Murphy is a finished suburb, and that is the most useful thing to know about it. The City of Murphy's own Community Development materials describe a city that is largely developed with limited vacant land, and its new Comprehensive Master Plan is about redevelopment and site-specific opportunity districts, not greenfield expansion. So the inventory here is resale, the neighborhoods are grown-in, and the growth story belongs to other cities. What Murphy offers instead is location and an established fabric: it sits in south-central Collin County against Plano, Richardson, Parker, Sachse and Wylie, with the eastern end of the President George Bush Turnpike just south of town. Median household income is $175,699 and homeownership runs 93.7% (US Census ACS 2024 5-year). It is also one of the most internationally rooted suburbs in the county: 32.4% of residents are Asian and 25.1% are foreign-born. The one thing to get right before you shop: Murphy is split between Plano ISD and Wylie ISD, by address.
Murphy is a finished suburb, and that is the most useful thing to know about it. The City of Murphy's own Community Development materials describe a city that is largely developed with limited vacant land, and its new Comprehensive Master Plan is about redevelopment and site-specific opportunity districts, not greenfield expansion. So the inventory here is resale, the neighborhoods are grown-in, and the growth story belongs to other cities. What Murphy offers instead is location and an established fabric: it sits in south-central Collin County against Plano, Richardson, Parker, Sachse and Wylie, with the eastern end of the President George Bush Turnpike just south of town. Median household income is $175,699 and homeownership runs 93.7% (US Census ACS 2024 5-year). It is also one of the most internationally rooted suburbs in the county: 32.4% of residents are Asian and 25.1% are foreign-born. The one thing to get right before you shop: Murphy is split between Plano ISD and Wylie ISD, by address.
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.
Murphy's large master-planned community, and the one corroborated by the city itself: Water's Edge Park (403 Waters Edge Way) sits inside it, and the Maxwell Creek trail system runs through it. Grown-in and established, like most of Murphy.
A separate HOA from Maxwell Creek proper. Worth knowing, because the dues, rules and amenities are not the same association's.
An established Murphy subdivision with its own HOA.
An established Murphy subdivision.
An established Murphy subdivision.
An established Murphy subdivision.
An established Murphy subdivision.
An established Murphy subdivision.
An established Murphy subdivision.
Understanding Murphy'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
21,188
US Census ACS 2024 5-year estimate (2020–2024). Murphy is at or near build-out and its population is essentially flat. It is not a growth market.
Population Density
≈3,719 per sq mi
US Census ACS 2024 5-year. Roughly an order of magnitude denser than nearby Lucas: the difference between conventional suburban lots and acre-plus minimums.
Median Household Income
$175,699
US Census ACS 2024 5-year estimate, margin of error ±$16,778.
Homeownership Rate
93.7%
Computed from US Census ACS 2024 5-year table B25003: 5,638 owner-occupied of 6,015 occupied units. There are only about 6,030 housing units in the entire city.
Asian Residents
32.4%
US Census ACS 2024 5-year, table B03002: 6,873 of 21,188 residents. Related: 25.1% of Murphy residents are foreign-born.
Median Age
41.7 years
US Census ACS 2024 5-year estimate (±2.3 years).
School zones significantly impact home values and buyer decisions. The list below highlights top-performing campuses-Mali can map specific attendance boundaries for your shortlist properties.
Middle
Plano ISD. Physically located in Murphy.
Middle
Plano ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Plano ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Plano ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Plano ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Plano ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
High
Plano ISD, grades 9–10 in the district's high school / senior high model.
High
Plano ISD, grades 9–10 in the district's high school / senior high model.
High
Plano ISD, grades 11–12. The senior high that Plano ISD students in Murphy feed into.
Elementary
Wylie ISD. Physically located in Murphy.
Elementary
Wylie ISD. Serves Murphy addresses; the campus itself is outside the city.
Elementary
Wylie ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Wylie ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Wylie ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Wylie ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Elementary
Wylie ISD. Listed by the City of Murphy as serving Murphy addresses.
Middle
Wylie ISD intermediate campus serving Murphy addresses.
Middle
Wylie ISD intermediate campus serving Murphy addresses.
