City Lifestyle Index
Texas · CITY LIFESTYLE

Austin

Casual, active and music-centered living with a strong technology economy and social outdoor culture.

Verified lifestyle score64.1Average
2025 population1,002,632
Annual change+0.40%
State population rank#5
Median income$93,658
Median home$555,300
Average rent$1,729
ClimateClimate Index 82.08
LIFESTYLE SNAPSHOT

What everyday life can look like in Austin

Editorial lifestyle notes sit beside source-backed metrics so the page reads like a place to live, not just a dataset.

Everyday vibe42/100

Casual, active and music-centered living with a strong technology economy and social outdoor culture.

Culture & food61/100

Live music, festivals, independent food businesses and a relaxed creative identity remain central to the city’s image.

Outdoors & nature66/100

Greenbelts, lakes, springs and nearby Hill Country make water and trail activities a major lifestyle feature.

Getting around63/100

Many trips are car-based, while central neighborhoods offer stronger walking, cycling and transit options.

Weekend rhythm82/100

Swimming holes, trails, patios, live music, food trucks and short Hill Country drives.

Best lifestyle fit65/100

Live music • tech careers • active weekends

CITY PERSONALITY

What living here leans toward

Climate Led82Career Driven80Remote Friendly77Nature First66Family Grounded65
Great forLive music • tech careers • active weekends
What it feels likeCasual, active and music-centered living with a strong technology economy and social outdoor culture.
A DAY IN THE LIFE

Picture an ordinary weekend

Swimming holes, trails, patios, live music, food trucks and short Hill Country drives.

08:00Start local12:30Neighborhood life17:30Outside or unwind20:30Food, culture or home
NEIGHBORHOOD LENS

Neighborhoods to explore

Neighborhood life can differ more than citywide averages. Starter entries are clearly labeled until you replace them with local research.

East Austin

Editorial starter · review locally

Creative, food-forward and fast-changing with strong local identity.

Best for · Food • arts • younger social life
Walk76Food96Nature65Family55

Mueller

Editorial starter · review locally

Planned mixed-use neighborhood with parks, newer housing and practical daily amenities.

Best for · Families • parks • easy routines
Walk81Food80Nature90Family92

South Congress

Editorial starter · review locally

Highly social, walkable-by-Austin standards and closely tied to food, music and visitor energy.

Best for · Culture • dining • social weekends
Walk82Food94Nature68Family52
RELOCATION PLANNER

Thinking about moving here?

Use this local checklist to turn browsing into a decision process. Progress is saved on this device.

0/6
VERIFIED LIFESTYLE SCORE

15-metric city lifestyle record

Every score exposes its raw value, source date, geography, validity, confidence and normalization method.

15/15metrics
100.0% coverage82.6% average confidence64.1 overall score
Verified

Cost of Living

48.5/100

Cost of Living Index: 71.55

Reference date
2026-08-05
Geography
City proper
Confidence
72.0%
How this score was calculated

Normalized score = clamp(120 − Numbeo Cost of Living Index, 0, 100). A lower cost index produces a higher lifestyle score.

Dataset: Numbeo Quality of Life Current City Indices
Derived

Housing

60.7/100

$555,300 median home value / $93,658 median household income = 5.93×

Reference date
2020–2024
Geography
City proper
Confidence
94.0%
How this score was calculated

Raw ratio = median owner-occupied housing value ÷ median household income. Normalized score = clamp(100 − (ratio − 2) × 10, 0, 100).

Dataset: QuickFacts 2020–2024 ACS estimates
Verified

Safety

56.0/100

Safety Index: 56.03

Reference date
2026-08-05
Geography
City proper
Confidence
70.0%
How this score was calculated

Uses Numbeo's city Safety Index directly on a 0–100 scale. Community-contributed index; interpret alongside official local crime data.

Dataset: Numbeo Quality of Life Current City Indices
Derived

Job Market

80.4/100

Labor-force participation: 75.1%

Reference date
2020–2024
Geography
City proper
Confidence
92.0%
How this score was calculated

Normalized score = clamp((labor-force participation − 55) ÷ 25 × 100, 0, 100). This is a participation proxy, not an unemployment rate.

Dataset: QuickFacts 2020–2024 ACS estimates
Derived

Income

57.2/100

Median household income: $93,658

Reference date
2020–2024
Geography
City proper
Confidence
95.0%
How this score was calculated

Normalized score = clamp((median household income − $45,000) ÷ $85,000 × 100, 0, 100). Values are not adjusted for the city's cost of living in this metric.

