Fort Worth has soared among the top five best U.S. cities for veterans to live, a new WalletHub report says.

To assess the best and worst places for veterans to live, analysts compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 19 relevant metrics, such as the share of military skill-related jobs, veteran income growth, the availability of VA health facilities, among others.

Fort Worth ranked as the No. 5 best city for former service members to live in 2026. The city's livability for veterans has come a long way since ranking 10th last year and 20th in 2024.

Fort Worth boasts the 5th best economy for veterans out of all 100 cities in the report based on WalletHub's analysis of veteran housing affordability, median income and income growth, educational opportunities, and the share of veterans living in poverty. The city's veteran employment standing also ranks as the 6th best nationwide.

Fort Worth ranks 25th for its "health" rank — determined by the number of VA benefits administration and VA health facilities per veteran population and the quality of VA health facilities — and the city offers the 38th best quality of life for veterans.

"When veterans return home from serving our nation, it’s important for them to live in a place that provides good education and employment opportunities, along with access to quality care for their physical and mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "The best cities for veterans have all these characteristics, plus added bonuses like large veteran populations for community support, plus many restaurants and entertainment venues that offer veteran discounts."

Local veterans are being honored with Veterans Day deals and discounts all across the city this; find the list here. Fort Worth was also chosen as the site of a star-studded red-carpet premiere of Jimmy, a new movie that salutes actor Jimmy Stewart's service during World War II.

Meanwhile, Plano leapt ahead of Fort Worth to rank as the 4th best city in America for veterans, and Dallas ranked as No. 22 overall, moving up the list after ranking 25th for the last two years. Elsewhere in North Texas, Garland ranked 24th, Irving came in 33rd, and Arlington landed 34th.

The Veterans Association reports nearly 17.2 million veterans live in the U.S., and many of them struggle in some way with transitioning from military to civilian life, including homelessness.

"While the government has pledged to support veterans with health care, housing, employment and education benefits, not everyone returning from service is able to access the care, work or housing they need," the WalletHub report said. "Veterans do have a relatively low unemployment rate of 3.6 percent, compared with 4.2 percent for the overall population. Still, homelessness remains a major concern, with over 32,000 veterans experiencing homelessness."

Austin's livability leads the nation
Austin was once again declared No. 1 best place in the U.S. for veterans to live in 2026, continuing the city's long-running streak leading the nation for its livability for former service members.

Austin offers veterans the fifth best quality of life in the U.S., the study found, and the city's economic standing for veterans is the 11th best in the country.

"Austin, TX, is the best city for veterans, in large part because it has the best colleges for veterans in the country, along with the ninth-highest median annual income for veterans, at over $66,000," the report said.

Austin also ranked 25th and 44th, respectively, in the health and employment categories, showing that the city provides high-quality VA health facilities and local employers provide great job benefits for service members.

"It's also good for veterans to live in a place where they can form a community of support with others who have gone through similar experiences," the report said.

Other Texas cities that earned spots in the report include San Antonio (No. 25), Laredo (No. 28), Lubbock (No. 32), Houston (No. 51), Corpus Christi (No. 58), and El Paso (No. 67).

The top 10 best U.S. cities for veterans to live are:

• No. 1 – Austin, Texas
• No. 2 – Madison, Wisconsin
• No. 3 – Scottsdale, Arizona
• No. 4 – Plano, Texas
• No. 5 – Fort Worth, Texas
• No. 6 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
• No. 7 – Gilbert, Arizona
• No. 8 – Raleigh, North Carolina
• No. 9 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• No. 10 – Irvine, California