Middle
Wylie ISD junior high serving Murphy addresses.
Middle
Wylie ISD junior high serving Murphy addresses.
High
Wylie ISD, grades 9–12.
Moving to Murphy 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 Murphy plan comes together smoothly.
Get a free comparative market analysis to discover what your home is worth in today's Murphy 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.
Answers to common questions about living, buying, and relocating to Murphy, Texas.
Two of them: Plano ISD and Wylie ISD. There is no single answer, and this is the most consequential fact in a Murphy home search. The City of Murphy publishes both districts' campus lists on its own School Districts & Schools page. The split broadly tracks the city's position between Plano to the west and Wylie to the east, but it is decided by address, and two nearly identical houses on opposite sides of a boundary can feed different high schools. Never accept "Murphy is Plano ISD" or "Murphy is Wylie ISD" without checking the specific address with the district.
On the Plano ISD side: Boggess, Hickey, Martha Hunt and Miller Elementary; Murphy Middle School and Armstrong Middle School; McMillen and Williams High School (grades 9–10 in Plano ISD's model), feeding Plano East Senior High (11–12). On the Wylie ISD side: Tibbals, Whitt, Akin PM, Birmingham, Cheri Cox, Hartman and R.V. Groves Elementary; Draper and Harrison Intermediate; Burnett and Cooper Junior High; and Wylie High School. Murphy Middle School and Tibbals Elementary are the two campuses confirmed as physically inside Murphy; several of the others serve Murphy addresses from campuses in Plano, Wylie or Sachse.
No, and any pitch that says otherwise is selling you a different city's story. Murphy is essentially built out. The City of Murphy's own Community Development materials state the city is largely developed with limited vacant land available, and its new Comprehensive Master Plan is built around redevelopment and site-specific Murphy Opportunity Districts rather than greenfield expansion. In practice that means very little new construction, an inventory that is almost entirely resale, and a population that is essentially flat at about 21,188 (ACS 2024 5-year).
The US Census ACS 2024 5-year estimate puts the median value of an owner-occupied Murphy home at about $555,500 (±$25,000). Redfin reported a median sale price of $584,650 in May 2026, up 1.7% year over year. Murphy has enough monthly closing volume for that median to mean something, and the small, steady year-over-year move is exactly what you would expect from a built-out resale market rather than a speculative one.
The ACS mean travel time to work for Murphy residents is 32.2 minutes (US Census ACS 2024 5-year). Murphy has no freeway inside the city, so every trip starts on FM 544 or FM 2551 (N Murphy Road). Its real advantage over Lucas or Melissa is the President George Bush Turnpike, whose eastern terminus sits immediately south of the city, giving a fast run west toward Richardson, Plano, Carrollton and DFW Airport. US-75 is reached west through Plano; SH-78 runs southeast toward Garland.
Murphy is a commuter town. It has no major corporate or industrial employer, and nearing build-out it has no industrial or logistics pipeline either. The local employment base is retail and services along FM 544: The Corridor at Murphy, anchored by Walmart, Lowe's, Sprouts Farmers Market and 24 Hour Fitness, plus Plano ISD and Wylie ISD campuses and the city government. Those are commercial anchors, not a ranking of biggest employers by headcount; no such ranking exists. Residents commute to Plano, Richardson, Frisco and Dallas.
It is an established, affluent, grown-in suburb rather than a frontier. Homeownership is 93.7% and there are only about 6,030 housing units in the whole city (ACS 2024 5-year), so neighborhoods are stable and turnover is low. It is also notably international: 32.4% of residents are Asian and 25.1% are foreign-born. Daily life runs through Murphy Central Park, the Maxwell Creek trail system, and The Corridor at Murphy on FM 544, and once a year, Murphy Maize Days.
Very rarely. Murphy is built out by the city's own account, with limited vacant land, and whatever change comes next will come from infill and redevelopment. If a new build with a builder's warranty is a requirement, you will have better luck in Melissa, Anna, Princeton or Celina. If mature landscaping and a finished neighborhood are what you actually want, that trade works in your favor here.
Have more questions about Murphy? Contact Mali at yourealtordfw@gmail.com or call (972) 408-6939.