Texas' 'best' and 'worst' small cities, according to new study

(NEXSTAR) — While Texas is well-known for its megacity, Houston, and its big cities, like Dallas and San Antonio, the Lone Star State is also peppered with small cities that are filled with Texas charm. Recently, WalletHub released its 2024 Best Small Cities in America report to find out which hidden gems you might be missing out on.

Texas' highest ranked small city?

Actually, it turns out there's a tie. Both Rockwall and Leander ranked 97th nationally, with Rockwall earning a slightly better overall score. To create the ranking, WalletHub scored 1,318 cities with populations between 25-100,000 across 45 different metrics, including affordability, economic health, education/health, and quality of life.

Cities were given scores out of 100, with 100 being the highest/"best."

Rank	City	Total score	Affordability rank	Quality of life rank	Safety rank
97.	Rockwall, Texas	67.03	1,067	502	61
97.	Leander, TX	66.97	49	866	413
96.	Allen, TX	66.3	153	544	53
95.	Cedar Park, TX	65.95	157	217	488
93.	Flower Mound, TX	65.45	34	541	129
89.	New Braunfels, TX	64.67	422	184	253

Rockwall, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, received its best scores in the economic health category (91st) and safety (61st), while New Braunfels received a higher score than most other Texas cities that aren't Rockwall, with a triple-digit high score of 422.

And what about Texas' poorly ranked small cities?

Both Fort Hood and Port Arthur share a low No. 2 national ranking (alongside multiple other U.S. cities), with Port Arthur earning only a slightly better overall score.

Here's a sample of Texas' worst-ranking cities.

Rank	City	Total score	Affordability rank	Quality of life rank	Safety rank
2.	Fort Hood (now known as Fort Cavazos), Texas	45.47	1,067	900	1,037
2.	Port Arthur, TX	45.87	784	1,036	1,224
3.	Eagle Pass, TX	46.85	796	730	1,173
3.	Kingsville, TX	46.99	833	843	1,125
4.	Big Spring, TX	47.78	285	1,074	1,275
6.	Balch Springs, TX	49.01	583	1,314	1,034

While some of these Texas cities may rank high in regards to affordability, many owe their placement to some very low quality of life and safety rankings. Of all Texas cities, Big Spring, located between Midland and Abilene, earned the best affordability score (285th nationally), while Fort Cavazos' affordability ranking is in the quadruple digits.

Fort Cavazos, located near Killeen, is a 218,000-acre area located mostly in Coryell County, according to Texas State Historical Association. Fort Hood was renamed last year for several reasons, including its original name having Confederate ties and a series of disturbing incidents that have occurred there — most notably, the 2020 murder of soldier Vanessa Guillen. The name was changed to Fort Cavazos, in honor of a Texas general, who was the U.S. Army's first Hispanic four-star general.

Curious how other states and cities fared? Visit WalletHub for the complete ranking.