The List Goes On..
AUSTIN IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.
Austin is truly a city with heart and soul. It brims with both southern tradition and quirky eccentricity. The area is politically charged and culturally rich. A high-tech big city meets a low-key college town. A city far from ordinary, it’s the kind of place where you check your worries at the city limits sign, trade in fancy suits for something a bit more casual and prepare for experiences you’ll find only in Austin.
Below is a listing of the most recent acknowledgments and accolades that Austin has received from official studies, public opinion polls, online news and print media at both state, national and even global levels.
ECONOMY
Austin is the #1 Best Place to Live in the U.S. for the second year in a row, based on its strong job market, high quality of life, great value and overall desirability. U.S. News, April 2018 | realestate.usnews.com
With a 37.1% increase in business services jobs over the last five years, Austin ranks #1 on the Forbes list of Cities Creating the Most Business Services Jobs. Forbes, May 2018 | forbes.com
Forbes also ranks Austin the second-best Big City for Jobs, citing a 3.7% increase in jobs since 2017 and a 21.5% increase in jobs since 2012.
Forbes, May 2018 | forbes.com
EDUCATION
Austin is the #1 Best College City in America, earning high marks in academic and economic opportunities, social environment and wallet-friendliness.
WalletHub, December 2018 | wallethub.com
The University of Texas at Austin is the #1 Best College in Texas due to its high graduation rate, academic quality, affordability and diverse campus life.
BestColleges.com, 2018 | bestcolleges.com
The Austin metro area boasts six school districts in the top 50 on Niche’s list of the Best School Districts in Texas.
Niche, 2019 | niche.com
Graded rigorously on criteria such as academics, teachers, college readiness, health/safety, facilities and athletics, Eanes ISD is the #1 Best School District in Texas and #8 in America.
Niche, 2019 | niche.com
The Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin ISD is ranked the #1 Best Public High School in Texas and the #11 Best Public High School in America.
Niche, 2019 | niche.com
Based on educational attainment, quality of education and attainment gap, Austin ranks #8 on WalletHub’s Most Educated Cities in America list.
WalletHub, July 2018 | wallethub.com
In a study done by RewardExpert, Austin is one of the Top 10 Best Places to Start a Business, with startup growth in the 89th percentile and a five-year startup survival rate in the 92nd percentile.
RewardExpert, April 2018 | rewardexpert.com
Austin tops LinkedIn’s list of Cities that Gained the Most Workers: for every 10,000 LinkedIn members in Austin, 121 arrived in the past 12 months.
LinkedIn Workforce Report, November 2018 | economicgraph.linkedin.com
Austin is MagnifyMoney’s #1 Biggest Boomtown in America, significantly outscoring other U.S. metros in population and housing, business growth and workforce earnings.
MagnifyMoney®, August 2018 | magnifymoney.com
On Business Insider’s list ranking the economies of America’s largest 40 cities, Austin comes in at #3 with the second-highest rate of job growth, third-lowest unemployment rate and third-highest GDP growth rate. Business Insider, June 2018 | businessinsider.com
Austin is the Best Big City to Live in Right Now because of its thriving job scene, relatively low cost of living, startup- friendly culture and local amenities.
Money, November 2018 | time.com/money
FOOD AND ENTERTAINMENT
The Venue Report’s list of 2018’s Hottest New Restaurant Openings Across the Globe included Austin restaurants Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, Pitchfork Pretty, Mattie’s, Native Kitchen & Bar and Holy Roller.
The Venue Report, 2018 | venuereport.com
Austin is one of America’s Top 10 Best Food Cities, scoring well across the key dimensions of affordability, diversity, accessibility and quality.
WalletHub, October 2018 | wallethub.com
With 11.1 concerts by major artists per 100K residents, Austin has the sixth-most major concerts per capita in the U.S.
SeatGeek, March 2018 | seatgeek.com
Heavyweight film festivals, the return of tax breaks and the success of community-driven film start-ups all make Austin the #9 Best Place to Live and Work as a Moviemaker. MovieMaker, January 2018 | moviemaker.com
Having a little bit of everything for everyone, Austin is one of the Top 15 Most Fun Cities in America.
WalletHub, September 2018 | wallethub.com
With its collection of outstanding breweries and beer bars, booming distillery scene and a massive number of both fancy and divey bars, Austin is the #9 Best Drinking City in America.
Thrillist, September 2018 | thrillist.com
Loro, the Asian smokehouse created by industry legends Tyson Cole of Uchi and Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, was one of the Most Anticipated Restaurants of 2018.
Eater, January 2018 | eater.com
Eeyore’s Birthday Party is one of the 14 Wildest Hippie Festivals in America, proving that Austin still keeps it weird.
Thrillist, September 2018 | thrillist.com
Impressing craft beer lovers everywhere with their world- class ales poured from their signature 750 ml vessels, Jester King Brewery was named the Best Craft Brewery in Texas.
Thrillist, November 2018 | thrillist.com
LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENT
Austin is #2 Best Big City to Live
WalletHub, July 2019 | wallethub.com
Austin is the #1 State Capital to Live In for the second year in a row, based on its affordability, economic well-being, quality of education, health and overall quality of life.
WalletHub, February 2018 | wallethub.com
Austin is the #1 Best City for Veterans to Live, having the best overall scores on veteran-specific metrics relating to employment, economy, quality of life and health.
WalletHub, November 2018 | wallethub.com
Having one of the highest densities of software developers of any major city in the U.S., a comparatively modest cost of living and above-average developer salaries makes Austin the #1 Best City to Be a Game Developer.
ValueGamers, September 2018 | valuegamers.com
Receiving five stars in every rating criteria, Austin is one of the 13 Most Tourist-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
Expedia, September 2018 | viewfinder.expedia.com
For those with furry family members, Austin is the #4 Most Pet-Friendly City in America. Contributing factors include pet health and wellness, pet budget, outdoor pet-friendliness and dog-friendly establishments.
WalletHub, August 2018 | wallethub.com
Despite the explosion in population, Austin has successfully increased its efforts to focus on public safety and jumps 22 spots to become the #8 Safest Metro City in America.
SafeWise, December 2018 | safewise.com
The City of Austin ranks 5th on the EPA’s list of local government green power users, with green power electricity comprising 100% of the city’s total electricity use.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, October 2018 | epa.gov
Ranking first in graduation rate nationally and sixth in average proficiency in math and reading, plus having a very positive economic situation, makes Austin the #6 Best City to Raise a Family in 2018.
SmartAsset, May, 2018 | smartasset.com
Scored on criteria essential to today’s youth, such as the amount of work available, affordability, tolerance and the ability to have fun, Austin ranks third in America and #14 in the world on Nestpick’s 2018 Millennial Cities Ranking.
Nestpick, April 2018 | nestpick.com
Austin is the #4 Best City in America for STEM Jobs, thanks to its abundance of professional opportunities, STEM- friendliness and overall quality of life.
WalletHub, January 2018 | wallethub.com
U.S. News ranks Austin the #4 Best Place to Retire in the U.S., based on retiree happiness, housing affordability, healthcare, area desirability, retiree taxes and job market. U.S.
News, October 2018 | realestate.usnews.com
