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%

Parker$6,730/mo

Typical home $1.08M (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16%+ · Housing →

Plano$3,180/mo

Typical home $493K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.44% · or rent about $1,841/mo · Housing →

The difference: $3,550 a month, about $42,600 a year, between Parker and Plano.

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

Grades and rankings, side by side

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

AParkerSafer than 92% of U.S. towns B−PlanoSafer than 47% of U.S. towns

Schools

A−ParkerBetter than 79% of districts in the state A−PlanoBetter than 79% of districts in the state

Health

AParkerHealthier than 92% of U.S. towns APlanoHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns

8Parker

8Plano

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 572 towns #525#58 Most walkableOutdoors · 653 towns #552#38 SafestSafety · 470 towns #12#206 Most new homesHousing · 535 towns #147#328 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #86#293 Highest incomeIncome · 653 towns #10#112 Lowest property taxCost of living · 647 towns #635#554 Most affordableCost of living · 651 towns #638#575

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

Where they are

Parker and Plano share a border

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

ParkerPlano

Parker ↔ Plano7.1 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

482 Parker residents work in Plano (16.4% 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

ParkerPlano

Snow a year0″3″

January low34°F —

July high92°F —

Growing season (days)254d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)71st 59th

Outdoors & history

ParkerPlano

Trails1 mi 49 mi

Conserved land0.3%10.3%

Settled1969 1873

National Register places—3

Archive photos6 —

Community

ParkerPlano

Library hours a week—66 hrs

Colleges in town—1

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.

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

ParkerPlano

People

Population 5,999Lowest 290,594Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +43.3%Highest TX: +15.9% +9.9%Lowest TX: +15.9%

Median age 44.1±4Highest 24% above TX 39.6±0.6Lowest 11% above TX

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

Kids under 18 25.8%±7.1Highest TX: 25% 20.9%±0.7Lowest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 19.7%±5.6Highest TX: 13.4% 14.7%±0.5Lowest TX: 13.4%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 63.3%Highest TX: 33.8% 60.5%Lowest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 9.1%±4.1Highest TX: 6.2% 5.8%±0.4Lowest TX: 6.2%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $229,080±$45kHighest 192% above TX $112,253±$3kLowest 43% above TX

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $859,600±$88kHighest 203% above TX $465,900±$5kLowest 64% above TX

Rentmedian gross, monthly — $1,841±$24 31% above TX

Property taxmedian, yearly $10,000+Highest at least 136% above TX $6,700Lowest 58% above TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 100%±100Highest TX: 51.7% 43.5%±2.3Lowest TX: 51.7%

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

Below poverty line 5.4%Lowest TX: 13.8% 6.8%Highest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 98.9%Highest TX: 62.6% 56.9%Lowest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 2004Highest 12 yrs newer than TX 1993Lowest 1 yr newer than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 27 minHighest about the TX average 25 minLowest 5% below TX

Work from home 36.5%±13Highest TX: 14.4% 27.5%±1Lowest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 1%Lowest 22.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 13.8 miHighest 10.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.30Lowest 1.78Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (22%)Dallas (21%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 16% work in PlanoFew work in Parker

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Lowest 10.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.8 miLowest 49.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.7 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 68Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 31.3Lowest 126Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #128 of 583 in TX #96 of 583 in TX

School district ALLEN ISDPREMIER HIGH SCHOOLS · HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - NORTH TEXAS

High school in town None in townPlano East Sr. H S

Students per teacherat that high school — 16.7

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.

Parker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Parker’s Town Square.

Plano neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plano’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Parker and Plano

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

Bordering Parker

+ Compare

Wylie60,334 people · $387K homes

+ Compare

Allen110,265 people · $464K homes

+ Compare

Lucas8,351 people · $942K homes

+ Compare

Murphy21,188 people · $556K homes

Towns like Parker

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Argyle5,371 people · $695K homes

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Heath10,777 people · $767K homes

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Fair Oaks Ranch10,728 people · $658K homes

+ Compare

Sunnyvale8,336 people · $565K 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.

Parker vs Plano

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $3,550 more a month in Parker

Grades and rankings, side by side

Parker and Plano share a border

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Parker and Plano

Bordering Parker

Towns like Parker

Post to Parker

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