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%

Richardson$2,850/mo

Typical home $439K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.50% · or rent about $1,857/mo · Housing →

Plano$3,180/mo

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

The difference: $330 a month, about $3,900 a year, between Plano and Richardson.

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.

Where they are

Richardson and Plano share a border

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

RichardsonPlano

Richardson ↔ Plano5.9 miles apart · They share a border

Who commutes between them

9,768 Plano residents work in Richardson (6.8% of its workers)

6,113 Richardson residents work in Plano (10.8% of its workers)

Work & commute in Plano →

Report cards

Plano places higher on 15 of 25 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

C+RichardsonSafer than 41% of U.S. towns B−PlanoSafer than 47% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+RichardsonBetter than 67% of districts in the state A−PlanoBetter than 79% of districts in the state

Health

ARichardsonHealthier than 86% of U.S. towns APlanoHealthier than 91% of U.S. towns

9Richardson

15Plano

Lists won, of 25 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most-used librariesLibraries · 183 towns #102#10 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 180 towns #71#23 Lowest depressionHealth · 652 towns #148#18 Fastest growingGrowth · 640 towns #178#293 Most library borrowingLibraries · 183 towns #37#8 Best schoolsSchools · 583 towns #184#96 Most activeHealth · 652 towns #141#64 Shortest commuteGetting around · 653 towns #262#331

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

RichardsonPlano

Snow a year2″3″

January low38°F —

July high97°F —

Growing season (days)272d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)58th 59th

Outdoors & history

RichardsonPlano

Trails20 mi 49 mi

Conserved land7.7%10.3%

Settled1840 1873

National Register places—3

Community

RichardsonPlano

Library hours a week66 hrs 66 hrs

Colleges in town4 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

RichardsonPlano

People

Population 118,731Lowest 290,594Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +20.4%Highest TX: +15.9% +9.9%Lowest TX: +15.9%

Median age 33.9±0.6Lowest 5% below TX 39.6±0.6Highest 11% above TX

Kids under 18 20.2%±1.2Lowest TX: 25% 20.9%±0.7Highest TX: 25%

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

Age 65+ 13%±0.7Lowest TX: 13.4% 14.7%±0.5Highest TX: 13.4%

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 57%Lowest TX: 33.8% 60.5%Highest TX: 33.8%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 11.8%±0.9Highest TX: 6.2% 5.8%±0.4Lowest TX: 6.2%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $98,111±$4kLowest 25% above TX $112,253±$3kHighest 43% above TX

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $431,400±$7kLowest 52% above TX $465,900±$5kHighest 64% above TX

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,857±$37Highest 32% above TX $1,841±$24Lowest 31% above TX

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $6,482Lowest 53% above TX $6,700Highest 58% above TX

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 50.2%±4Highest TX: 51.7% 43.5%±2.3Lowest TX: 51.7%

Below poverty line 9.7%Highest TX: 13.8% 6.8%Lowest TX: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 50.7%Lowest TX: 62.6% 56.9%Highest TX: 62.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1986Lowest 6 yrs older than TX 1993Highest 1 yr newer than TX

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 12% below TX 25 minHighest 5% below TX

Work from home 24.9%±1.9Lowest TX: 14.4% 27.5%±1Highest TX: 14.4%

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

Work in townworking residents 15.6%Lowest 22.8%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 10.3 miLowest 10.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.24Highest 1.78Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Dallas (29%)Dallas (21%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others 11% work in Plano7% work in Richardson

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 7.7%Lowest 10.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 20.2 miLowest 49.2 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 mi 0.7 mi

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 40Lowest 68Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 134Highest 126Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #184 of 583 in TX #96 of 583 in TX

School district BASIS TEXAS · CEDAR HILL ISDPREMIER HIGH SCHOOLS · HARMONY PUBLIC SCHOOLS - NORTH TEXAS

High school in town Richardson H SPlano East Sr. H S

Students per teacherat that high school 13.8Lowest 16.7Highest

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.

Richardson neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Richardson’s Town Square.

Plano neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Plano’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Richardson and Plano

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

Bordering Richardson

+ Compare

Garland246,844 people · $271K homes

+ Compare

Dallas1,307,930 people · $321K homes

+ Compare

Murphy21,188 people · $556K homes

Towns like Richardson

+ Compare

Round Rock127,786 people · $419K homes

+ Compare

Grapevine51,139 people · $493K homes

+ Compare

Denton152,866 people · $348K homes

+ Compare

Lewisville131,080 people · $379K 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.

Richardson vs Plano

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $330 more a month in Plano

Richardson and Plano share a border

Plano places higher on 15 of 25 TX lists

What daily life feels like in each

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Richardson and Plano

Bordering Richardson

Towns like Richardson

Post to Richardson

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