A built-out Collin County suburb on US-75 with one large, well-resourced school district.
Curious how Allen stacks up against nearby options? Let's talk through current inventory, new-build timelines, and off-market opportunities tailored to you.
Allen is a city of roughly 114,000 people (ACS 2024 1-year) straddling US-75 between Plano and McKinney. Most of it is served by a single district, Allen ISD, and most of its housing sits in established master-planned neighborhoods (Twin Creeks, Watters Crossing, StarCreek, Suncreek) rather than in new-build exurban sections. Household incomes are high (median $126,370, ACS 2024) and the city’s civic infrastructure is unusually heavy for its size: the Allen Event Center, Eagle Stadium, Allen Premium Outlets, Watters Creek and a large parks system. The trade-off is that Allen is a driving suburb. It has no commuter rail and is not a DART member city.
Established master-planned neighborhoods and a large civic/retail core, all car-dependent
Summers are hot and sunny with highs in the mid-to-upper 90s°F. Winters stay mild - expect 50°F afternoons mixed with the occasional cold snap. North Texas averages 229 sunny days, roughly 41 inches of rain, and minimal snow each year.
Match your wish list - from walkable districts to gated communities - with these buyer favorites. Mali can share recent closings, HOA nuances, and off-market conversations for each pocket.
One of Allen’s best-known master-planned communities, including the Village at Twin Creeks on the city’s west side.
One of Allen’s most established and affordable neighborhoods: a well-maintained community of traditional homes built primarily in the 1990s and early 2000s.
One of Allen’s largest established master-planned communities, in the north of the city near Ridgeview Drive and Alma.
One of Allen’s established residential neighborhoods, built out largely through the 1990s and early 2000s in the western part of the city.
Bethany Lakes sits in central Allen along the Bethany Drive corridor, next to Bethany Lakes Park. The park is the reason to be here: a chain of ponds with a paved loop trail, fishing, playgrounds and open lawn, all a walk from home rather than a drive.
An established subdivision on Allen’s Bethany Drive corridor, built out in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Allen’s most contemporary neighborhood: a mixed-use development of townhomes, single-family homes, retail and greenway trails built primarily after 2015, for buyers who want walkable living and modern design without paying Frisco prices.
Understanding Allen's community composition helps buyers match lifestyle preferences with neighborhood character. The figures below reference recent American Community Survey estimates and city planning reports.
Total population
113,761
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate (table B01003).
Median household income
$126,370
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate (table B19013), margin of error ±$9,890.
Median age
39.5 years
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate (table B01002).
Homeownership rate
66.3%
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate (table B25003). Census QuickFacts shows ~69.4% using the ACS 5-year file, which is a different vintage, not a correction.
Bachelor’s degree or higher
59.7%
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate, population 25+ (table B15002).
Allen High SchoolHigh
Advanced Placement program plus Career & Technical Education pathways including Health Science, IT, Business, Architecture & Construction, Arts/AV and Hospitality.
Allen ISD STEAM CenterSpecialty
District science, technology, engineering, art and math center serving Allen High School students.
Lowery Freshman CenterHigh
Dedicated 9th-grade campus; offers Advanced Placement coursework.
Ereckson Middle SchoolMiddle
Allen ISD middle school, grades 7-8.
Curtis Middle SchoolMiddle
Allen ISD middle school, grades 7-8.
Ford Middle SchoolMiddle
Allen ISD middle school, grades 7-8.
Boon Elementary SchoolElementary
Allen ISD elementary school.
Norton Elementary SchoolElementary
Allen ISD elementary school.
Moving to Allen means lining up the right vendor team, understanding seasonal weather shifts, and comparing neighborhoods before touring. Mali guides you through scouting trips, remote video tours, and negotiation strategy so your Allen plan comes together smoothly.
Answers to common questions about living, buying, and relocating to Allen, Texas.
Allen ISD serves the large majority of the city. Small portions of Allen fall into Plano ISD, Lovejoy ISD or McKinney ISD instead. Because those edges exist, confirm the district for the exact address rather than assuming Allen ISD. Neither Wylie ISD nor Frisco ISD serves any part of Allen.
No. Allen has no DART rail station and is not a DART member city. The nearest light rail is the Red Line in Plano. Allen already levies sales tax at the Texas 8.25% cap, which leaves no room for the 1% DART levy that member cities pay. If rail matters to you, look at Plano, Richardson or Garland.
The Census puts the median owner-reported home value at about $523,100 (ACS 2024 1-year). That is what owners say their homes are worth, not a sale price. Sale-price trackers put the mid-2026 median roughly in the $490K-$517K range depending on which metric you read (median sale price versus a typical-value index versus median list price). Use them as a rough band and price against current comps.
It is a car commute. US-75 runs north-south through the city and SH-121 / Sam Rayburn Tollway borders it to the west; the city puts itself about 20 miles from downtown Dallas and 32 miles from DFW Airport. There is no rail, and the President George Bush Turnpike does not reach Allen.
