Fort Worth made this list of ‘Best Places to Live in the U.S.’ — but it’s complicated

Brayden Garcia
·3 min read

Despite being one of the nation’s fastest growing cities, Fort Worth is not one of 100 best places to live in the U.S., according to a new report.

It was only last week when the U.S. Census Bureau announced that Fort Worth had the largest numeric population increase in 2022 with 19,170 people moving into Cowtown. The city was also listed as No. 13 on the most populated cities in the country list.

U.S. News & World Report released their annual list of the “Best Places to Live in the U.S. for 2023-2024,” which left Dallas-Fort Worth as No. 113, a drop from other years. Previous iterations of the report saw D-FW arrive at No. 37 in 2021 and No. 32 in 2022.

Now, Dallas-Fort Worth is sitting at well over the triple digit mark on the list that ranks 150 cities.

“The small-town feel of Friday night football games and backyard parties exists in the suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth,” the report states. “In those areas, residents can bump into their friends at the local Tex-Mex restaurant, children ride their bikes and joggers hit the pavement for evening runs.”

Why was Dallas-Fort Worth ranked No. 113?

U.S. News & World Report analyzes six different factors to rank each city:

  • Happiness index- 22%

  • Housing affordability index- 24%

  • Health care quality index- 16%

  • Retiree taxes index- 16%

  • Desirability index- 13%

  • Job market index- 9%

Using data and surveys, U.S. News is able to assign ratings for all of its cities on the list. D-FW scored an overall rating of six, with high scores in quality of life and net migration, while scoring less in value and job market.

Beyond the “Best Places to Live” list, U.S. World News ranks D-FW as the third best place to live in Texas, following Austin and San Antonio.

How did other Texas cities fare on the list?

Texas is well represented on the “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” list, with 10 cities making the cut.

  • No. 40- Austin

  • No. 103- San Antonio

  • No. 113- Dallas-Fort Worth

  • No. 122- Killeen

  • No. 128- El Paso

  • No. 131- Beaumont

  • No. 132- Corpus Christi

  • No. 134- Brownsville

  • No. 137- McAllen

  • No. 140- Houston

Who topped the list of the best places to live in the U.S.?

Believe it or not, Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the best place to live in the country, according to U.S. News.

The home of the Green Bay Packers scored an overall rating of 6.9, with quality of life pushing the city to the top. Although Green Bay scored middling in desirability and net migration, the city’s value assured it bragging rights.

Close behind in second place is Huntsville, Alabama, which again had an overall 6.9 rating. The city’s value and quality of life were also high, but unlike Green Bay, Huntsville scored solid in job market and migration.

Here’s how the rest of the top 10 shook out:

  • No. 3- Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina

  • No. 4- Boulder, Colorado

  • No. 5- Sarasota, Florida

  • No. 6- Naples, Florida

  • No. 7- Portland, Maine

  • No. 8- Charlotte, North Carolina

  • No. 9- Colorado Springs, Colorado

  • No. 10- Fayetteville, Arkansas