Study ranks Tyler as top Texas city for raising a family

TYLER — In a study from the Hibbs Institute Family Index at UT Tyler, Tyler and Wichita Falls are ranked as the top two metropolitan areas in Texas for raising a family. According to our news partner KETK, factors impacting the study are access to health care, education, recreation, social environment and job stability.

The top 25 cities in Texas are as follows:
1. Tyler
2. Wichita Falls
3. Abilene
4. Amarillo
5. Midland
6. Sherman-Denison
7. San Angelo
8. Texarkana
9. Lubbock
10. Victoria

11. Waco
12. Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
13. Longview
14. San Antonio- New Braunfels
15. Killeen-Temple
16. College Station-Bryan
17. Beaumont-Port Arthur
18. Odessa
19. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
20. Corpus Christi
21. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodland
22. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission
23. Brownsville-Harlingen
24. Laredo
25. El Paso
Overall, Tyler earned the top spot as it did well in several factors including the highest number of primary care physicians and registered nurses per 100,000 residents. The Hibbs Institute also found that Tyler benefits from a strong economic performance due to its unemployment rate and per capita income. Wichita Falls ranked second for its housing costs, low unemployment and cost of living, health care access.

Larger metro areas such as the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos or Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington areas didn’t do as well, due to expensive housing, income disparity and challenges with healthcare access and social issues. In East Texas, Texarkana and Longview, ranked 8th and 13th place, respectively.

For more information on ranking and a full list of source material, people can visit the Hibbs Institute website.