Austin ranked No. 6 as possible Amazon HQ2 city

Austin is the fifth most likely city among the finalists in contention for landing Amazon’s second headquarters (HQ2), according to a recent study that bases rankings on their housing affordability, school scores, crime rates, and property taxes. affordable homes, above-average school scores, and below-average crime rates and property taxes.

The study, published in the May issue of California-based property data company ATTOM Data Solutions’s industry newsletter, Housing News Report, crunched data related to housing markets and quality of life for the 19 U.S. HQ2 finalists. It focused on seven factors: home prices, appreciation, affordability, school scores, crime rates, property taxes, and environmental hazards.

Ranking above Austin, from first to fourth place, are Raleigh (N.C.), Atlanta, Denver, and Pittsburgh. (Montgomery County, Maryland, aka the “Washington, D.C. area,” was placed second in the rankings but apparently doesn’t count as a city.) Despite a high median home price ($361,000) compared to most of the finalists, Austin scored points for its rapid property appreciation trend and relatively low crime rate.

Of course, housing is just one of the factors that will influence Amazon’s decision, and Austin’s mobility and housing availability issues alone could be enough to put the city out of the running. That would be good news to the majority of Austinites who don’t really want HQ2 here, anyway.

• Amazon HQ2 Finalists Real Estate Market Rankings [Tableau Public]