Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Lubbock vs Denton

275 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.5× in Lubbock) and work in town (+44 pts in Lubbock).

L ×
Lubbock, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 264,814 people
×
Denton, TXOne of the healthiest townsTexas · 152,866 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 $880 more a month in Denton

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.

Lubbock$1,390/mo
Typical home $212K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.57% · or rent about $1,182/mo · Housing →
Denton$2,270/mo
Typical home $347K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.58% · or rent about $1,420/mo · Housing →

The difference: $880 a month, about $10,600 a year, between Denton and Lubbock.

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

Denton places higher on 16 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.

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
LubbockDenton
Snow a year7″0″
January low27°F34°F
July high93°F95°F
Growing season (days)210d249d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)73rd43rd
Outdoors & history
LubbockDenton
Conserved land3.7%6.4%
Settled18901866
National Register places175
Community
LubbockDenton
Library hours a week68 hrs59 hrs
Colleges in town32
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.

Where they are

275 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Lubbock ↔ Denton275 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.

LubbockDenton
People
Population 264,814Highest 152,866Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +12%Lowest TX: +15.9% +23.4%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 30.5±0.2Lowest 14% below TX 31.4±0.6Highest 12% below TX
Kids under 18 22.9%±0.6Highest TX: 25% 18.2%±1.1Lowest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 12.8%±0.4Highest TX: 13.4% 12.5%±0.7Lowest TX: 13.4%
Lubbock and Denton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35.1%Lowest TX: 33.8% 41.7%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 14.5%±0.6Lowest TX: 6.2% 18.3%±1Highest TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $60,895±$2kLowest 22% below TX $76,019±$4kHighest 3% below TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $212,400±$4kLowest 25% below TX $348,200±$6kHighest 23% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,182±$18Lowest 16% below TX $1,420±$40Highest about the TX average
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,333Lowest 21% below TX $5,493Highest 30% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.7%±2.3Lowest TX: 51.7% 60.7%±3.5Highest TX: 51.7%
Denton and Lubbock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18.9%Highest TX: 13.8% 15.8%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 51.2%Highest TX: 62.6% 50%Lowest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1984Lowest 8 yrs older than TX 1997Highest 5 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 39% below TX 24 minHighest 11% below TX
Work from home 7.1%±0.7Lowest TX: 14.4% 14.3%±1.1Highest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 71.7%Highest 27.7%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.3 miLowest 19.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.17Highest 0.99Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Wolfforth (2%)Dallas (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in DentonFew work in Lubbock
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.7%Lowest 6.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 171.7 miHighest 37.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.2 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 91Highest 49Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 70.2Highest 45.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #230 of 583 in TX#257 of 583 in TX
School district RICHARD MILBURN ALTER HIGH SCHOOL (KILLEEN) · RISE ACADEMYTEXAS COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMIES · NORTH TEXAS COLLEGIATE ACADEMY
High school in town Monterey H SGuyer H S
Students per teacherat that high school 15.5Highest 15.1Lowest
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.

Lubbock neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lubbock’s Town Square.

Denton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Denton’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Lubbock and Denton

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

Towns like Lubbock

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 Lubbock

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