Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Plano vs Parker

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (61.5× in Plano) and size (48.4× in Plano).

×
Plano, TXA regional job hubTexas · 290,594 people
×
Parker, TXHomes around $1.08MTexas · 5,999 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 $3,550 more a month in Parker

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 →
Parker$6,730/mo
Typical home $1.08M (Zillow) · tax rate 1.16%+ · 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.

Where they are

Plano and Parker share a border

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

PlanoParkerPlanoParker
Plano ↔ Parker7.1 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
PlanoParker
Snow a year3″0″
January low—34°F
July high—92°F
Growing season (days)—254d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)59th71st
Outdoors & history
PlanoParker
Trails49 mi1 mi
Conserved land10.3%0.3%
Settled18731969
National Register places3—
Archive photos—6
Community
PlanoParker
Library hours a week66 hrs—
Colleges in town1—
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.

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.

PlanoParker
People
Population 290,594Highest 5,999Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.9%Lowest TX: +15.9% +43.3%Highest TX: +15.9%
Median age 39.6±0.6Lowest 11% above TX 44.1±4Highest 24% 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 20.9%±0.7Lowest TX: 25% 25.8%±7.1Highest TX: 25%
Parker and Plano are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.7%±0.5Lowest TX: 13.4% 19.7%±5.6Highest 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+ 60.5%Lowest TX: 33.8% 63.3%Highest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.8%±0.4Lowest TX: 6.2% 9.1%±4.1Highest 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 $112,253±$3kLowest 43% above TX $229,080±$45kHighest 192% above TX
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $465,900±$5kLowest 64% above TX $859,600±$88kHighest 203% above TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,841±$24 31% above TX —
Property taxmedian, yearly $6,700Lowest 58% above TX $10,000+Highest at least 136% above TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 43.5%±2.3Lowest TX: 51.7% 100%±100Highest 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 6.8%Highest TX: 13.8% 5.4%Lowest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 56.9%Lowest TX: 62.6% 98.9%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1993Lowest 1 yr newer than TX 2004Highest 12 yrs newer than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 25 minLowest 5% below TX 27 minHighest about the TX average
Work from home 27.5%±1Lowest TX: 14.4% 36.5%±13Highest 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 22.8%Highest 1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.8 miLowest 13.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.78Highest 0.30Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (21%)Dallas (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Parker16% work in Plano
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 10.3%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 49.2 miHighest 0.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 68Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 126Highest 31.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #96 of 583 in TX#128 of 583 in TX
School district PREMIER HIGH SCHOOLS · HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - NORTH TEXASALLEN ISD
High school in town Plano East Sr. H SNone in town
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.

Plano neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plano’s Town Square.

Parker neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Parker’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Plano and Parker

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

Bordering Plano

Towns like Plano

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