Casual, active and music-centered living with a strong technology economy and social outdoor culture.
Austin
Casual, active and music-centered living with a strong technology economy and social outdoor culture.
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.
Live music, festivals, independent food businesses and a relaxed creative identity remain central to the city’s image.
Greenbelts, lakes, springs and nearby Hill Country make water and trail activities a major lifestyle feature.
Many trips are car-based, while central neighborhoods offer stronger walking, cycling and transit options.
Swimming holes, trails, patios, live music, food trucks and short Hill Country drives.
Live music • tech careers • active weekends
What living here leans toward
Picture an ordinary weekend
Swimming holes, trails, patios, live music, food trucks and short Hill Country drives.
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 locallyCreative, food-forward and fast-changing with strong local identity.
Best for · Food • arts • younger social lifeMueller
Editorial starter · review locallyPlanned mixed-use neighborhood with parks, newer housing and practical daily amenities.
Best for · Families • parks • easy routinesSouth Congress
Editorial starter · review locallyHighly social, walkable-by-Austin standards and closely tied to food, music and visitor energy.
Best for · Culture • dining • social weekendsThinking about moving here?
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15-metric city lifestyle record
Every score exposes its raw value, source date, geography, validity, confidence and normalization method.
Cost of Living
Cost of Living Index: 71.55
- Source
- Numbeo ↗
- 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 IndicesHousing
$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 estimatesSafety
Safety Index: 56.03
- Source
- Numbeo ↗
- 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 IndicesJob Market
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 estimatesIncome
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 estimatesEducation
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 estimatesHealthcare
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 estimatesTransportation
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 rankingsWalkability
Walk Score: 41.7
- Source
- Walk Score ↗
- 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 RankingsClimate
Climate Index: 82.08
- Source
- Numbeo ↗
- 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 IndicesAir Quality
Pollution Index: 42.79
- Source
- Numbeo ↗
- 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 IndicesEntertainment
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 salesFamily Friendly
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 estimatesRemote Work
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 estimatesOutdoor Lifestyle
Climate 82.08; Bike Score 54.0; air-quality score 57.2
- Source
- Numbeo + Walk Score ↗
- 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 ScoreAustin 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.
