Austin was among the top American cities in 2025, but it wasn’t the highest-scoring city in Texas.
For the second consecutive year, the Texas capital ranked No. 15 in the annual “America’s Best Cities” report by Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing firm Resonance Consultancy. The analysis combined core statistics with user-generated data from online sources like Google, Tripadvisor and Instagram to rank cities with a population greater than 500,000.
Resonance Consultancy organized key measures into three categories: livability (including housing affordability, healthcare system index and green space); lovability (including culture, restaurants and attractions); and prosperity (including labor force participation, GDP per capita and poverty rate).
“The urban centers of America are the engines of our national economy and, increasingly, the global marketplace,” the report says. “As powerhouses generating over 80% of U.S. GDP, these cities have long stood as testaments to American innovation, cultural diversity and economic resilience.”
How did Texas cities stack up against each other and among the nation’s other cities? Here’s what the study found.
5 Texas cities among America’s top 100
No. 13: Houston
“H-Town is a coveted hometown for the best and brightest on earth. And beyond,” the 2025 report states, noting its rapid population and job growth, relatively low home prices, and cultural diversity.
No. 14: Dallas
“The city’s maverick, can-do spirit runs through increasing investment, population growth and cultural ascent in the Big D,” the report says. It highlights Dallas’ many ongoing projects and development, as well as its job growth.
No. 15: Austin
“The American dream has a new hometown. And the price of entry is actually dropping,” the report says of the Texas capital. It emphasizes Austin’s population and job growth as housing affordability increases, along with ongoing developments, while preserving parks and nature spaces.
No. 41: San Antonio
“San Antonio keeps proving that tactical urbanism can scale,” the report says, recognizing the city’s continued development and efforts for new attractions to keep drawing a steady stream of tourism.
No. 100: El Paso
The report describes the West Texas city as “a culinary border city” that “continues to put in the work, even in uncertainty.” El Paso is dubbed “progressive and proudly Latino,” investing in healthcare, infrastructure and parks and recreation areas despite facing economic and social uncertainty amid President Trump’s trade tariffs.
LIST: America’s 15 best cities in 2025
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: 5 Texas cities rank in 100 best American cities for 2025 — and Austin isn’t at the top
Reporting by Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
