migration destinations

Austin is no longer the No. 1 magnet for millennials on the move, report says

Millennials aren't drawn to Austin like they used to be.

For the past two years, Austin has been the No. 1 destination for millennials making the move to a new city. But that's no longer the case, according to a new report that drops Austin to the No. 9 hot spot for young professionals aged 25 to 44.

SmartAsset's 2023 study "Where Millennials Are Moving" dug into data from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey to determine the number of millennials who moved to 268 U.S. cities in 2022. Rankings were determined by the percentage of the total population represented by millennials who moved into the city in 2022.

According to the findings, Austin attracted 103,461 new millennials in 2022, constituting 10.7 percent of its population.

Millennials make up 40.42 percent of the population in Austin, the study says; the median age of people living in the city is 34.7.

The study found that there's one Central Texas city that experienced a more dramatic population shift thanks to new millennials: Killeen, located about 70 miles north of the Texas capital, ranked No. 8.

Killeen drew in 16,853 millennials, making up 10.8 percent of its population (a slightly larger share than Austin's). The median age in Killeen is 30.4 — the second-lowest in the top 10, the report says.

So, how did Killeen manage to attract so many millennials? According to a separate SmartAsset study, the answer lies in the obvious: cheaper housing with low competition. Killeen is the best housing market in the nation for first-time homebuyers.

According to SmartAsset, one in four millennials moved to a different city last year. Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the No. 1 U.S. city with the highest proportional influx of millennial newcomers in 2022, at 14.74 percent.

The report also noted the different ways a generation's migration can impact a city.

"Whether they come from within the same county, state, out-of-state or abroad, these migrations can impact local small businesses, housing markets and social dynamics," the report's author wrote.

The top 10 cities where millennials are moving are:

No. 1 – Cambridge, Massachusetts
No. 2 – Santa Clara, California
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Sunnyvale, California
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – Arlington, Virginia
No. 7 – Bellevue, Washington
No. 8 – Killeen, Texas
No. 9 – Austin, Texas
No. 10 – Sandy Springs, Georgia

Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio attracted 102,848 millennials in 2022. More than 10,000 millennials moved to Waco last year, and Round Rock saw 7,972 new millennials move in.

The full report can be found on smartasset.com.

austin smartasset reports population growth

schools with high achievers

19 Austin elementary and middle schools rank among Texas' best for 2025

enrollbasistx.com

Congratulations are in order for the Bats.

Several Austin elementary and middle schools are at the top of the class when it comes to educating and preparing the next generation for a successful life and career, according to U.S. News & World Report's just-released list of 2025 Elementary and Middle Schools Rankings.

One such school – Basis Austin – is the No. 1 best middle school in Texas for 2025.

U.S. News ranked more than 79,000 public schools on the state and district level using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Schools were analyzed based on their students' proficiencies in mathematics and reading/language arts on state assessments, and tie-breakers were decided based on student-teacher ratios.

Texas' best middle schools for 2025
Basis Texas Charter School's Austin campus has a total enrollment of 273 students, 19 full-time teachers, and a student-teacher ratio of 14:1, according to U.S. News. A majority of students at this charter school – 89 percent – scored "at or above the proficient level" in mathematics, and 92 percent showed at or above proficiency in reading.

"Basis Austin did better in math and better in reading in this [test score] metric compared with students across the state," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "In Texas, 51 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 41 percent tested at or above that level for math."

Basis Austin also ranked No. 16 in the statewide rankings for the best elementary schools for 2025.

Eight other Austin-area middle schools earned spots in Texas' top 100, including:

No. 31 – Canyon Vista Middle School, Round Rock ISD
No. 40 – Chaparral Star Academy
No. 47 – Hill Country Middle School, Eanes ISD
No. 64 – Cedar Valley Middle School, Round Rock ISD
No. 81 – West Ridge Middle School, Eanes ISD
No. 85 – Pearson Ranch Middle School, Round Rock, Round Rock ISD
No. 91 – James Garland Walsh Middle School, Round Rock, Round Rock ISD
No. 100 – Florence Stiles Middle School, Leander, Leander ISD

The best elementary schools in Texas
Jesus A. Kawas Elementary school in Laredo was crowned the No. 1 elementary school in Texas for 2025, while three Austin-area schools were among the top 25.

Round Rock's Cactus Ranch Elementary is the No. 18 best elementary school statewide, boasting 743 students, 47 full-time teachers, and one full-time counselor. Students at this public school scored 88 percent efficiency in math and 90 percent efficiency in reading.

U.S. News says student success at Cactus Ranch is significantly higher than the rest of Round Rock ISD.

"In Round Rock Independent School District, 64 percent of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 52 percent tested at or above that level for math," U.S. News said in the school's profile. "Cactus Ranch Elementary did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state."

Following one spot behind Cactus Ranch in the statewide ranking is Austin's Canyon Creek Elementary in Round Rock ISD, coming in at No. 19. Canyon Creek has a student population of 369 with 27 full-time teachers, and one full-time counselor. The school's student-teacher ratio is 14:1, and 90 percent of students are proficient in math, and 88 percent in reading.

Other Austin-area elementary schools that were ranked among the 100 best in Texas are:

No. 22 – Patsy Sommer Elementary, Round Rock ISD
No. 31 – River Ridge Elementary, Leander ISD
No. 42 – Elsa England Elementary, Round Rock ISD
No. 53 – Laurel Mountain Elementary, Round Rock ISD
No. 81 – Laura Welch Bush Elementary, Leander ISD
No. 88 – Mills Elementary, Austin ISD
No. 94 – Clayton Elementary, Austin ISD
No. 100 – Cedar Creek Elementary, Eanes ISD

"The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success," said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., the managing editor for Education at U.S. News. "The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education. Research continues to indicate that how students perform academically at these early grade levels is a big factor in their success in high school and beyond."

schools rankings us news & world report