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Compare towns

Allen vs Lucas

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: size (13.2× in Allen) and street grid (4.7× in Allen).

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Allen, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 110,265 people
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Lucas, TXHomes around $1.06MTexas · 8,351 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $3,260 more a month in Lucas

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Allen$3,230/mo
Typical home $485K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.69% · or rent about $1,932/mo · Housing →
Lucas$6,490/mo
Typical home $1.06M (Zillow) · tax rate 1.06%+ · Housing →

The difference: $3,260 a month, about $39,200 a year, between Lucas and Allen.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value; “+” means the Census top-codes that town’s bill at $10,000, so its real rate is higher.

Where they are

Allen and Lucas share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

AllenLucasAllenLucas
Allen ↔ Lucas5.4 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
268 Lucas residents work in Allen (7.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Lucas →
Report cards

Lucas places higher on 11 of 19 TX lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
AllenLucas
Snow a year3″0″
January low—34°F
July high—92°F
Growing season (days)—254d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th63rd
Outdoors & history
AllenLucas
Conserved land6.5%10.3%
Settled1953—
National Register places1—
Famous people born here—2
Community
AllenLucas
Library hours a week61 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

AllenLucas
People
Population 110,265Highest 8,351Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +24.2%Lowest TX: +15.9% +47.3%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 38.4±0.9Lowest 8% above TX 45.7±3.5Highest 28% above TX
Kids under 18 25.4%±1.6Lowest TX: 25% 25.9%±4Highest TX: 25%
Lucas and Allen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.4%±0.9Highest TX: 13.4% 10.3%±2.4Lowest TX: 13.4%
Allen and Lucas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 57.5%Lowest TX: 33.8% 65.1%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±0.9Highest TX: 6.2% 6.3%±2.2Lowest TX: 6.2%
Allen and Lucas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $130,901±$8kLowest 67% above TX $221,364±$51kHighest 182% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $464,100±$8kLowest 64% above TX $941,900±$71kHighest 232% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,932±$59 38% above TX —
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,844Lowest 85% above TX $10,000+Highest at least 136% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.9%±5.7Lowest TX: 51.7% 100%±13.7Highest TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line 6.1%Highest TX: 13.8% 1.3%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.4%Lowest TX: 62.6% 92.3%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2003Lowest 11 yrs newer than TX 2005Highest 13 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minLowest 5% above TX 30 minHighest 10% above TX
Work from home 26.7%±1.8Lowest TX: 14.4% 31.2%±10.5Highest TX: 14.4%
Lucas and Allen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 10.7%Highest 3.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.3 miLowest 15.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.70Highest 0.54Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (20%)Dallas (20%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Lucas7% work in Allen
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.5%Lowest 10.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 11.5 miHighest 9.5 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miLowest 0.6 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 44Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 24.9Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #52 of 583 in TX#3 of 583 in TX
School district ALLEN ISD · PLANO ISDLOVEJOY ISD
High school in town Allen H SLovejoy H S
Students per teacherat that high school 19.8Highest 16.1Lowest
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Allen neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Allen’s Town Square.

Lucas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lucas’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Allen and Lucas

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Allen

Towns like Allen

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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