Houston ranked as the 27th best-performing large city in the U.S., according to the 2025 Best-Performing Cities Report by the Milken Institute, a national research firm.

The rankings are based on factors like labor market conditions, high-tech industry growth and access to economic opportunities, according to the report. This year’s rankings emphasize job and wage growth, housing affordability and broadband coverage, and are based on data from 2023.

The details

According to the report, Houston also ranked:

• 11th in job growth from 2022-2023
• 17th in wage growth from 2022-2023
• Third in high-tech gross domestic product from 2022-2023

In 2024 and 2023, the Milken Institute ranked Houston as the 62nd and 144th best-performing large city, respectively, according to the report.

Also of note

Other major metros in Texas were also ranked on the list. According to the report:

• Austin ranked sixth
• Dallas ranked 19th
• San Antonio and New Braunfels ranked 26th
• Bryan and College Station ranked 37th