Things are looking a little brighter for Houston as the city was recently named among the top 100 best places to live in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Places to Live” list for 2024-2025.
Previously, H-Town had shockingly plummeted toward the bottom of the list as No. 140 in the 2023-2024 rankings. But the latest report has placed Houston at No. 97, suggesting substantial improvements over the last year.
U.S. News annually measures 150 top American cities for their livability and ranks them based on four major indexes: quality of life, value, desirability, and job market.
New for the 2024-2025 report, U.S. News updated its methodology to analyze city-based data rather than metropolitan area data. Secondly, the report’s annual survey decided to place greater weight on a city’s “value and job market” while “weights for desirability and quality of life took a slight dip” on the grading scale.
“Rising concerns about career prospects, housing affordability and increased cost of goods and services are reflected in this year’s rankings,” said U.S. News loans expert and reporter Erika Giovanetti in a press release. “While quality of life remains the top priority for many Americans, a city’s value and job market are becoming increasingly important for those looking for a place to live.”
There’s many factors that draw folks to Houston, among them our city’s diversity, the highly esteemed schools, top universities, and much more. Houston is also a great place for retirees looking to settle down without compromising on the big city lifestyle. The city truly has something for everyone.
The good news continues: Houston additionally moved up two spots to take No. 8 on the report’s Best Place to Live in Texas list for 2024. The Bayou City ranked No. 10 last year.
Elsewhere in Texas
The recent focus on city-based data was likely a major factor that fueled Houston’s improvement in the statewide and national rankings, but it also favorably shifted nine other Texas cities.
Austin – which previously ranked No. 40 in last year’s rankings – became the only city to represent the Lone Star State among the top 10 best places to live in 2024. The Texas Capital jumped up 31 spots to claim No. 9 nationally, due to its “high desirability and job market scores,” the report said.
Three cities in the Rio Grande Valley also ranked higher than Houston, suggesting that South Texas may be a better place to live than East Texas. The border towns of McAllen (No. 48) and Brownsville (No. 87) climbed into the overall top 100 this year after formerly ranking No. 137 and No. 134 last year. Meanwhile, Corpus Christi moved up from No. 132 last year to No. 77 in 2024.
Naples, Florida won the gold medal as the No. 1 best place to live in the U.S. in 2024. Rounding out the top five are Boise, Idaho (No. 2); Colorado Springs, Colorado (No. 3); Greenville, South Carolina (No. 4); and Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 5).
Here’s how other Texas cities faired in 2024’s Best Places to Live report:
- No. 62 – El Paso (up from No. 128 last year)
- No. 89 – San Antonio (up from No. 103 last year)
- No. 95 – Dallas (up from No. 113 last year)
- No. 99 – Beaumont (up from No. 131 last year)
- No. 107 – Killeen (up from No. 122 last year)
