Living in the big city isn't for everyone, which is why many are flocking to suburbs and less-populated cities around Fort Worth, such as Southlake, Colleyville, Burleson, and Mansfield. To demonstrate the popularity of suburban and rural communities, a new study by WalletHub has identified 18 Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs on their 2024 list of the "Best Small Cities in America."

The extensive report compared over 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 residents based on 45 livability metrics across five main categories: Affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and overall safety. Cities were grouped by percentile, where the 99th percentile encompasses the top one percent of small American cities.

A total 19 U.S. cities all qualified in the top 99th percentile of best small cities in America, but the top three that stood out above the rest were Carmel, Indiana; Brookfield, Wisconsin; and Lexington, Massachusetts.

Leading the pack as the best small city in Texas is Rockwall, located about 55 miles east of downtown Fort Worth. The city appeared in the 97th percentile, with its highest rankings in the "safety" (No. 61) and "economic health" (No. 91) categories.

The only two other North Texas cities to appear in the 90-99th percentile range were Allen (96th) and Flower Mound (93rd).

Closer to Fort Worth, nine cities rank high on the list. They are: Southlake, Colleyville, Keller, Mansfield, Weatherford, Grapevine, Burleson, North Richland Hills, and Hurst. It's no wonder so many new restaurants, shops, and hotels are opening at a dizzying pace in these communities.

There's a lot to enjoy about living in a smaller cities like these, says to WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

"The best small cities offer strong job markets, high-quality education, good health care, safe living conditions, and plenty of local flair to help you achieve a high quality of life," Lupo says. "While small cities may lack some advantages of big cities, like robust public transportation systems, they make up for these shortcomings in other areas."

The complete list of Dallas-Fort Worth cities that appeared at the top 50th percentile of the best small American cities list include:

• 97th – Rockwall
• 96th – Allen
• 93rd – Flower Mound
• 87th – Southlake
• 85th – Little Elm
• 82nd – Colleyville
• 80th – Coppell and Keller (tie)
• 79th – The Colony
• 78th – Sachse
• 77th – Mansfield
• 69th – Wylie and Weatherford (tie)
• 68th – Grapevine
• 62nd – Burleson
• 55th – North Richland Hills and Hurst (tie)
• 52nd – Rowlett

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.