One Houston-area city took the top slot on a new list of "the 100 Best Places to Live in 2025." The list — from relocation marketing platform Livability.com — put Sugar Land at No. 3 for its appealing size and affordability.
The list was restricted to small and mid-size cities with populations between 75,000-500,000 residents. And it also considered only cities with a median home value of $500,000 or less.
They considered factors such as average rent and home prices relative to income to keep their list centered around affordability.
And while Sugar Land did come in at No. 3, the site specifies that the list is not a numbered ranking but one where users are encouraged to create their own ranking based on personal priorities.
Nonetheless, Sugar Land earned the third highest score out of all the cities on the report, with a LivScore totaling 854 out of 1,000 possible points.
The city is 22 miles southwest of Houston, with a population of more than 118,000 residents and a median household income that's well into the six-figures, at $184,570. Homeowners have median home values of $402,094, according to the report's findings.
"The city is known for being one of the more affluent and rapidly growing master-planned communities in Texas, and the area saw a huge population boom in the late ’90s that has continued to grow," a profile says.
Sugar Land has 27 city parks that include 35 miles of trails.sugarlandtx.gov/
Across the eight main categories, Sugar Land ranked the highest for its health (89), housing and cost of living (88), and economy (85). The report said it's a "business-friendly" city, bolstered by its residents' entrepreneurial spirit when it comes to biotech, manufacturing, and the oil and gas industries.
Livability also praises Sugar Land's lively art scene, safe neighborhoods, school districts, recreational activities, and more.
"For families, there are many places to explore, including the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land, which features a unique saltwater aquarium, and the Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center with various interactive and engaging exhibits," the profile says. "Catch a game at Constellation Field, home to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Houston Astros."
Seven other Texas cities were also included in the list of best places to live in the U.S.: Flower Mound (875 points), Round Rock (793 points), New Braunfels (758 points), Midland (712 points), College Station (711 points), Tyler (676 points), and Abilene (659 points).
The top 10 cities that earned the most points on Livability's list are:
- Flower Mound, Texas
- Carmel, Indiana
- Sugar Land, Texas
- Naperville, Illinois
- Roswell, Georgia
- Overland Park, Kansas
- Troy, Michigan
- Columbia, Maryland
- Olathe, Kansas
- Round Rock, Texas
