Leander Emerges As Top Texas City In Which To Raise A Family

LEANDER, TX — Leander emerged as the top city in Texas in which to raise a family, according to a study of more than 85 cities throughout the state.

Researchers at SmartAsset analyzed 87 cities throughout Texas to achieve their rankings. Leander emerged in the top position, largely as a result of the high level of academic achievement among its youth that was among the metrics used. The city's graduation rate is 96 percent, the seventh-highest rate in the study.

"And kids here aren't just graduating, they're excelling," researchers wrote. "About 33 percent of students take at least one AP [advance placement] exam, and more than 73 percent of students who took an AP exam scored a 3 or higher.

Leander ranked in the top 10 with just those two metrics alone, researchers noted.

The city also is youthful, a handy testimonial as to its draw as an ideal place to raise families. A full 35 percent of the total population is 19 or younger, the highest percentage among that demographic save for the Dallas suburb of Southlake in North Texas, with the same share.

Although Leander doesn't boast the highest monthly median income among the ten top cities (the honor goes to Southlake with $3,080), it posts a respectable $1,435 intake per household.

The poverty rate is low at 3.9 percent, higher than the lowest rate among the ten top cities of 2.1 percent in Southlake but significantly lower than the 8.2 percent poverty rate in Grapevine, another city in North Texas. The figure represents the percentage of families who fall below the poverty threshold, data derived from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 5-Year American Community Survey.

The city's crime rate is relatively low among the top ten cities, with 1,235 crimes per 100,000 population. The number is derived with conflated figures between the number of property crimes and violent crimes combined, according to SmartAsset methodology.

Only two other Central Texas cities, Round Rock and Georgetown, made the top ten list. Pflugerville also posted at a strong 11th rank among the 87 cities analyzed.

The analysis focused on various metrics in achieving rankings among cities with populations of at least 25,000, including graduation levels, average income, poverty rate and more. To read more about the findings and the methodology used, click here.

>>> Uppermost image, graphics provided by SmartAsset