The 10 Best Places To Live In Texas For 2022


We used science to determine which places in the Lone Star State are the real superstars.

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Everything is the best in Texas.

Err.

Everything is better in Texas.

Still, not right, but we’ll go with it for now. And since everything might be better and bigger in Texas, we decided that we would hunker down with our data, spreadsheets, and algorithms to do Texas proud when it comes to researching the best places to live in the Lone Star State. And unlike other places that just randomly decide that Austin has to be the best place to live, we stick to the cold hard facts from sources like the Census and the FBI. Things like the best schools and lowest crime rates that people generally desire when moving to a new place in Texas.

If we could measure the most Cowboy hats and Cowboy fans per square mile, heck we’d measure that too. In all, we analyzed the 341 places in Texas over 5,000 people for this study.

What is the best place to live in Texas? According to the data we collected and our algorithms, University Park ranks as the best place to live in Texas for 2022. They’re no stranger to our lists as they took the top spot last year and rank as one of the wealthiest places in Texas. If University Park is out of your price range, don’t worry, the top ten has a place for everyone. So, go grab your tex-mex and a margarita as we take a quick look at the top ten.

You might have come here expecting to see Dallas and Houston, but even though those cities offer up a ton to residents, it’s actually better to live outside the cities and commute.

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

Overall, the economies in these places are booming and the quality of life is second to none.

Now read on to see the details behind the rankings and a closer look at the top ten cities being featured in our Friday Night Lights for 2022.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

For more Texas reading, check out:

The 10 Best Places To Live In Texas For 2022

University Park is a Dallas suburb of 25,027 people that has a lot going for it. With a median age of 35, 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 $247,716/year. Moneyed individuals don’t often go in for crime, and that holds true in University Park, where violent crime is the 3rd 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.

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 25,027
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $1,351,400
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
More on University Park: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

University Park, TX

We’re heading back down to the greater San Antonio area to arrive at our 2nd best city in Texas, Alamo Heights. Alamo Heights is a city of 8,501 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 98.4% of people being covered.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 8,501
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $614,000
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
More on Alamo Heights: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Alamo Heights, TX

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 highest median income in Texas. And since people with good jobs usually also have health insurance, West University place also has the 2nd 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 4th 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 8th lowest rate of violent crime in Texas.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 15,589
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 2)
Median Home Value: $1,179,700
Unemployment Rate: 6.1%
More on West University Place: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

West University Place, TX

Source: Public domain

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 $1,451,300. That’s okay though, because University Park residents are also the 4th best paid in the state, pulling in around $218,611/year.

Some other markers of University Park’s excellence are its sub-3% rates of poverty and unemployment and its distinction as the 11th 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.

Overall SnackAbility

7.5
/10

Population: 9,143
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $1,451,300
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
More on Highland Park: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Highland Park, TX

An affluent suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Trophy Club comes in as the 5th best place to live in Texas for 2022. As the town with the 4th 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 39. The young folks are doing quite well for themselves, because the median household income in Trophy Club is $155,635/year. Combined with home prices of around $444,800, Trophy Club actually has the lowest overall cost of living among the cities featured here. And having the 11th 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.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 11,904
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $444,800
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
More on Trophy Club: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Trophy Club, TX

Source: Town of Trophy Club

A bedroom community of the Dallas-Fort Worth Area, Coppell is a city of 41,494 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 (2.4%) and poverty (2.0%). 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.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 41,494
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $414,000
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
More on Coppell: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Coppell, TX

Next up #7: 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 223,621, but that’s a bargain compared to some other places on this list. People here are making a cool 223,621 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.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 31,684
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 4)
Median Home Value: $697,000
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
More on Southlake: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Southlake, TX

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 46,885. 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 13th highest salaries in Texas, with a median household income of $149,342. 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.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 46,885
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Median Home Value: $412,800
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
More on Keller: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Keller, TX

Another Dallas-Fort worth suburb, Colleyville is a city of 26,766 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 $171,485/year. And since smart people with good jobs don’t have much reason to go around committing crimes, Colleyville also has the 9th 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.

