanoke10,2865.0%$428,020$97,295$1,7830.0145
79Van Alstyne5,9520.6%$433,827$102,469$1,3450.0097
80Little Elm54,8206.6%$403,396$119,219$1,9530.0064
81Iowa Colony12,8914.9%$339,031$144,092$2,3600.0072
82Lewisville131,0804.3%$393,895$89,233$1,6700.0177
83Sanger9,6411.4%$359,317$91,075$1,5040.0129
84Deer Park33,9675.8%$280,749$100,382$1,3180.0135
85Benbrook24,5574.3%$316,645$86,292$1,5660.0207
86Addison17,2902.8%$490,587$73,854$1,7840.0589
87Saginaw24,9704.6%$299,871$97,276$1,7760.0167
88Midlothian39,3563.9%$450,601$126,641$2,0130.0119
89Live Oak15,9844.9%$247,029$79,696$1,6340.0393
90White Oak6,2355.0%$244,808$101,027$1,1940.0088
91Nederland18,3814.7%$214,464$77,570$1,4000.0140
92New Braunfels104,6434.2%$350,104$86,021$1,6540.0163
93Sunnyvale8,3367.0%$631,290$170,348$1,4220.0136
94Schertz44,0506.2%$314,685$99,948$1,6590.0103
95Watauga23,2335.1%$277,103$91,171$1,9820.0095
96Fort Stockton8,2782.2%$173,272$84,784$9740.0040
97Georgetown85,9994.9%$426,798$95,062$1,7950.0142
98Lavon6,4983.6%$349,797$131,303$2,2030.0259
99Lucas8,3512.6%$1,074,130$221,364$00.0405
100Anna24,3304.1%$349,537$105,593$2,1050.0115

Chris Kolmar
About the author

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.

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