Allen ISD and the City of Allen are the two biggest. Private employers with an Allen presence include Experian Information Solutions, Jack Henry & Associates, Motorola Solutions, Credit Union of Texas and Andrews Distributing. Allen is not a major regional job center; many residents commute along US-75.
Twin Creeks, Watters Crossing, StarCreek, Suncreek, Bethany Lakes and Bethany Creek Estates are Allen’s established subdivisions. Which one fits depends on whether you want a golf-course setting, a walkable retail district or a quieter interior street. Tell me how you want your Saturday to look and I’ll narrow it down.
Allen is largely built out compared with the Collin County boomtowns further north. Most inventory is resale in established master-planned neighborhoods rather than new construction. If you want a brand-new home on a new street, Celina, Anna, Melissa or Princeton are the places to look.
Allen Premium Outlets, Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm, the Allen Event Center (home of the Allen Americans), Eagle Stadium, The Edge Skate Park, and the parks system: Celebration Park on Angel Parkway is roughly 104 acres with fields, trails, a pavilion and a sprayground.
Have more questions about Allen? Contact Mali at yourealtordfw@gmail.com or call (972) 408-6939.
Get a free comparative market analysis to discover what your home is worth in today's Allen market.
Every North Texas suburb brings unique advantages. Whether you're weighing school ratings, commute times, or neighborhood character, Mali will map your priorities against current market inventory.
Every public campus inside Allen city limits, with the letter grade and score the Texas Education Agency published for it in 2025. Enrolment and grades come straight from TEA's accountability download and the federal school directory, so nothing here is a third-party score that nobody refreshes.
Allen is split across 3 school districts. Two houses on the same street can feed different districts, and boundaries in this corridor get redrawn most years as new campuses open. Confirm the assignment for the exact address with the district before you write an offer - and if the school is a reason you are buying, ask Mali to put the district's written confirmation in your file.
Collin County · 21 campuses in town
Collin County · 1 campus in town
Collin County · 1 campus in town
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades PreK-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades PreK
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Lovejoy ISD · Grades PreK
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades K-6
Allen ISD · Grades 7-8
Allen ISD · Grades 7-8
Allen ISD · Grades 7-8
Allen ISD · Grades 9-12
Allen ISD · Grades 10-11
Allen ISD · Grades 9
Allen homes are taxed by 4 separate governments, and the combined 2025 adopted rate is 1.77% per year of appraised value. That is the number before any exemption and before the special districts below - which is why the figure on a listing page and the figure on your first tax bill are so rarely the same.
| Taxing unit | Rate per $100 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Allen ISD | 1.125800 | 64% |
| City of Allen | 0.415400 | 23% |
| Collin County | 0.149343 | 8% |
| College district | 0.081220 | 5% |
| Combined | 1.771763 | 100% |
Collin County has no hospital district, which is the main structural reason its cities run below their Dallas County neighbours rather than anything about how Allen budgets.
Starts at the Allen median single-family value.
No exemption
$8,852
What an investor or second-home owner pays.
With homestead
$7,053
Effective rate 1.4118% of market value.
You keep
$1,798
Per year, once the exemption is filed and granted.
| Unit | Exemption | Taxed on | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen ISD | $140,000 | $359,600 | $4,048 |
| City | $24,980 | $474,620 | $1,972 |
| County | $24,980 | $474,620 | $709 |
| College district | $99,920 | $399,680 | $325 |
Every school district in Texas must exempt $140,000 of a homestead's value. Cities, counties and college districts may each adopt up to 20% on top, and several here adopt nothing at all - which is why this has to be worked out one unit at a time rather than netted against the combined rate. Year one is billed at full market value; the 10% appraisal cap starts the January after your exemption is granted.
Collin County has 28 special districts levying their own rate on top of everything above - 23 Municipal Utility Districts, 3 Municipal Management Districts, 1 Water Control & Improvement Districts, 1 Fresh Water Supply Districts. Adopted 2025 rates run from 0.41 to 1.20 per $100. At the top of that range a district adds more than half again the entire Allen stack, and none of it is reduced by a homestead exemption.
These follow subdivision boundaries, not city limits, so two houses a mile apart in Allen can differ by a full point. They are most common in newer master-planned communities, because that is what the bonds paid to build.
A Public Improvement District is not a taxing unit. It is an assessment a city levies on the specific parcels that benefited from the roads, water and amenities its bonds paid for - set per parcel, absent from every rate table and every listing-site tax estimate, and not reduced by a homestead exemption because it is not a tax. It typically runs the life of the bonds, often 20 to 40 years, and can frequently be paid off in a lump sum. In a new-build community that is the difference between the budget you built and the payment you owe, and the option period is when you find out.
HOA dues are a private contract with the neighbourhood association. They are not on the tax bill, not collected by the county, not deductible, and not touched by any exemption - and a community can have an HOA and a MUD and a PID at once, which is the combination that catches people out. Ask for the dues, the transfer fee, the reserve study and any special assessment in writing, and read them alongside the tax bill rather than instead of it.