More than half a dozen suburbs surrounding Fort Worth are among the best small cities to live in, according to a new WalletHub study. And two perennial favorites lead the way. <\/p>\n
In total, seven Fort Worth neighbors have been rated among the best small cities in America<\/a> for 2026 \u2014 with Colleyville and Southlake at the top of the pack. The other five are: Cleburne, Grapevine, Burleson, Keller, and Mansfield.<\/p>\n WalletHub’s annual survey compared over 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 residents based on 45 livability metrics categorized into five key dimensions: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Cities were then grouped by percentile, where the 99th percentile represents the very best.<\/p>\n Nineteen small U.S. cities were rated in the 99th percentile, with the top three spots occupied by Lexington, Massachusetts; Brookfield, Wisconsin; and Carmel, Indiana. No Texas city earned this rating.<\/p>\n Colleyville was dubbed the No. 1 best small city in the Fort Worth area. Colleyville was rated in the 85th percentile nationally, and it’s also known as one of the safest cities in Texas<\/a>, so its rating further affirms the city belongs at the top of the list. <\/p>\n Colleyville’s surging popularity has also caught the eye of famous restaurants<\/a> and bars<\/a> from Fort Worth and beyond<\/a>, who have either recently opened or are eyeing new locations in the city to keep up with the region’s thriving food scene.<\/p>\n Just behind Colleyville on the national list is affluent<\/a> Southlake, which ranked in the 82nd percentile among the best small cities.<\/p>\n Other Fort Worth suburbs that ranked among the best fall as follows:<\/p>\n Mansfield \u2014 74th percentileKeller \u2014 72nd percentileBurleson \u2014 63rd percentileGrapevine \u2013 61st percentileCleburne \u2014 56th percentile (tied)<\/p>\n Across the Metroplex, Allen leads the way as the best small city outside Dallas, and is rated in the 96th percentile nationally for the third<\/a> consecutive year. Flower Mound follows close behind in the 91st percentile.<\/p>\n The two DFW neighbors also rank among the 100 most affordable places to live, WalletHub found. Allen was recently declared one of the 10 best housing markets<\/a> nationwide, and Flower Mound flourished as the No. 3 best U.S. city to live in 2026<\/a>, according to a separate livability ranking from U.S. News & World Report.<\/p>\n “Moving from a bustling metropolis to a small city could drastically cut down your cost of living,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “While small cities may lack some advantages of big cities, like robust public transportation systems, they make up for these shortcomings in other areas.”<\/p>\n Cost-saving benefits aside, Lupo also said the best small cities have “strong job markets<\/a>, high-quality education<\/a>, good health care<\/a>, safe<\/a> living conditions, and plenty of local flair<\/a> to help [residents] achieve a high quality of life.”<\/p>\n