DFW Ranks No. 15 for Homebuilding and Affordability
Dallas-Fort Worth earns a B+ in a new national housing report card, with strong permitting activity and room to improve affordability.
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro ranked No. 15 among the nation’s 100 largest metros, earning a B+ and an overall score of 67.9 in Realtor.com’s 2026 Metro Report Cards.
The report gives equal weight to homebuilding and affordability.
“Homebuilding and affordability are inseparable, and if we want to improve affordability in a lasting way, we need to build more homes,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com.
Homebuilding Helps DFW Stand Out
One of DFW’s strengths is the pace of housing permits relative to its population.
The region’s permit-to-population ratio was 1.76, meaning it permitted 76% more homes per resident than the national average. That points to a stronger pipeline for additional housing, though permits do not necessarily translate into completed homes.
The report also found an 8.9% new-construction premium in DFW. In other words, the median listing price for new homes was 8.9% higher than for existing homes.
For REALTORS®, those figures reinforce the value of including new construction in conversations about buyers’ options and sellers’ competition. Individual properties still need to be compared on location, features and total cost.
Affordability Still Has Room to Improve
DFW’s strong overall placement comes with a more mixed affordability picture.
Its REALTORS® Affordability Score was 0.639, below the national figure of 0.675 cited in the report. This measure looks at how well the supply of homes for sale fits household budgets across income levels.
For the study period, DFW’s median asking price was $426,446 and median household income was $88,783. Those figures help explain why a market can rank well overall while homeownership remains a stretch for many households.
How DFW Compares Across Texas
DFW placed third among the Texas metros included in the study, behind Houston and Austin.
| Texas Metro | National Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | 4 | A |
| Austin | 6 | A- |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 15 | B+ |
| San Antonio | 35 | C+ |
| McAllen | 38 | C+ |
| El Paso | 84 | D |
DFW’s B+ reflects a region that is making room for more housing while still facing affordability pressures. The next test is how well that new supply meets the budgets of the people who live and work here.