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Allen vs Parker

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (14.4× in Allen) and size (18.4× in Allen).

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Allen, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 110,265 people
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Parker, TXHomes around $1.08MTexas · 5,999 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 $3,500 more a month in Parker

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 →
Parker$6,730/mo
Typical home $1.08M (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16%+ · Housing →

The difference: $3,500 a month, about $42,000 a year, between Parker 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.

Report cards

Parker places higher on 9 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.

Where they are

Allen and Parker share a border

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

AllenParkerAllenParker
Allen ↔ Parker4.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
176 Parker residents work in Allen (6% of its workers)
Work & commute in Parker →
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
AllenParker
Snow a year3″0″
January low—34°F
July high—92°F
Growing season (days)—254d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th71st
Outdoors & history
AllenParker
Trails12 mi1 mi
Conserved land6.5%0.3%
Settled19531969
National Register places1—
Archive photos—6
Community
AllenParker
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.

AllenParker
People
Population 110,265Highest 5,999Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +24.2%Lowest TX: +15.9% +43.3%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 38.4±0.9Lowest 8% above TX 44.1±4Highest 24% above TX
Kids under 18 25.4%±1.6Lowest TX: 25% 25.8%±7.1Highest TX: 25%
Parker and Allen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 11.4%±0.9Lowest TX: 13.4% 19.7%±5.6Highest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 57.5%Lowest TX: 33.8% 63.3%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±0.9Lowest TX: 6.2% 9.1%±4.1Highest TX: 6.2%
Parker and Allen 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 $229,080±$45kHighest 192% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $464,100±$8kLowest 64% above TX $859,600±$88kHighest 203% 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%±100Highest TX: 51.7%
Parker and Allen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.1%Highest TX: 13.8% 5.4%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.4%Lowest TX: 62.6% 98.9%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2003Lowest 11 yrs newer than TX 2004Highest 12 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 5% above TX 27 minLowest about the TX average
Work from home 26.7%±1.8Lowest TX: 14.4% 36.5%±13Highest TX: 14.4%
Parker 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 1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.3 miLowest 13.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.70Highest 0.30Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (20%)Dallas (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Parker6% work in Allen
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.5%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 11.5 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 44Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 31.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #52 of 583 in TX#128 of 583 in TX
School district ALLEN ISD · PLANO ISDALLEN ISD
High school in town Allen H SNone in town
Students per teacherat that high school 19.8 —
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.

Parker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Parker’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Allen and Parker

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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