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 26,766
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $567,600
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
More on Colleyville: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Colleyville, TX

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 $376,500. 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.

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 78,854
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 5)
Median Home Value: $376,500
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
More on Flower Mound: Real Estate | Crime Report | Cost Of Living

Flower Mound, TX

Mapping The Best And Worst Places To Live in Texas

The Pressing Question: Size

Before we even started to collect data, we had to answer a tough question: Is it fair to pit Austin with a population of 965,872 against places with a population of 18?

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

So to create our ranking, we broke 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 left us with 341 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 to have over 5,000 people to truly be ‘the best’.

Now we also realize that city living might not be your cup of tea, so we ran the following analysis on towns and then again for small towns.

You can see those two top tens at the bottom of the post.

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

Now that we had our set of cities, it was time to rank them.

We ranked each place in Texas across a number of criteria from one to 341, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place To Live In Texas”.

The criteria we looked at were:

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

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data. You can download the data here.

After the dust settled, what was the best place to live in Texas? That would be University Park.

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 When It Comes To Living 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.

University Park made a strong showing to take in the overall number one spot for the best place to live in Texas for 2022.

Best Towns To Live In Texas

  1. Rollingwood (Pop. 1,642)
  2. Olmos Park (Pop. 1,964)
  3. Southside Place (Pop. 1,746)
  4. Spring Valley Village (Pop. 4,098)
  5. Hunters Creek Village (Pop. 4,688)
  6. Bunker Hill Village (Pop. 3,909)
  7. Piney Point Village (Pop. 3,312)
  8. Meadowlakes (Pop. 2,240)
  9. Ransom Canyon (Pop. 1,325)
  10. Lost Creek (Pop. 4,498)

Best Small Towns To Live In Texas

  1. Hilshire Village (Pop. 852)
  2. Sunset Valley (Pop. 801)
  3. Highland Haven (Pop. 561)
  4. Westover Hills (Pop. 578)
  5. Mountain City (Pop. 694)
  6. Hill Country Village (Pop. 751)
  7. Nazareth (Pop. 274)
  8. Lake Tanglewood (Pop. 804)
  9. San Leanna (Pop. 606)
  10. Bishop Hills (Pop. 278)

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

  1. Port Arthur (Pop. 54,705)
  2. Donna (Pop. 16,381)
  3. Hutchins (Pop. 5,804)

For more Texas reading, check out:

Where Are The Best Places To Live In Texas?

