A big, established suburb with corporate headquarters and real DART rail.
Curious how Plano stacks up against nearby options? Let's talk through current inventory, new-build timelines, and off-market opportunities tailored to you.
Plano is the anchor of Collin County: about 292,600 people, four corporate headquarters campuses along the Dallas North Tollway, and neighborhoods that range from 1970s ranch streets in the east to Legacy West’s mixed-use towers in the west. Median household income is $115,901 and the median sale price runs near $520K (ACS 2024; Redfin, three months ending May 2026) - though Plano is big enough that the citywide median describes no actual neighborhood, and a 1980s home in Los Rios is not the same market as a custom home in Willow Bend. It is one of the few suburbs this far north with real light rail: the DART Red Line runs through Downtown Plano and Parker Road, and the Silver Line opened in October 2025. One caveat that catches buyers out - Plano ISD is dominant but not universal, and portions of the city are served by Frisco, Lewisville and Allen ISD.
Established suburban neighborhoods, a walkable historic downtown, and mixed-use urban living at Legacy West
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.
West Plano’s best-known luxury address, built around the Gleneagles Country Club golf courses and near the Shops at Willow Bend. Includes sub-neighborhoods such as Willow Bend West and Willow Bend Lakes.
Master-planned mixed-use district in far west Plano surrounding the Toyota Motor North America headquarters: offices, an open-air shopping and dining center, and urban-style residences.
The original townsite, now an arts district of restored storefronts, restaurants and theaters, anchored by the DART Red Line’s Downtown Plano station and the transit-oriented apartments beside it.
Northwest Plano neighborhood with an active HOA, known across North Texas for the coordinated Christmas light display its streets put on each December.
Established central/east Plano neighborhood next to Jack Carter Park and its public pool, with easy access to US 75.
East Plano, off Los Rios Boulevard. One of the city’s more affordable established areas, with mid-century and 1980s homes on larger lots.
Plano’s guard-gated luxury enclave off Midway Road: custom and semi-custom estate homes behind a staffed gatehouse, with a private clubhouse, resort pool and fitness center. Note that Starwood, which is often assumed to be Plano’s guard-gated community, is actually in west Frisco and is zoned to Frisco ISD.
Understanding Plano'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
≈292,600
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate (292,615).
Median household income
$115,901
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate.
Median age
40.5 years
US Census ACS 2024 1-year estimate. Older than most of its Collin County neighbors.
Homeownership
56.8%
Owner-occupied share of occupied units, computed from US Census ACS 2024 table B25003.
Plano Senior High SchoolHigh
Plano ISD.
Plano East Senior High SchoolHigh
Plano ISD’s IB World School: the International Honors Preparatory Program (grades 9-10) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (grades 11-12).
Plano West Senior High SchoolHigh
Plano ISD.
Shepton High SchoolHigh
Plano ISD.
Renner Middle SchoolMiddle
Plano ISD.
Plano ISD Academy High SchoolSpecialty
District choice school for grades 9-12 with a project-based STEAM focus.
Plano ISD Health Sciences AcademySpecialty
Four-year career and technical education academy: dual credit with Collin College and industry certifications in healthcare tracks.
Plano Wildcat Collegiate AcademySpecialty
One of Plano ISD’s four academy choice programs.
Moving to Plano 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 Plano plan comes together smoothly.
Get a free comparative market analysis to discover what your home is worth in today's Plano 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 Plano 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.
Plano is split across 2 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 · 61 campuses in town
Collin County · 5 campuses in town
Plano also has campuses run by Harmony Public Schools - North Texas, Imagine Lone Star International Academy, Legacy Preparatory, Premier High Schools. Open-enrollment charters admit by application and lottery from a wide area, so buying a particular house never assigns a child to one.
Frisco ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Frisco ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Harmony Public Schools - North Texas · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Imagine Lone Star International Academy · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK
Premier High Schools · Grades PreK-1
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Frisco ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Frisco ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades PreK-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades K-5
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Frisco ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 6-8
Plano ISD · Grades 9-12
Plano ISD · Grades 12
Plano ISD · Grades 9-10
Plano ISD · Grades 9-10
Plano ISD · Grades 9-12
Plano ISD · Grades 11-12
Plano ISD · Grades 11-12
Plano ISD · Grades 9-10
Plano ISD · Grades 9-10
Plano ISD · Grades 9-10
Legacy Preparatory · Grades PreK-12
Plano ISD · Grades 8-11
Plano homes are taxed by 4 separate governments, and the combined 2025 adopted rate is 1.71% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Plano ISD | 1.039550 | 61% |
| City of Plano | 0.437600 | 26% |
| Collin County | 0.149343 | 9% |
| College district | 0.081220 | 5% |
| Combined | 1.707713 | 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 Plano budgets.
