Should I Move To
Roughly 284,948 people live in Plano, Texas. Living here costs moderate relative to the rest of the country, 8% above the national average. Median rent runs about $1,699/mo; the typical household pulls in $105,679. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 51/100 — a C-, putting it at #453 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Plano sits at 108 — moderate when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,699/mo against $105,679 median household income), housing eats roughly 19% of a typical paycheck — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Buying-side, the median home value is $412,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 96°F in summer, 40°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 38 inches. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests. On the safer side of the national distribution, though not by a huge margin. AQI runs about 49 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Plano is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 58/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (22/100).
For retirees, Plano isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 47/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (22/100).
For remote workers, Plano isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 44/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (22/100).
For young professionals, Plano is workable — not standout, not weak. The profile-weighted score is 58/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is education (89/100); the soft spot is environmental quality (22/100).
Our overall score for Plano is 51/100 — a C-, sitting at #453 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Plano sits at 108 — moderate, 8% above the national average. Median renter pays around $1,699 a month.
Plano runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 96°F, winter's near 40°F; 38 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 37/100. You'll need a car for most things, though the central core is more walkable than the citywide score suggests.
Roughly 284,948 people live here, with 58% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 39.
Drop Plano into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Plano with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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