For years, Houston has proven to be a magnetic destination, attracting people from across the nation and around the world.

Over the past decade, according to data from the Census Bureau, the region’s population has grown by more than a million people, a 20% increase.

A new analysis raises questions about that decision.

Houston ranks dead last among the 50 cities ranked in ConsumerAffairs’ annual list of the best cities to move to in Texas, released last month. In other words, it is the “worst” city to move to in the state, according to the website’s analysis.

Beaumont came in second to last, and San Antonio ranked as the No. 48 best city to move to, or third-worst. Brownsville ranked No. 47, and Dallas rounded out the bottom five, coming it at No. 46.

If it helps, ConsumerAffairs noted, Houston didn’t rate highly in last year’s list, either.

“While Houston lands last in this year’s ranking, it’s important to note that this isn’t a dramatic shift,” said Dayna Edens, media relations manager at ConsumerAffairs, in an email. “The city ranked 47th last year, so the drop of three spots reflects small changes in data, not a sudden downturn.”

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To come up with its ranking, ConsumerAffairs looked at the 50 largest cities in Texas and assessed them in terms of affordability, safety, economic strength, health care and education, and quality of life.

Suburbs and exurbs beat out major cities in this year’s ranking. Allen, Frisco and Plano, all in the Dallas area, ranked as the top three best cities to move to in Texas this year. Sugar Land, in Fort Bend County, ranked No. 7, with League City at No. 8.

Austin was ranked highest among major Texas cities, coming in at a middling No. 26. Safety and affordability were common issues for the state’s biggest cities, at least compared to other cities in Texas. Houston ranked No. 50 out of 50 in the safety subcategory, for example, and No. 43 in terms of affordability.

“Houston’s ranking is driven largely by its safety and economic challenges,” Edens said. “The city reports 11 violent crimes per 1,000 residents – nearly three times the Texas average – and more than 45 property crimes per 1,000 residents. Combine that with a poverty rate above 21% and it becomes clear why Houston struggles in our scoring model.”

Houston’s poverty rate stands at 21.2%, is the highest among the nation’s 10 most populous cities, according to data from the Census Bureau released in September. That’s the highest poverty rate among the nation’s ten most populous cities. Houston also has the highest child poverty rate among the nation’s big cities, according to the Census data, with 31.7% of residents age 18 or younger living below the federal poverty line.

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With that said, Houston rated No. 5 overall for quality of life, thanks in part to the fact that more than 60% of residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park or other green space.

In any case, Edens noted, the ConsumerAffairs analysis doesn’t capture every consideration that individuals and families may have as they make relocation decisions.

“When we say Houston ranked last in the state, we don’t mean it’s the literal ‘worst’ place to live-we mean that, compared to other Texas cities, Houston scored lower on the specific metrics we evaluated,” she said.

Other metrics, specifically the region’s ongoing population growth, show that Houston is an attractive city, according to the people voting with their feet.

Texas overall is regularly one of the nation’s top states for relocations. And in 2024 alone, Houston added about 200,000 new people, according to an analysis from the Greater Houston Partnership-a growth rate of 2.5%, the fastest among the 10 largest U.S. cities.

This article originally published at Houston is the ‘worst’ city to move to in Texas, new ranking says.