Dallas is the 22nd most wealthy city in the world as its number of millionaire residents has grown by 75% in the past decade.
The city is home to 68,600 millionaires amid a period of booming economic growth, according to a report from London-based private investment migration consultancy firm Henley & Partners. It’s the sixth wealthiest city in the United States sitting behind fierce competition like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago.
It’s not the only Texas city to make the list. Houston ranks above Dallas as the fifth wealthiest U.S. city with 90,900 millionaires and Austin is tenth in the U.S. with a millionaire count of 32,700.
It’s not just millionaires contributing to the wealth. Centimillionaires, individuals with a net worth over $100 million, are prominent in Dallas as well with 125 of them residing in the city. There’s also 15 billionaires living in the city like oilman Ray Hunt, philanthropist Margot Perot, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban.
Dallas also plays host to 11 Fortune 500 companies like telecommunications titan AT&T, Southwest Airlines and pipeline transportation giant Energy Transfer.
Those companies are part of Dallas’ special sauce which attracts individuals with deep pockets, said Ray Perryman, CEO of the Waco-based research firm, The Perryman Group.
“Dallas has long been the economic center of the Sun Belt in terms of trade, transportation, finance and other sectors,” he said. “It has also become a major center for technology in recent decades. It also has a substantial concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters and, although not a production area, has traditionally attracted a large segment on the ownership of Texas’ vast oil and gas reserves.”
Beyond the region’s traditional companies, the city has caught the eyes of private equity firms from neighboring states and beyond.
But the job isn’t finished yet. The city recently passed its bond package, including Proposition G. It’s a $72.3 million package that is aimed at boosting economic development through incentives and grants. It was a key portion of the city’s bond package and gives lawmakers an additional tool to entice companies to look to Dallas as a potential new home for its headquarters.
The package also guarantees that $36.6 million of that will go to mixed-income housing, a crucial piece in getting companies to make Dallas a national competitor as the fight for company relocations continues, said Paul Ridley, District 14 city council representative.
“That will have a long-term effect of increasing the supply of affordable housing in Dallas,” he said. “That by itself can attract companies here. They want to perceive that the housing market is less expensive from where they’re relocating from and that there are places for their employees at all income levels to find housing.”
Strong companies along with the city’s dynamic culture means its long-term wealth trajectory is still headed in the right direction, Perryman said.
“It is only natural that the leaders in these sectors would tend to live in the area, often spanning generations of family members,” he said. “In addition, the area offers outstanding cultural, entertainment, sports and other opportunities that make it an attractive place to live. All of these factors combine to make Dallas a natural landing place for successful individuals and families.”
