Texas cities are losing ground in America’s urban race, study finds

MCKINNEY (KDAF) — A recent study by Sell My House Fast Montgomery has stirred conversation across the Lone Star State, revealing that Texas cities struggled more than most in a nationwide ranking of urban advancement. Out of 124 cities evaluated across ten key metrics—including tech business density, cultural venues, green space availability, and property value growth—Texas claimed four of the bottom ten spots.

Moreno Valley, California took the dubious honor of being named the least advanced city in America. But the research revealed Texas cities fared worst overall, capturing 4 positions in the bottom ten. Austin is the highest ranked Texas city, but it still only comes in 30th place overall. 

Bottom 10 Cities of the Future

Rank	City	State	Score	Tech Startups Per 100K	Parks Per 100K	House Price Growth
1	Moreno Valley	California	13.42	0.94	7.06	6.97%
2	Laredo	Texas	13.66	1.94	14.36	3.50%
3	McKinney	Texas	19.79	16.89	5.15	5.37%
4	Chesapeake	Virginia	20.57	9.85	20.09	4.72%
5	Amarillo	Texas	23.62	8.40	17.79	4.90%
6	Cape Coral	Florida	24.05	8.02	17.82	5.63%
7	Fontana	California	24.69	3.25	18.10	6.35%
8	Yonkers	New York	24.91	3.85	21.19	4.60%
9	Augusta-Richmond County	Georgia	25.31	3.48	15.43	6.66%
10	El Paso	Texas	25.58	3.39	25.48	5.63%

Laredo, Texas landed next-to-last with 13.66 points, hamstrung by almost non-existent cultural facilities including a mere 0.39 performing arts venues per 100,000 residents.

McKinney, Texas scored third-worst with 19.79 points despite posting a decent 5.37% yearly house price increase. The city’s park density of just 5.15 per 100,000 people – the lowest in the entire study – dragged down its ranking substantially.

Amarillo, Texas filled out the bottom five with 23.62 points despite its moderate tech startup density of 8.40 per 100,000 residents.

El Paso rounded out the bottom ten with 25.58 points, struggling to keep pace with cities that offered more robust cultural and technological ecosystems.

Top 10 Cities of the Future

Rank	City	State	Score	Tech Startups Per 100K	Parks Per 100K	House Price Growth
1	Atlanta	Georgia	82.07	78.89	112.37	5.37%
2	Jersey City	New Jersey	79.57	251.67	74.75	5.36%
3	San Francisco	California	76.99	513.73	76.14	0.81%
4	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	76.51	60.02	67.93	5.57%
5	Boston	Massachusetts	72.77	132.45	86.87	3.68%
6	Washington	District of Columbia	71.47	66.87	77.62	1.56%
7	Orlando	Florida	71.40	58.93	81.06	7.35%
8	Seattle	Washington	70.28	87.81	70.32	4.28%
9	Tampa	Florida	70.20	40.41	69.91	8.33%
10	Kansas City	Missouri	68.46	35.44	70.69	7.32%