Dataset: QuickFacts 2020–2024 ACS estimates
Derived

Education

72.0/100

Bachelor's degree or higher: 59.6%

Reference date
2020–2024
Geography
City proper
Confidence
95.0%
How this score was calculated

Normalized score = clamp((bachelor's attainment − 20) ÷ 55 × 100, 0, 100).

Dataset: QuickFacts 2020–2024 ACS estimates
Derived

Healthcare

86.4/100

Residents under 65 without health insurance: 13.6%

Reference date
2020–2024
Geography
City proper
Confidence
94.0%
How this score was calculated

Normalized score = 100 − uninsured share under age 65. This reflects insurance coverage, not care quality or access by itself.

Dataset: QuickFacts 2020–2024 ACS estimates
Derived

Transportation

62.5/100

Mean commute 23.7 min; Transit Score 34.8

Reference date
2020–2024 commute; 2021 Transit Score
Geography
City proper
Confidence
82.0%
How this score was calculated

Composite = 55% commute-time score + 45% Transit Score. Commute score = clamp((45 − mean commute minutes) ÷ 25 × 100, 0, 100).

Dataset: QuickFacts ACS + Walk Score city rankings
Stale

Walkability

41.7/100

Walk Score: 41.7

Reference date
2021 city ranking
Geography
City proper
Confidence
72.0%
How this score was calculated

Uses the published Walk Score city ranking directly on a 0–100 scale. Marked stale because the referenced ranking vintage is 2021.

Dataset: Walk Score City & Neighborhood Rankings
Verified

Climate

82.1/100

Climate Index: 82.08

Reference date
2026-08-05
Geography
City proper
Confidence
70.0%
How this score was calculated

Uses Numbeo's Climate Index directly. The index summarizes comfort-oriented temperature and humidity conditions; it is not a climate-risk score.

Dataset: Numbeo Quality of Life Current City Indices
Derived

Air Quality

57.2/100

Pollution Index: 42.79

Reference date
2026-08-05
Geography
City proper
Confidence
66.0%
How this score was calculated

Normalized score = 100 − Numbeo Pollution Index. This is a broad community-contributed pollution measure and should later be supplemented with EPA monitor data.

Dataset: Numbeo Quality of Life Current City Indices
Derived

Entertainment

60.6/100

Accommodation & food-service sales: $7.26B ($7,240 per resident)

Reference date
2022 Economic Census measure
Geography
City proper
Confidence
86.0%
How this score was calculated

Proxy score from accommodation and food-service sales per resident. Normalized score = clamp((sales per resident − $3,000) ÷ $7,000 × 100, 0, 100).

Dataset: QuickFacts accommodation and food services sales
Derived

Family Friendly

64.8/100

Under 18: 18.0%; poverty: 12.0%; insured under 65: 86.4%

Reference date
2020–2024
Geography
City proper
Confidence
88.0%
How this score was calculated

Composite = 45% child-population presence + 35% inverse poverty + 20% insurance coverage. This is a broad readiness indicator, not a school-quality rating.

Dataset: QuickFacts 2020–2024 ACS estimates
Derived

Remote Work

76.8/100

Broadband subscription: 93.8%; bachelor's+: 59.6%

Reference date
2020–2024
Geography
City proper
Confidence
91.0%
How this score was calculated

Composite = 55% broadband readiness + 45% educational attainment. Broadband is normalized over 80–98%; bachelor's attainment over 25–70%.

Dataset: QuickFacts 2020–2024 ACS estimates
Derived

Outdoor Lifestyle

66.0/100

Climate 82.08; Bike Score 54.0; air-quality score 57.2

Reference date
2026-08-05; 2021 Bike Score
Geography
City proper
Confidence
72.0%
How this score was calculated

Composite = 40% climate index + 35% Bike Score + 25% inverse pollution score. It measures outdoor convenience, not park acreage or trail access.

Dataset: Numbeo Quality of Life + Walk Score

Austin research baseline

Austin is ranked #5 by 2025 population among the places included for Texas in this research pack. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population at 1,002,632 on July 1, 2025.

Recent population movement

Compared with the 2024 estimate, the population increased by approximately 0.40%. Population change is only one part of a lifestyle decision and should not be treated as a complete quality-of-life score.

What this profile is prepared to track

The page is structured for verified affordability, housing, jobs, safety, education, healthcare, transportation, climate, entertainment, and environmental data. Until those metrics are entered and sourced, the profile is labeled as a research baseline rather than given a synthetic lifestyle score.

Data vintage: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates. Figures may be revised by the Census Bureau in a later release.