Dallas Ranks Second Best Football City in U.S.; Austin Trails at 211th

Austin Vandegrift goes against Southlake Carroll during the 6A DII UIL Texas State Football Championship game on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Provided by Smiley Pool/Dallas Morning News

Super Bowl LX is just days away, and football’s superfans and casual watchers alike are making plans around the big game.

For those casual watchers, the Super Bowl may simply be an excuse to party on a Sunday — something you can do anywhere. But for superfans, football is so much more. Data backs it up: 83 of the 100 most-watched sporting events of 2025 were football games, according to Sportico. And it’s no shocker that Super Bowl LIX was by far the most popular, garnering 127.7 million views.

If you’re serious about football, the city you’re in can influence the experience. WalletHub analyzed more than 250 U.S. cities that had at least one college or professional football team, evaluating each across 21 key measures. These included the number of NFL and college teams, stadium capacity and fan engagement.

“Living in one of the best football cities means much more than attending games and watching your hometown team on TV every weekend in the fall,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo says. “Faithfully following your team on social media, spending big on tickets and merchandise, and taking part in local traditions are just some of the factors that make the best football cities stand out. Having a football team with a winning culture and multiple championships doesn’t hurt, either.”

A Texas city ranked high in the analysis, and — despite the dedication of Longhorns fans — it wasn’t Austin. It shouldn’t be too hard to guess which one took the metaphorical trophy.

Dallas is No. 2 in US for football fans

Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys throws a pass against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 4, 2026 in East Rutherford, N.J. Ishika Samant/Getty Images

That’s right: The city known for “America’s Team” is the second-best for football fans. At a whopping $13 billion, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise in the world. Despite not winning the Super Bowl since 1996, the team has greatly benefited from high revenue generation, global brand loyalty and the ownership of AT&T Stadium.

Of the team’s eight Super Bowl appearances, they’ve collected five titles. Notably, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl three times in four years (1993, 1994 and 1996). The Texas football team is tied with the San Francisco 49ers for having the second-most Super Bowl titles of all time. Plus, the Cowboys currently boast the most NFC East division championships, at 26.

Check out how other Lone Star cities measured up for football fans.

National rank	Rank by size	City	Total score	Pro football rank	College football rank
2	2 (large)	Dallas	57.51	2	244
25	22 (large)	Houston	33.59	27	32
63	26 (small)	Stephenville	17.82	31	38
86	29 (large)	San Antonio	16.99	31	62
88	43 (small)	University Park	16.97	31	65
123	67 (small)	Huntsville	15.44	31	100
134	75 (small)	Carrollton	15.01	31	112
136	27 (midsize)	Denton	14.94	31	114
141	79 (small)	Commerce	14.75	31	119
142	80 (small)	Nacogdoches	14.72	31	120
145	82 (small)	Prairie View	14.54	31	123
154	31 (midsize)	Abilene	14.31	31	133
164	93 (small)	San Marcos	14.06	31	144
192	39 (large)	Fort Worth	13.12	31	174
198	46 (midsize)	Lubbock	13.01	31	180
211	43 (large)	Austin	12.58	31	196
219	50 (midsize)	Beaumont	12.31	31	205
224	47 (large)	El Paso	12.01	31	212
231	55 (midsize)	Waco	11.72	31	220
246	61 (midsize)	Edinburg	10.92	31	216
248	63 (midsize)	College Station	10.83	31	235

Best 10 cities for football fans

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are seen waving terrible towels against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 12, 2025 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

1. Pittsburgh
2. Dallas
3. Green Bay, Wis.
4. San Francisco
5. Boston
6. Los Angeles
7. New York
8. Kansas City, Mo.
9. Philadelphia
10. New Orleans

Worst 10 cities for football fans

1. Dover, Del.
2. Easton, Mass.
3. Lincoln, Neb.
4. Evanston, Ill.
5. Pine Bluff, Ark.
6. College Station
7. Greensboro, N.C.
8. Edinburg
9. Greeley, Colo.
10. DeLand, Fla.