Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Cedar Park vs Austin

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (11.5× in Austin) and size (12.5× in Austin).

×
Cedar Park, TXKnown for its schoolsTexas · 78,301 people
×
Austin, TXA history townTexas · 979,539 people
Swap order
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.

Cedar ParkKnown for its schools
Schools#126 for schools in TXof 583 towns Outdoors#29 most trails in TX47 miles of trails across 45 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 92%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Cedar Park →
AustinA history town
HistorySettled in 1835207 places on the National Register College town9 collegesThe University of Texas at Austin Work803,922 jobsbased in Austin, a regional job hub All about Austin →
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.

Trails11.5×
Austin has more miles of trail
Austin 532.8 miCedar Park 46.5 mi
Size12.5×
Austin is the bigger place
Austin 979,539Cedar Park 78,301
Growth since 2010+36.9 pts
Cedar Park has grown faster since 2010
Cedar Park +58.6%Austin +21.7%
Work in town+58.1 pts
More of Austin’s workers stay in town
Austin 65.1%Cedar Park 7%
Jobs per worker2.7×
Austin is more of a job hub
Austin 1.79Cedar Park 0.66
Household income+38%
Households in Cedar Park earn more
Cedar Park $129,545Austin $93,658
★ What stands out · Report cards

Cedar Park places higher on 14 of 26 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.

Safety
BCedar ParkSafer than 56% of U.S. towns DAustinSafer than 10% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−Cedar ParkBetter than 79% of districts in the state C+AustinBetter than 44% of districts in the state
Health
ACedar ParkHealthier than 92% of U.S. towns AAustinHealthier than 87% of U.S. towns
14Cedar Park
10Austin

Lists won, of 26 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most new homesHousing · 535 towns #476#95 SafestSafety · 470 towns #163#443 Highest graduation rateSchools · 584 towns #41#310 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #148#383 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 632 towns #227#37 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 180 towns #99#49 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 652 towns #69#225 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #126#264

Left end = #1 in Texas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Cedar Park’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Cedar Park$3,090/mo
Typical home $462K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.73% · or rent about $1,846/mo · Housing →
Austin$3,210/mo
Typical home $497K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.44% · or rent about $1,729/mo · Housing →

The difference: $120 a month, about $1,400 a year, between Austin and Cedar Park.

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.

Where they are

Cedar Park and Austin share a border

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

Cedar ParkAustinCedar ParkAustin
Cedar Park ↔ Austin15 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
18,954 Cedar Park residents work in Austin (46.6% of its workers)
4,564 Austin residents work in Cedar Park (1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Cedar Park →
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
Cedar ParkAustin
Snow a year0″0″
January low—42°F
July high—97°F
Growing season (days)—291d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)30th40th
Outdoors & history
Cedar ParkAustin
Trails47 mi533 mi
Conserved land7.5%18.3%
Settled18871835
National Register places—207
Archive photos912
Famous people born here123
Community
Cedar ParkAustin
Library hours a week66 hrs61 hrs
Colleges in town—9
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.

Cedar ParkAustin
People
Population 78,301Lowest 979,539Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +58.6%Highest TX: +15.9% +21.7%Lowest TX: +15.9%
Median age 37.7±0.7Highest 6% above TX 34.7±0.2Lowest about the TX average
Kids under 18 25.7%±1.5Highest TX: 25% 18%±0.4Lowest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 11.3%±0.9Highest TX: 13.4% 10.4%±0.3Lowest TX: 13.4%
Cedar Park and Austin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 55.6%Lowest TX: 33.8% 59.6%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±0.6Lowest TX: 6.2% 8.2%±0.3Highest TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $129,545±$11kHighest 65% above TX $93,658±$2kLowest 19% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $513,600±$21kLowest 81% above TX $555,300±$8kHighest 96% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,846±$55Highest 32% above TX $1,729±$14Lowest 23% above TX
Property taxmedian, yearly $8,893Highest 110% above TX $8,024Lowest 90% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 52%±5.2Highest TX: 51.7% 47.7%±1.4Lowest TX: 51.7%
Cedar Park and Austin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.9%Lowest TX: 13.8% 12%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66.7%Highest TX: 62.6% 43.4%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 2005Highest 13 yrs newer than TX 1994Lowest 2 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest 4% below TX 24 minLowest 11% below TX
Work from home 29.9%±2.3Lowest TX: 14.4% 30.7%±0.7Highest TX: 14.4%
Austin and Cedar Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 7%Lowest 65.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.66Lowest 1.79Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Austin (47%)Houston (3%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 47% work in Austin1% work in Cedar Park
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.5%Lowest 18.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 46.5 miLowest 532.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.8 miHighest 1.6 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 45Lowest 356Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 85.4Highest 69.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #126 of 583 in TX#264 of 583 in TX
School district HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - CENTRAL TEXAS · BASIS TEXASTEXANS CAN ACADEMIES · WAYSIDE SCHOOLS
High school in town Vista Ridge H SBowie H S
Students per teacherat that high school 15.3Lowest 17.6Highest
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.

Cedar Park neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cedar Park’s Town Square.

Austin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Austin’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Cedar Park and Austin

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

Bordering Cedar Park

+ Compare
Leander74,067 people · $506K homes
B
+ Compare
Brushy Creek19,576 people · $499K homes

Towns like Cedar Park

+ Compare
Allen110,265 people · $464K homes
+ Compare
Rockwall51,168 people · $412K homes
+ Compare
Georgetown85,999 people · $429K homes
+ Compare
Pflugerville65,971 people · $402K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Texas towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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.

Post to Cedar Park

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in