Life is good

This upbeat North Texas city is one of the happiest places in America in 2020

The city has earned a reputation as a great place for families.

Residents of Plano have plenty to smile about. Their city ranks second on a new list of the happiest cities in the country.

In a study released March 9, personal finance website WalletHub looks at 30 happiness-related metrics for 182 U.S. cities — the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state.

The study places data into three buckets: emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment. Plano’s best showing among those three is a No. 6 ranking in the category of emotional and physical well-being. It grabs the No. 9 spot for income and employment, and the No. 16 spot for community and environment.

Plano performs particularly well on one metric: No. 5 for the lowest separation and divorce rate.

On its website, the Plano Chamber of Commerce boasts that the city “has earned a national reputation as one of the best places in the United States for families to live and work.”

For Plano, there is one thing to be a tiny bit sad about in this year’s WalletHub ranking. In the 2019 happiest-cities study, Plano sat atop the list. This year’s No. 1 is Fremont, California, a San Francisco suburb. In 2018, Plano ranked fifth.

WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez says the methodology for the study was changed this year, meaning an apples-to-apples comparison shouldn’t be made between the 2019 and 2020 rankings.

“However, the second happiest city is still a great place to be. Plano’s top marks this year include a low depression rate, and the smallest percentage of adults who are limited in their activities because of illness or disability,” Gonzalez says. “In terms of income and employment, almost 60 percent of households in Plano earn annual incomes above $75,000, and the poverty and unemployment rates are some of the lowest in the country.”

Here’s how other large cities in Dallas-Fort Worth rank this year:

Grand Prairie, No. 27
Irving, No. 35
Garland, No. 43
Fort Worth, No. 60
Arlington, No. 61
Dallas, No. 76

Aside from Dallas and Fort Worth, here’s how the state’s largest cities rank:

Austin, No. 22
San Antonio, No. 110
Houston, No. 111

rankings wallethub lists

population explosion

7 Fort Worth neighbors saw biggest population booms in U.S. for 2023

City of Denton, TX - City Hall/Facebook

Denton had the biggest population growth rate in Dallas-Fort Worth from 2022 to 2023.

Several Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs are among the fastest-growing cities in the nation, according to a new population growth study by SmartAsset.

The report, "These Cities Saw the Largest Growth in Population – 2024 Study," examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Denton took the lead over all other Dallas-Fort Worth cities with the 16th-largest one-year population growth rate in the U.S., at 5.32 percent. Denton gained over 8,000 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 158,361 in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Denton, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the safest suburbs in America.

Mansfield trailed close behind with a 4.16 percent increase in population during that same period, which landed it the No. 26 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 3,189 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 79,775 residents in 2023.

McKinney appeared farther down the list as No. 49 with just a 2.89 percent one-year growth rate from 2022 to 2023, and a total population of 213,504 residents.

Only four other Dallas-Fort Worth cities appeared in the top 100 fastest growing cities in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023:

No. 61 – Frisco (2.48 percent increase)
No. 72 – Rowlett (2.48 percent)
No. 73 – Lewisville (2.17 percent)
No. 99 – Flower Mound (1.73 percent)

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Denton or Mansfield can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom nationwide from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

Just two spots behind New Braunfels is the North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4), which grew 11.34 percent to 96,317 residents in 2023. According to the report's five-year population change analysis, Georgetown ranked seventh with a 29.85 percent growth rate.

The Houston suburbs of Atascocita and Conroe ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Atascocita's total population grew to 119,502 residents in 2023, which represented a 11.03 percent growth rate from 2022, and a whopping 38.56 percent population increase since 2018. Conroe's 6.73 percent one-year population increase paled in comparison, but the city grew 23.49 percent during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset dallas fort worth denton suburbs mansfield