Houston has already proven to be a major hub for business, and now three of its neighbors – Pearland, League City, and Sugar Land – are rising up among the best small U.S. cities for big career opportunities.

A new nationwide survey from CoworkingCafe ranked the three Houston-area cities among its top-100 career hotspots with populations under 250,000 residents.

According to the study, these standout U.S. suburbs "combine economic acceleration with day-to-day livability, offering residents both upward mobility and stable community fundamentals."

The top three small cities leading the nation for their high salaries and strong job markets are Alpharetta, Georgia (No. 1); South Jordan, Utah (No. 2); and Mountain View, California (No. 3).

Pearland ranked the highest in the Houston region, climbing up into No. 59, and League City and Sugar Land respectively ranked No. 73 and No. 76 nationally.

"Across the U.S., a new wave of cities with a more concentrated urban footprint is quietly turning into career powerhouses, even though we tend to associate that success with the big, bustling cities," the report's author wrote. "Some of the best opportunities are popping up in tight-knit communities where innovation, affordability and a great quality of life all come together."

If Houstonians are seeking affordability over all other factors, these three suburbs are the right places to be. Pearland and League City have both seen high population growth because of their affordability, and they were both lauded as the best places to live in 2025 by U.S. News and World Report. Pearland is an especially desirable place to live for high earners, and these career-focused residents aren't shy about being big spenders.

Sugar Land has also received plenty of praise as the third-best place to live in the U.S. in a separate Liveability.com study. It doesn't hurt that Sugar Land households bring in a median income of $184,570 per year.

"The findings reveal two clear paths to success: fast-growing suburban hubs buzzing with innovation and more established tech-driven economies that already have a global reach," the report said. "Together, they show that even smaller places can give you big advantages professionally, sometimes even more than the big metros."

Here's how other Texas suburbs fared among CoworkingCafe's top 100 best career hotspots in 2026:

• No. 11 – Frisco
• No. 15 – Flower Mound
• No. 17 – Pflugerville
• No. 20 – McKinney
• No. 22 – Cedar Park
• No. 31 – Round Rock
• No. 37 – Mansfield
• No. 43 – Allen
• No. 58 – Richardson
• No. 80 – Lewisville
• No. 89 – Temple
• No. 90 – Georgetown
• No. 97 – Amarillo