People with disabilities face some unique challenges when it comes to moving to a new city. Besides the standard priorities like cost of living, job availability, and crime rates, those with disabilities also have a number of additional factors to consider. Financial website WalletHub.com recently researched 150 of the most populated cities in the United States to determine which are best when it comes to providing services and opportunities for those with disabilities.
WalletHub looked at 25 different metrics, including “rate of employed people with disabilities” and “number of physicians per capita” to determine each city’s overall score. Some Texas cities scored high on the list, while others could do more to help those with disabilities to become an active and productive part of the community. Here are the top three disability-friendly cities in Texas, based on WalletHub’s findings:
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Plano ranked number 18 overall of the 150 cities researched, ranking very high in the “Economy” category, which included considerations such as median earnings and employment rate for people with disabilities. Plano score near the bottom of the charts, however, when it came to the ‘Quality of Life’ category, which recorded factors like wheelchair accessibility and effectiveness of state Medicaid programs.
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Austin came in 41st overall, also ranking high in the “Economy” considerations of the study. Austin showed high graduation and employment rates for those with disabilities and got high marks for wheelchair accessibility in its buildings and businesses as well. Austin, however, has a very low number of people living with disabilities compared to the other cities researched.
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Fort Worth came in third of Texas’ cities, showing up at number 49 on the list. Fort Worth showed well in the “Economy” and “Quality of Life” categories but dipped to the low end of the ranks in terms of “Health Care” category, which looked at the cost of a doctor visit and number of uninsured patients.
Texas is home to 16 of the 150 cities included in this study, which covered a wide range of factors contributing to a positive environment for those with disabilities. While some scored high in certain categories, they fell short in others. For instance, Laredo came in first in the study for the lowest cost of living and lowest cost of doctor visits but ranked only 119 overall. Corpus Christi showed up at the bottom of the list in the category of “doctors per capita”. To find out more about where your city ranks, or to learn about the details of this study, visit WalletHub.com.
