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4 Texas cities rank among US News' 2025 best places to live for quality of life
The cities, scattered throughout Texas, were measured by education, health care, crime rates and more.
Published July 23, 2025 at 1:53pm by Alexis Simmerman
Several Texas cities are among the best places to live in terms of quality of life, according to a new report.
As part of its annual "Best Places to Live" rankings, U.S. News & World Report analyzed cities across the country for their quality of life. Key measures for this list include access to quality education and health care; crime rates and air quality; and risk of and resilience to natural disasters.
Four Texas cities from across the state ranked in the top 25 for quality of life. Do you live in one of them?
4 Texas cities offer among the best quality of life
| City | Quality of life rank | Overall rank (2025-2026) | Population | Median home value | Median household income |
| Austin | 13 | 164 | 997,670 | $584,446 | $96,149 |
| Houston | 15 | 381 | 2,417,482 | $276,828 | $63,944 |
| Dallas | 20 | 439 | 1,329,426 | $337,445 | $69,895 |
| McAllen | 23 | 20 | 144,628 | $169,631 | $59,255 |
Data by U.S. News & World Report
LIST: 25 best places to live for quality of life, 2025-2026
Massachusetts had more cities on the list than any other state, claiming six of the 25 best places for quality of life. Texas and Maryland claimed the next highest number, with four cities each.
- Brookline, Massachusetts
- Newton, Massachusetts
- Bethesda, Maryland
- Bellevue, Washington
- Malden, Massachusetts
- Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Kirkland, Washington
- Rockville, Maryland
- Passaic, New Jersey
- Ellicott City, Maryland
- Arlington, Virginia
- Austin, Texas
- Tamarac, Florida
- Houston, Texas
- Palo Alto, California
- Burke, Virginia
- Towson, Maryland
- New York, New York
- Dallas, Texas
- Somerville, Massachusetts
- Boston, Massachusetts
- McAllen, Texas
- Johns Creek, Georgia
- Sammamish, Washington