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.

Down paymentRate%

Celina$3,480/mo

Typical home $512K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.87% · or rent about $2,379/mo · Housing →

Melissa$2,750/mo

Typical home $422K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.51% · or rent about $2,532/mo · Housing →

The difference: $730 a month, about $8,800 a year, between Celina and Melissa.

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.

Report cards

Celina places higher on 13 of 21 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

B+CelinaSafer than 72% of U.S. towns AMelissaSafer than 92% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−CelinaBetter than 82% of districts in the state AMelissaBetter than 94% of districts in the state

Health

ACelinaHealthier than 92% of U.S. towns A−MelissaHealthier than 80% of U.S. towns

13Celina

7Melissa

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most walkableOutdoors · 653 towns #442#258 Fewest smokersHealth · 652 towns #43#171 SafestSafety · 470 towns #84#13 Lowest obesityHealth · 652 towns #157#252 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #383#476 HealthiestHealth · 651 towns #46#112 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #80#29 Lowest property taxCost of living · 647 towns #608#560

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

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

CelinaMelissa

Snow a year3″0″

January low—34°F

July high—92°F

Growing season (days)—254d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)53rd 58th

Outdoors & history

CelinaMelissa

Trails5 mi 1 mi

Conserved land0.2%0.1%

Settled—1853

National Register places1 —

Archive photos12 1

Famous people born here—1

Community

CelinaMelissa

Library hours a week60 hrs 40 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Where they are

14 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CelinaMelissa

Celina ↔ Melissa14 miles apart

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.

Only big differences vs Texas average

CelinaMelissa

People

Population 34,268Highest 20,136Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +177.7%Lowest TX: +15.9% +196.1%Highest TX: +15.9%

Median age 34.7±2.4Lowest about the TX average 36.3±1.5Highest about the TX average

Melissa and Celina are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 31.7%±3.8Highest TX: 25% 30.7%±4.5Lowest TX: 25%

Celina and Melissa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 9.4%±2.5Highest TX: 13.4% 6.7%±1.8Lowest TX: 13.4%

Celina and Melissa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 64.3%Highest TX: 33.8% 52.6%Lowest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.4%±1.9Lowest TX: 6.2% 6%±2.1Highest TX: 6.2%

Melissa and Celina are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $170,894±$13kHighest 118% above TX $138,763±$8kLowest 77% above TX

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $509,600±$47kHighest 80% above TX $454,000±$22kLowest 60% above TX

Celina and Melissa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,379±$466Lowest 70% above TX $2,532±$197Highest 80% above TX

Melissa and Celina are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $9,514Highest 125% above TX $6,860Lowest 62% above TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.4%±25.3Highest TX: 51.7% 53.9%±19.9Lowest TX: 51.7%

Celina and Melissa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 4.7%Highest TX: 13.8% 1.9%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 92.7%Highest TX: 62.6% 88.7%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 2015 23 yrs newer than TX 2015 23 yrs newer than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 33 minLowest 25% above TX 34 minHighest 26% above TX

Work from home 35.8%±6.7Highest TX: 14.4% 29.4%±6Lowest TX: 14.4%

Celina and Melissa are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 3.7%Highest 2.7%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.3 miLowest 24.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.26Lowest 0.29Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (16%)Dallas (16%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in MelissaFew work in Celina

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.2%Highest 0.1%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 4.5 miHighest 0.5 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Lowest 4Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 46.6Lowest 70.3Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #80 of 583 in TX #29 of 583 in TX

School district CELINA ISD · PROSPER ISDMELISSA ISD

High school in town Celina H SMelissa H S

Students per teacherat that high school 15.3Highest 14.5Lowest

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.

Celina neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Celina’s Town Square.

Melissa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melissa’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Celina and Melissa

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

Bordering Celina

+ Compare

Prosper37,869 people · $824K homes

+ Compare

Pilot Point5,332 people · $293K homes

Towns like Celina

+ Compare

Fulshear34,868 people · $573K homes

+ Compare

Murphy21,188 people · $556K homes

+ Compare

Sachse30,491 people · $406K homes

+ Compare

Highland Village16,101 people · $550K homes

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.

Celina vs Melissa

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $730 more a month in Celina

Celina places higher on 13 of 21 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

14 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Celina and Melissa

Bordering Celina

Towns like Celina

Post to Celina

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