DFW Cities Dominate List of ‘Surprising’ Cities Where You Can Make a Lot of Money

GOBankingRates' study looked at 188 U.S. cities with at least 50,000 households. North Texas cities ranked at the head of the class.

Frisco Plano

Dallas-Fort Worth has dominated GOBankingRates’ new ranking of the “Most Surprising Cities To Live In If You Want To Make a Lot of Money,” which includes places where people can earn more than the average incomes of their state. The top three are in Collin County.

Of the 25 cities ranked, Frisco took the top spot, followed by McKinney in second, and Plano in third. Grand Prairie came in at No. 7, while Fort Worth came in at No. 13, just behind the state capital, Austin, at No. 11.

The study looked at cities’ median household income, cost of living, median home list price, labor force participation, and top income tax rate in each city. Of course, Texas has no state income tax, so that probably helps.

Here’s what the GOBankingRates study had to say about each North Texas city:

1. Frisco

Frisco boasts the highest median household income and the largest difference between city and state incomes on the list. Frisco was ranked the best city to live in “if you have your sights set on big bucks but want to avoid living in an urban center.”  

  • Median household income: $120,701
  • State median income: $57,051
  • Difference between city and state incomes: $63,650

2. McKinney  

McKinney’s numbers are almost the same as Plano’s. However, McKinney manages to snag second place because it offers cheaper homes and is slightly less expensive to live in compared to Plano.  

  • Median household income: $87,608
  • State median income: $57,051
  • Difference between city and state incomes: $30,557

3. Plano

Plano benefits from a hefty median household income, a work force rate of 70 percent, and a significant difference between city and state incomes. However, it’s 19 percent more expensive than average to live in and its median home list price is $386,071.  

  • Median household income: $88,578
  • State median income: $57,051
  • Difference between city and state incomes: $31,527

7. Grand Prairie

The difference between the median household incomes in Grand Prairie and Texas isn’t particularly high, but there’s still no state income tax. It’s also much less expensive to live in Grand Prairie compared to other cities on this list—the cost of living is only 8 percent higher than the national average.

  • Median household income: $62,589
  • State median income: $57,051
  • Difference between city and state incomes: $5,538

13. Fort Worth

Fort Worth tied with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the smallest difference between city and state incomes in the study at only $258. However, Fort Worth ranks higher since it doesn’t have a state income tax.

  • Median household income: $57,309
  • State median income: $57,051
  • Difference between city and state incomes: $258

 

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