Rockwall, Texas – Rockwall, Texas, has come up as the most livable small city in America according to a recent WalletHub study aimed to determine most livable small cities across the nation; Rockwall ranks highly in the 97th percentile nationally. Just 24 miles northeast of Dallas’s downtown, Rockwall attracts people seeking a more balanced, suburban lifestyle away from the buzz of big city life.
Why Rockwall stands out
With a population of nearly 53,000, Rockwall has developed a reputation for both safety—ranked 61st in the country—and strong economic health, where it ranks 91st. From well-known grocery stores like H-E-B and Sprouts Farmers Market to a range of new dining and entertainment choices, this expansion has driven a surge in local amenities.
The allure of Rockwall goes beyond just economic metrics and safety. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo explains, “Moving from a bustling metropolis to a small city could drastically cut down your cost of living. On top of that, 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. While small cities may lack some advantages of big cities, like robust public transportation systems, they make up for these shortcomings in other areas.”
Small towns like Rockwall are a mix of charm and community that is sometimes difficult to find in more populated locations, even if they lack some of the advantages of bigger metropolitan centers like robust public transportation systems.
Other notable North Texas cities
Not only is Rockwall unique among North Texas cities, but others also leave their mark. Highly visible in the top 99th percentile likewise, Allen and Flower Mound highlight the general appeal of the area. Renowned for its livability, Allen has a population of 106,000 and has been fast growing to draw both families and businesses. Previously regarded as one of the most pleasant small communities, Flower Mound attracts interest with its mix of small-town vibe and economic vitality.
Other Dallas-Fort Worth area cities like Southlake, Little Elm, Colleyville, Coppell, Keller, The Colony, Sachse, Mansfield, Wylie, Weatherford, Grapevine, Burleson, North Richland Hills, Hurst, and Rowlett have also been given high scores. Every one of these cities highlights different features that help to establish the area as a top choice for people looking for high-quality suburban living.
A shift towards suburban living
Texas is hardly the only state seeing a movement toward suburban and small-city living. Citing advantages including more space, less traffic, and shorter commutes, about one-third of Americans nationally say they prefer suburban to urban living. These choices draw attention to a notable change in residential patterns as more people search for places where they may enjoy the personal space and community feel of smaller locales as well as the economic possibilities of bigger cities.
Finally, Rockwall’s ranking as Texas’s top small city mirrors more general national patterns and emphasizes the rising attraction of suburban life. Small cities like Rockwall are likely to get even more appealing to both individuals and businesses as more people give safety, economic stability, and quality of life top priority.
Behind WalletHub methodology in identifying America’s Best Small Cities
The latest list of America’s greatest small cities by WalletHub presents an in-depth examination of what distinguishes some areas from others, therefore giving both prospective inhabitants and city planners insightful analysis. Focusing on cities between 25,000 and 100,000 people, the study ranks and compares cities throughout the country using a strict approach. Here is a thorough analysis of the methods used in determining these ranks and the most important factors.
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A five-dimensional approach to city livability
The methodology behind WalletHub’s rankings involves an analysis across five key dimensions of livability: Affordability, Economic Health, Education & Health, Quality of Life, and Safety. Every dimension is important in and of itself, reflecting the several elements that support the desirability and utility of small cities.
Affordability
With 20 points overall, this dimension evaluates elements including median household income, cost of living, homeownership rate, and housing expenses. Evaluated to ascertain how economically accessible a city is for the typical individual are metrics such the ratio of median property price to median yearly household income and the share of households with extreme housing cost burden.
Economic health
Also weighted at 20 points, this dimension looks at population and income growth, job growth, unemployment rates, poverty levels, debt per median earnings, foreclosure rates, bankruptcy activity during last year, and median credit scores. These indicators provide a moment in the financial stability and economic dynamics of a city.
Education & health
WalletHub’s state rankings, graduation rates, educational attainment, health insurance coverage, and health outcomes like premature death rates, obesity, physical inactivity, and availability to nutritious foods help to evaluate the quality of local schools. Every indicator is essential for accurately depicting the general welfare and learning environment of the society.
Quality of life
Factors include typical commute durations, the proportion of the population that walks to work, weekly work hours, and availability of local attractions (including restaurants, bars, clubs, coffee shops, movie theaters, museums, and more) are taken under consideration in quality of life. Crucial for a good quality of life, this dimension—also worth 20 points—evaluates the balance between work and leisure.
Safety
Emphasizing both public and personal safety, the last dimension explains crime rates, vehicle crash deaths, pedestrian deaths, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, and drug poisoning deaths. This part emphasizes the need of a safe living environment considering double weight for rates of violent and property crimes.
Comprehensive data sources
The data used to score and rank each city come from reputable sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and various health and safety organizations. To guarantee a strong and varied approach to the rankings, further data is derived from Areavibes, TransUnion, TripAdvisor, Yelp, national traffic and housing statistics.
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A balanced scorecard approaches
The score of every city is computed by weighting average scores across all criteria, so enabling a fair comparison that shows towns doing especially in all spheres of livability. This approach guarantees that cities provide a well-rounded quality of life that might be appealing to a wide spectrum of people, not merely affordable or safe.
WalletHub offers a clear and complete picture of where small cities stand in giving their citizens the best potential living circumstances by painstakingly examining every element of city living. Apart from providing direction for possible relocation, the rankings motivate city officials to enhance areas where their city could lag, therefore creating conditions where communities might flourish.