Starts at the Plano median single-family value.
No exemption
$8,668
What an investor or second-home owner pays.
With homestead
$6,648
Effective rate 1.3098% of market value.
You keep
$2,020
Per year, once the exemption is filed and granted.
| Unit | Exemption | Taxed on | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plano ISD | $140,000 | $367,600 | $3,821 |
| City | $101,520 | $406,080 | $1,777 |
| County | $25,380 | $482,220 | $720 |
| College district | $101,520 | $406,080 | $330 |
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 Plano 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 Plano 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.
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Answers to common questions about living, buying, and relocating to Plano, Texas.
Mostly Plano ISD, but not entirely, and this catches buyers out. Plano ISD is the dominant district and serves roughly 49,000 students across about 79 schools, most of them inside city limits. Portions of Plano city limits are also served by Frisco ISD, Lewisville ISD and Allen ISD. A Plano mailing address does not guarantee a Plano ISD campus, so confirm the attendance zone for the specific address with the district before you write an offer.
Yes. Plano is a DART member city and one of the few suburbs this far north with real light rail. The Red Line stops at Parker Road, Downtown Plano and Bush Turnpike; Parker Road is a park-and-ride and also gets Orange Line service during weekday peak hours. The DART Silver Line regional rail opened on October 25, 2025, with stations at 12th Street (shared with the Red Line) and Shiloh Road, running west toward Addison, Carrollton, Cypress Waters and DFW Airport. DART buses and GoLink on-demand zones cover the gaps.
The median sale price was roughly $520,000 across the three months ending May 2026, per Redfin. Treat that as a directional number: Plano is a big city and pricing swings hard by neighborhood. A 1980s home in Los Rios in east Plano and a custom home in Willow Bend are not the same market. Ask for comps on the specific streets you’re shopping.
Plano is unusually well connected for a northern suburb. US 75 (Central Expressway) and the Dallas North Tollway run north-south, and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH 121) and President George Bush Turnpike (SH 190) run east-west, so you rarely have only one way to go. Plenty of residents skip the drive entirely: many of the largest employers (Toyota, Frito-Lay, Tyler Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, Capital One) are inside the city.
Toyota Motor North America has its North American headquarters at 6565 Headquarters Drive, Frito-Lay North America (PepsiCo) has its North American headquarters at 7701 Legacy Drive, and Tyler Technologies is headquartered on Tennyson Parkway. Plano Economic Development also lists JPMorgan Chase, widely reported as the city’s largest employer, along with Capital One and Bank of America among the leading employers. Published headcounts vary too much between sources to quote a number honestly.
Willow Bend in west Plano is the city’s best-known luxury address, built around the Gleneagles Country Club courses. Legacy West is the mixed-use district around the Toyota campus, for buyers who want to walk to dinner. Historic Downtown Plano is the arts district on the DART Red Line. Deerfield is famous locally for its December light display. For established homes at friendlier prices, look at Hunters Glen and Los Rios on the east side.
It is a mature market, not a new-build boomtown. Plano’s median age is 40.5 and 16.9% of residents are 65 or older (ACS 2024), which is older than its fast-growing neighbors to the north. At the same time, 21% of residents are under 18, and Plano ISD’s academy programs include IB at Plano East, the STEAM Academy High School and the Health Sciences Academy.
Arbor Hills Nature Preserve has hiking and mountain-bike trails and a lookout tower. Oak Point Park and Nature Preserve is the city’s largest park, with trails, an amphitheater and a recreation center, and it hosts the Plano Balloon Festival each fall. Legacy West and Legacy Town Center handle shopping and dining, the Downtown Plano Arts District has theaters and galleries, and the Heritage Farmstead Museum preserves a late-19th-century Blackland Prairie farm.
Have more questions about Plano? Contact Mali at yourealtordfw@gmail.com or call (972) 408-6939.