Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Plano vs McKinney

11 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+39.1 pts in McKinney) and jobs per worker (2.8× in Plano).

×
Plano, TXA regional job hubTexas · 290,594 people
×
McKinney, TXA history townTexas · 210,600 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.

PlanoA regional job hub
Work254,390 jobsbased in Plano, a regional job hub Outdoors#38 most walkable in TX49 miles of trails across 68 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 91%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Plano →
McKinneyA history town
HistorySettled in 184857 places on the National Register Schools#70 for schools in TXof 583 towns HealthHealthier than 86%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about McKinney →
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.

Growth since 2010+39.1 pts
McKinney has grown faster since 2010
McKinney +49%Plano +9.9%
Jobs per worker2.8×
Plano is more of a job hub
Plano 1.78McKinney 0.63
Kids under 18+5.3 pts
McKinney has more kids
McKinney 26.2%Plano 20.9%
Work in town+9.4 pts
More of Plano’s workers stay in town
Plano 22.8%McKinney 13.4%
Typical home built14 yrs
Plano’s homes are older
McKinney 2007Plano 1993
Property tax bill+16%
Tax bills are bigger in McKinney
McKinney $7,791Plano $6,700
★ What stands out · Report cards

Plano places higher on 17 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
B−PlanoSafer than 47% of U.S. towns B+McKinneySafer than 69% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−PlanoBetter than 79% of districts in the state A−McKinneyBetter than 82% of districts in the state
Health
APlanoHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns AMcKinneyHealthier than 86% of U.S. towns
17Plano
8McKinney

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

Most new homesHousing · 535 towns #328#85 Most-used librariesLibraries · 183 towns #10#83 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #293#66 SafestSafety · 470 towns #206#98 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 180 towns #23#60 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #18#148 Lowest obesityHealth · 652 towns #60#157 Most walkableOutdoors · 653 towns #38#119

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

Plano$3,180/mo
Typical home $493K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.44% · or rent about $1,841/mo · Housing →
McKinney$3,130/mo
Typical home $472K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.65% · or rent about $1,901/mo · Housing →

The difference: $50 a month, about $600 a year, between Plano and McKinney.

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.

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
PlanoMcKinney
Snow a year3″3″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)59th52nd
Outdoors & history
PlanoMcKinney
Trails49 mi59 mi
Conserved land10.3%6.5%
Settled18731848
National Register places357
Community
PlanoMcKinney
Library hours a week66 hrs70 hrs
Colleges in town11
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

11 miles apart

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

PlanoMcKinneyPlanoMcKinney
Plano ↔ McKinney11 miles apart
Who commutes between them
14,370 McKinney residents work in Plano (14% of its workers)
3,803 Plano residents work in McKinney (2.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in McKinney →
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.

PlanoMcKinney
People
Population 290,594Highest 210,600Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.9%Lowest TX: +15.9% +49%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 39.6±0.6Highest 11% above TX 36.9±0.5Lowest 4% above TX
Kids under 18 20.9%±0.7Lowest TX: 25% 26.2%±1Highest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 14.7%±0.5Highest TX: 13.4% 10.3%±0.5Lowest TX: 13.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 60.5%Highest TX: 33.8% 54.1%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.8%±0.4Lowest TX: 6.2% 6.2%±0.5Highest TX: 6.2%
McKinney and Plano are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $112,253±$3kLowest 43% above TX $124,215±$5kHighest 58% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $465,900±$5kLowest 64% above TX $471,800±$6kHighest 66% above TX
McKinney and Plano are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,841±$24Lowest 31% above TX $1,901±$45Highest 35% above TX
McKinney and Plano are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,700Lowest 58% above TX $7,791Highest 84% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.5%±2.3Lowest TX: 51.7% 48.4%±3.9Highest TX: 51.7%
McKinney and Plano are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 6.8%Highest TX: 13.8% 5.7%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.9%Lowest TX: 62.6% 63.8%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Lowest 1 yr newer than TX 2007Highest 15 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 5% below TX 28 minHighest 4% above TX
Work from home 27.5%±1Highest TX: 14.4% 24.5%±1.3Lowest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 22.8%Highest 13.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 17.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.78Highest 0.63Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (21%)Dallas (16%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in McKinney14% work in Plano
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10.3%Highest 6.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 49.2 miLowest 59.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miLowest 0.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 68Lowest 78Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 126Highest 95.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #96 of 583 in TX#70 of 583 in TX
School district PREMIER HIGH SCHOOLS · HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - NORTH TEXASALLEN ISD · ANNA ISD
High school in town Plano East Sr. H SMcKinney H S
Students per teacherat that high school 16.7Highest 14.7Lowest
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.

Plano neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plano’s Town Square.

McKinney neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to McKinney’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Plano and McKinney

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

Bordering Plano

+ Compare
Allen110,265 people · $464K homes
+ Compare
Parker5,999 people · $860K homes
+ Compare
Richardson118,731 people · $431K homes
C
+ Compare
Carrollton133,740 people · $381K homes

Towns like Plano

F
+ Compare
Frisco219,304 people · $642K homes
+ Compare
Round Rock127,786 people · $419K homes
+ Compare
Lewisville131,080 people · $379K homes
+ Compare
Pearland127,514 people · $356K 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 Plano

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