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%

Melissa$2,750/mo

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

Celina$3,480/mo

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

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

Schools

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

Health

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

7Melissa

13Celina

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

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

Left end = #1 in Texas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Melissa’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

MelissaCelina

Snow a year0″3″

January low34°F —

July high92°F —

Growing season (days)254d —

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

Outdoors & history

MelissaCelina

Trails1 mi 5 mi

Conserved land0.1%0.2%

Settled1853 —

National Register places—1

Archive photos1 12

Famous people born here1 —

Community

MelissaCelina

Library hours a week40 hrs 60 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.

MelissaCelina

Melissa ↔ Celina14 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

MelissaCelina

People

Population 20,136Lowest 34,268Highest

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

Median age 36.3±1.5Highest about the TX average 34.7±2.4Lowest 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 30.7%±4.5Lowest TX: 25% 31.7%±3.8Highest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 6.7%±1.8Lowest TX: 13.4% 9.4%±2.5Highest 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+ 52.6%Lowest TX: 33.8% 64.3%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6%±2.1Highest TX: 6.2% 5.4%±1.9Lowest 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 $138,763±$8kLowest 77% above TX $170,894±$13kHighest 118% above TX

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $454,000±$22kLowest 60% above TX $509,600±$47kHighest 80% 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 $2,532±$197Highest 80% above TX $2,379±$466Lowest 70% 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 $6,860Lowest 62% above TX $9,514Highest 125% above TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 53.9%±19.9Lowest TX: 51.7% 62.4%±25.3Highest 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 1.9%Lowest TX: 13.8% 4.7%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 88.7%Lowest TX: 62.6% 92.7%Highest 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 34 minHighest 26% above TX 33 minLowest 25% above TX

Work from home 29.4%±6Lowest TX: 14.4% 35.8%±6.7Highest 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 2.7%Lowest 3.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 24.8 miHighest 22.3 miLowest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CelinaFew work in Melissa

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.1%Lowest 0.2%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 4.5 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 3Lowest

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

Schools

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

School district MELISSA ISDCELINA ISD · PROSPER ISD

High school in town Melissa H SCelina H S

Students per teacherat that high school 14.5Lowest 15.3Highest

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.

Melissa neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Melissa’s Town Square.

Celina neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Celina’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Melissa and Celina

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

Bordering Melissa

+ Compare

McKinney210,600 people · $472K homes

+ Compare

Anna24,330 people · $352K homes

Towns like Melissa

+ Compare

Katy25,184 people · $402K homes

+ Compare

Sachse30,491 people · $406K homes

+ Compare

Iowa Colony12,891 people · $406K homes

+ Compare

Buda15,859 people · $447K 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.

Melissa vs Celina

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 Melissa and Celina

Bordering Melissa

Towns like Melissa

Post to Melissa

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