Rank City Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 University Park 25,027 4.4% $1,351,400
2 Alamo Heights 8,501 1.4% $614,000
3 West University Place 15,589 6.1% $1,179,700
4 Highland Park 9,143 3.9% $1,451,300
5 Trophy Club 11,904 4.1% $444,800
6 Coppell 41,494 2.4% $414,000
7 Southlake 31,684 2.2% $697,000
8 Keller 46,885 3.3% $412,800
9 Colleyville 26,766 4.6% $567,600
10 Flower Mound 78,854 3.6% $376,500
11 Woodway 8,936 3.6% $229,600
12 Corinth 21,881 2.6% $269,900
13 Allen 104,040 4.3% $323,500
14 Murphy 20,711 5.1% $374,000
15 Frisco 188,387 3.7% $420,700
16 Hewitt 14,705 4.9% $174,900
17 Fair Oaks Ranch 10,753 0.8% $474,200
18 Lakeway 15,605 2.7% $481,900
19 Sugar Land 118,563 4.9% $337,600
20 Terrell Hills 5,409 6.1% $645,000
21 Cedar Park 77,181 4.0% $327,400
22 Fairview 8,998 1.4% $408,200
23 Mansfield 71,419 3.7% $279,200
24 Plano 288,870 4.0% $341,800
25 Mckinney 191,197 3.5% $327,800
26 Friendswood 39,893 5.6% $300,100
27 Pearland 125,817 3.8% $260,300
28 Heath 9,069 4.1% $523,900
29 Prosper 25,887 3.1% $482,700
30 Sachse 25,888 4.9% $259,100
31 Cibolo 30,333 5.7% $237,300
32 Nederland 17,334 3.1% $139,700
33 Bellaire 18,862 2.8% $829,400
34 Fate 14,300 6.1% $282,100
35 Round Rock 128,812 4.9% $259,400
36 Fulshear 12,213 5.4% $430,500
37 Port Neches 12,729 2.8% $173,900
38 Canyon 15,648 3.3% $168,100
39 Pflugerville 63,610 4.8% $252,300
40 Rockwall 45,168 3.4% $276,400
41 Boerne 16,909 2.5% $305,600
42 Bedford 49,145 3.5% $234,700
43 Leander 60,613 4.5% $292,000
44 Iowa Park 6,370 0.4% $89,300
45 Portland 17,807 3.1% $178,600
46 Wylie 51,251 4.4% $253,100
47 Roanoke 8,810 3.4% $341,300
48 Melissa 10,774 4.7% $320,200
49 Bee Cave 6,778 2.1% $513,800
50 Lumberton 12,939 2.0% $194,000
51 Saginaw 23,835 3.2% $184,800
52 Buda 16,484 3.1% $279,000
53 Rowlett 65,426 4.3% $237,300
54 Celina 13,608 0.1% $317,100
55 Schertz 42,433 4.2% $223,400
56 Richardson 118,583 4.5% $295,500
57 Midlothian 31,533 2.8% $254,100
58 Hutto 26,778 6.2% $213,800
59 Helotes 9,525 8.9% $314,600
60 Benbrook 23,337 3.7% $199,300
61 Selma 11,241 4.9% $201,900
62 Grapevine 54,151 5.2% $338,700
63 Wolfforth 5,137 9.1% $205,800
64 Harker Heights 31,657 4.6% $200,700
65 Seabrook 13,849 4.1% $267,000
66 Burleson 47,151 3.4% $198,200
67 Lake Jackson 27,269 4.4% $200,800
68 Little Elm 49,792 6.3% $270,600
69 Kennedale 8,393 2.9% $224,000
70 Kyle 45,828 3.1% $209,300
71 New Braunfels 84,622 4.4% $237,900
72 Watauga 24,487 4.0% $156,600
73 Mont Belvieu 6,180 3.5% $288,700
74 Seminole 7,683 2.0% $122,900
75 Fredericksburg 11,341 4.8% $309,100
76 Bulverde 5,279 2.7% $287,900
77 Farmers Branch 42,659 2.9% $210,600
78 Addison 15,428 2.7% $348,200
79 Deer Park 33,599 7.2% $183,000
80 The Colony 43,791 3.4% $244,400
81 Willow Park 5,585 5.5% $257,600
82 Manvel 11,432 4.3% $241,400
83 Georgetown 75,470 7.1% $287,100
84 Anna 14,159 2.0% $219,800
85 Lewisville 107,740 3.4% $232,800
86 Robinson 11,806 6.4% $169,900
87 College Station 115,802 4.7% $256,600
88 Red Oak 13,010 2.5% $225,900
89 Kerrville 23,511 3.7% $194,500
90 Lucas 8,137 3.0% $650,000
91 Live Oak 16,118 5.7% $171,800
92 Forney 23,871 5.9% $216,100
93 Hurst 38,783 3.3% $209,000
94 Richland Hills 7,999 2.2% $157,600
95 Angleton 19,371 2.1% $135,800
96 Lake Dallas 8,004 3.8% $205,000
97 Iowa Colony 5,305 7.0% $256,400
98 North Richland Hills 70,585 3.8% $232,200
99 Midland 141,194 3.3% $238,000
100 River Oaks 7,653 2.6% $117,800

How Is Your Town In ?

Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best places to live in Texas.

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.