These are the best places to live in Texas, according to a new list

Texas is a pretty great place to live — just ask Niche, which just placed three Texas towns in the top 20 of its recent rankings of the best cities to live in the U.S. The school and college ranking website looked at stats like public school rankings, cost of living and higher education rate to find the best cities to live in America.

The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston, comes in at No. 2 on Niche’s list, and Plano trails closely behind at No. 6. Richardson is ranked at No. 14.

But what about the top 10 best places to live in Texas?

The best places to live in Texas 2025

The Woodlands, Plano and Richardson are not the only Texas towns Niche ranked. The site also compiled a list of the best places to live in Texas, broken down from its country-wide list.

Here’s the Top 10 for Texas, with its country rank in parentheses:

1. The Woodlands (No. 2)

2. Plano (No. 6)

3. Richardson (No. 14)

4. Round Rock (No. 26)

5. Austin (No. 29)

6. College Station (No. 33)

7. Irving (No. 47)

8. Denton (No. 57)

9. Lubbock (No. 66)

10. Houston (No. 74)

Dallas ranked at No. 14 in the state (No. 94 nationally). Arlington ranked No. 17 in the state (No. 99 nationally) and Fort Worth came in at No. 22 (No. 142 nationally).

How Niche found its ranking of the best places to live in the U.S.

Here’s how Niche determined its rankings.

The list’s goal is to provide readers with an idea of how “livable” an area is.

To determine the rankings, Niche data analyzers look at their own surveys, U.S. Census public sources and their own past rankings. To find the best place to live, they focus on 15 different key metrics:

• Cost of living

• Higher education rate

• Housing costs and taxes

• Public school rankings ( Niche ranks schools and takes into account their own assigned grades)

• Ethnic, generational and economic diversity

• Survey responses on overall experience of the place

• Crime and safety

• Family friendly living

• Health statistics and healthcare

• Employment rates and economic growth

• Access to bars, restaurants and other entertainment

• Weather, air quality and access to parks

• Walkability

• Weather

• Average commute times

Ella Gonzales

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.