Expect to pay 42% more to live in a ‘family-friendly’ neighborhood

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Today's newsletter is 612 words — a 2.5-minute read.

1. Dallas Fed predicts 278K new jobs for Texas in 2026

According to a new report from the Dallas Federal Reserve, Texas is expected to add more than 278,000 jobs in 2026, with employment growth projected at 1.9% for the year.

This follows the Texas Workforce Commission’s report that the state added 40,100 nonfarm jobs in January 2026, bringing total employment to a historic high of 14,379,500 positions.

Among major Texas metros, Austin and San Antonio led employment growth at 5.9%, followed by Dallas at 4.8%, El Paso at 4.4%, Houston at 4.1%, and Fort Worth at 2.9%.

2. Expect to pay 42% more to live in a ‘family-friendly’ neighborhood

Family-friendly neighborhoods come at a premium, according to a recent analysis by the law firm Murphy & Prachthauser. On average, homes in these neighborhoods are priced 42% higher than the average home in their surrounding metro areas.

• The study found that the average home value in top family-friendly neighborhoods is about $688,737, compared with $462,393 in their broader metro areas.

Houston had the largest home-price premium. The city’s Memorial neighborhood has an average home value of $1.35M, 347.5% higher than the Houston metro average of $302K.

Meanwhile, San Antonio’s Northeast Inner Loop stands out as the biggest “value pocket” in the study, with an average home value of $213,501, 22.1% below the San Antonio metro average of $273,946.

3. Catch up quick

🚩 Charted: Texas ranks among the worst states for renters. (ConsumerAffairs)

🚨 Office vacancies hit a record high of 21%. (Axios)

🤔 Why homes in Texas are suddenly harder to sell. (MySA)

⚠️ How the Iran war is upending the spring housing market. (CNBC)

🔥 Minimum residential lot size dispute heats up in Montgomery County. (HousingWire)

4. San Antonio tops list for first-time homebuyers in Texas

San Antonio is the top Texas city for first-time homebuyers in 2026 and ranks third overall nationwide, according to a new report from Zillow.

Zillow analyzed the 50 largest metro areas, ranking them based on rent affordability, the share of affordable homes for sale, buyer competition, and the number of households between ages 29 and 43.

• In San Antonio, renters spend about 20.2% of their median income on rent, and nearly half (47.4%) of homes on the market are considered affordable for first-time buyers. For every 100 renter households, roughly 4.5 affordable homes are available. The city also has a strong share of households in the prime buying age, at 36.4%.

Other Texas cities on the list include Houston (No. 5), Austin (No. 12), and Dallas (No. 16).

5. Texas shine in 2026 best places to live rankings

A new report from Livability has named the Top 100 Best Places to Live in 2026, and nine Texas cities made the list. The rankings highlight Texas as an increasingly attractive place to live, driven by factors like affordability, strong communities, and overall quality of life.

Notably, four Texas cities ranked in the top 10 (on a 1,000-point scale):

• New Braunfels at No. 10 with a LivScore of 772.

• Round Rock at No. 9 with a LivScore of 789.

• Plano at No. 5 with a LivScore of 813.

• Sugar Land at No. 3 with a LivScore of 840.

Several other Texas cities also earned spots in the Top 100: Arlington ranked No. 22, College Station No. 25, Midland No. 29, Tyler No. 60, Abilene No. 63.

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