AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas capital has lost its standing as one of the top 50 cities globally.
A recently released list of the "World's Best Cities" for 2025 ranked Austin 53rd out of 100 cities worldwide.
When it comes to Texas cities, Austin fell short of Houston, which received 40th place after ranking 66th last year. Dallas also received a higher placement, going from 73rd place in 2023 to 55th heading into the new year.
Meanwhile, the highest spots overall were given to London, New York, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore accordingly. In the bottom five were Rochester, New York, Hong Kong, Nantes, France, Toulouse, France and Rio de Janeiro.
Austin ranked 43rd for the past two years, according to Culture Map Austin. This is the first time since 2022 that the city has dropped from the list by Resonance Consultancy.
According to the list, the reason for the ranking comes down to several issues. For one, the state capital has seen fewer office spaces as work-from-home life becomes the norm. Not only that but "housing remains among the least affordable in the U.S.," even as residential costs have decreased over the past several years.
Still, Austin offers various redeeming qualities, allowing it to keep a spot on the list. The city placed No. 13 for Educational Attainment, in part thanks to the University of Texas at Austin campus. It also ranked 13 in Parks & Recreation and received recognition for its business hubs, such as Whole Foods and Tesla.
How do the rankings work?
In order to decide which cities make the list, Resonance Consultancy uses three main points of consideration: livability, lovability and prosperity. Each metro examined must also house at least 1,000,000 residents.
The first category, livability, focuses on aspects such as outdoor space, amount of parks, air quality, landmarks and monthly rent costs.
Lovability highlights the overall quality of a city, honing in on its nightlife, attractions, restaurants, concerts and shopping opportunities.
As the third point, prosperity considers factors like the number of residents with a bachelor's degree, amount of people currently working and how many direct flights are offered at airports citywide.
