Texas’ ‘best place to raise a family’ is this city

(NEXSTAR) — Even though U.S. birth rates still hover near record lows, the numbers of babies born last year showed a 1% increase over 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although more and more Americans are opting not to have children, for many, the dream of settling down with kids is still alive.

There are countless things to consider before having a baby but one particular element that’s often overlooked is where to do it. This week, financial resource outlet WalletHub released its 2025 list of the Best and Worst Places to Raise a Family — and one Texas city ranked heads and tails above most others in the Lone Star State.

To do this, WalletHub compared the 150 most populated U.S. cities (plus 32 others) across five metrics, including health/safety, family fun, education/child care and affordability. Cities were then scored on a 100-point scale, with 100 being the highest.

And the North Texas metro of Plano came in third nationally, earning a total score of 68.55. For context, that’s pretty good, considering the no. 1 city on the list — Fremont, California — received a score of 73.53.

All-in-all, Plano received its highest marks for its affordability (sixth nationally) and health/safety (fifth nationally). WalletHub financial writer Adam McCann also writes: “Plano is a great place to be in for children’s education. It has the ninth-highest percentage of schools with a 7+ out of 10 rating, at over 55%, along with the fifth-highest high school graduation rate.”

Here’s how Texas’ other cities fared in the Best and Worst Places to Raise a Family 2025 list.

Overall national rank	City	Health/safety rank	Education/child care rank	Affordability rank
16.	Austin	92	27	8
75.	Grand Prairie	59	165	98
77.	Amarillo	129	85	74
90.	Fort Worth	106	157	69
92.	Laredo	82	23	151
101.	Arlington	99	149	99
103.	Irving	76	146	86
105.	Garland	78	135	127
110.	El Paso	94	104	155
118.	Brownsville	134	31	154
121.	Lubbock	154	65	96
136.	Dallas	140	108	132
144.	Houston	169	121	131
147.	Corpus Christi	130	130	119
152.	San Antonio	163	128	126

Though it missed the top 10, Austin’s no. 16 national rank actually isn’t a bad grade at all. Texas’ capital city earned its highest grade in affordability. Though some Austinites might disagree, WalletHub’s data found Austin’s affordability (which included data for cost of living, median family income, housing affordability and “wallet wellness”) to be the eighth best in the U.S.

For comparison, Plano had a national affordability ranking of 6 nationally. The city of Plano also received some recent love from Niche, an education research and ranking platform, who ranked the city ninth in its 2025 Best Cities to Raise a Family in America, with the city receiving A+ grades for its public schools and an overall A+ rating for families.

Meanwhile, San Antonio came in dead last among Texas cities included in WalletHub’s analysis. The central Texas city earned poor marks in affordability and socioeconomics, though its lowest grade came in the health/safety ranking — where San Antonio ranked 163rd nationally.

For more detailed information and for the complete list, visit WalletHub.