High honor
Austin saluted among best places in the U.S. for military veterans
As the country prepares to honor its military veterans on November 11, Austin is being saluted as a top U.S. city for vets and their families.
The study, done by personal finance website WalletHub, looked at the 100 largest U.S. cities across 20 key indicators of livability, affordability and veteran-friendliness According to the study, those factors range from share of military skill-related jobs to veteran income growth to availability of VA health facilities.
Austin ranked No. 2, second only to Tampa, Florida, with an overall score of 72.22. The Capital City ranked 7th for quality of life, 11th in employment, 17th for economy, and 20th for health.
Other Texas cities appearing in the top 20 were Fort Worth (No. 13), Plano (No. 14), and Laredo (No. 19).
Though San Antonio only ranked No. 21 in the WalletHub study, it did live up to its “Military City USA” moniker in another recent report, taking the top spot.
That study, done by Veterans United Home Loans, looked at the 100 largest U.S. cities as measured by population and weighed four broad factors: economic wellness, employment, availability of VA benefits, and quality of life for veterans. Next, the study used 20 metrics to evaluate the strength of those four factors in each city.
In the end, San Antonio came out on top, thanks in part to above-average rankings for veteran unemployment and cost of living. About 250,000 veterans and 80,000 active-duty personnel live in the San Antonio metro area.