How Austin ranked in studies during 2025

Austin made the rankings in 2025. We mean that quite literally — ATXtoday reported on at least 38 times the Capital City landed on a list, study, or ranking.

Let’s take a peek back at how Austin stacked up in 2025.

Real Estate

• No. 1 “Housing Market That Has Survived Every Crash And Will Again” — think about that when you continue reading below.
• No. 7 major metro where residents are selling their homes, with 42 sales per 1,000 housing units from September 2024 to August 2025.
• No. 2 and No. 9 city with the most new homes, with one study citing the region is adding 28.6 new housing units for every 1,000 existing homes.

Rending courtesy of ICON

Industry

• No. 1 best city in the US to launch a startup, thanks to startup density and new business growth.
• No. 1 most supportive of small businesses, with residents spending an average of $627.30 at local businesses annually.
• No. 2 highest amount of companies that moved their headquarters to ATX, just behind Dallas-Fort Worth.
• No. 3 in “Top US Cities for Job Opportunities and Earning Potential,” considering the low unemployment rate, personal income, and percentage of homes with an income of $200,000 or more.
• No. 4 best place for recent college grads to find work, with among the highest starting wages for new workers.

Growth

• No. 1 “Rising Powerhouse: The Cities Making America’s Economic Future,” marking a a 51% GDP increase, 33% median earnings bump, and 71% surge in business applications from 2019 to 2023.
• No. 3 best big city to live in the US, just behind Oklahoma City and El Paso.
• No. 3 top growth metro, meeting Houston and Dallas in the top three.
• No. 9 least stressful airport, especially around the holidays.

Wealth

• No. 1 hotspot for affluent millennials, with a population of 25.8% millennials, and Austin’s No. 1 GDP growth + No. 2 highest prime‑age employment.
• No. 1 rental market for recent college grads, due in part to Austin’s 18.9% rent-to-income ratio.
• No. 5 most affordable city in the US, boasting a median household income of $91,501 compared to $70,997 estimated cost of living.

Photo courtesy Corner Bar

Culture

• No. 1 best city in the US for barbecue — but you probably already knew that if you’ve visited Terry Black’s Barbecue, Interstellar BBQ, or Franklin Barbecue.
• No. 1 “Most Festive City” in the US for the fourth year in a row.
• No. 3 best city for vegans and vegetarians, thanks to our quality of plant-based nutrition.
• No. 8 “Most Fun City in America,” falling two slots behind Houston.