The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has become one of the most desirable metropolitan regions in the US. The DFW was estimated to have netted a gain of more than 1.2 million residents over the past decade. But more specifically, what many people know are that some of those greatest Dallas suburbs rank among the best in Texas and the country, attracting high-income households and major corporate headquarters alike.
While some of these suburbs may now be considered too expensive or stagnating, others remain accessible to upper middle-class families and are experiencing rapid growth. In this article, we will focus on four of these thriving upscale Dallas suburbs: Flower Mound, Frisco, Plano, and Southlake.
We’re going to objectively compare these regarding hard data on demographics, housing, criminality rates, schools, politics, and potential value appreciation. What we look for here is to help you to determine your favorite among the four based on your lifestyle and priorities. To wrap it up, we are going to choose our overall winner with respect to desirability versus value for money.
This article’s data and analysis were provided by Maptimum, a leading online tool for neighborhood evaluation.
If you don’t want to read all the details, here’s the spoiler: the four areas are close in terms of the quality of life they offer. However, Southlake wins by a small margin. In terms of value for money, Frisco and Flower Mound come out on top, again by a tiny margin.
Comparison Table:
| Variable | Flower Mound | Frisco | Plano | Southlake |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population Density | Highest | Lowest | ||
| Population Growth | Highest | Lowest | ||
| Median Age | Lowest | Highest | ||
| Racial Diversity | Most Diverse | Most Diverse | Least Diverse | |
| Educational Attainment | Lowest | Highest | ||
| Owner-Occupied Homes | Lowest | Highest | ||
| Age of Buildings | Newest | Oldest | ||
| Low-Income Housing | None | Significant | Significant | None |
| Land Cover | Most Agricultural | Most Developed | ||
| Crime Rate | Lowest | Highest | ||
| Fatal Car Accidents | Highest | Lowest | ||
| Registered Sex Offenders | Most | Least | ||
| Political Orientation | Conservative | Moderate | Most Liberal | Most Conservative |
| Desirability Score | Lowest | Highest | ||
| Bang for the Buck Score | Best | Best | Worst |
Before we start into the analysis, here are some fun facts about these areas:
- Flower Mound gets its name from a 12.5-acre mound covered with wildflowers. The natural landmark has been preserved and symbolizes the town’s commitment to nature.
- Frisco hosts the headquarters and training facility of the Dallas Cowboys, The Star, their main attraction.
- Plano is home to many major corporations’ headquarters, like Toyota North America, Frito-Lay, and J.C. Penney, hence a big employment hub.
- The very famous annual Oktoberfest is held in Southlake and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the area with its vibrant party scenes, great food, and a number of entertainment activities.
Demographics
The most important aspect of any region is its people. Let’s compare the four regions by different dimensions of their populations:
- Population Density:
- Frisco: Densest, with about 3,500 persons per square mile.
- Southlake: Least dense, with about 1,400 persons per square mile.
- Population Growth:
- Frisco: Expected to grow by about 15% over the next five years.
- Flower Mound, Plano, and Southlake: Approximately similar growth rates.
- Median Age:
- Frisco: Youngest population with a mean age of 36.6 years.
- Southlake: Oldest population with a mean age of 43 years.
- Racial Diversity:
- Southlake: Greatest share of non-Hispanic whites at 65%.
- Frisco and Plano: Most diverse, with sizeable Asian, Hispanic, and African-American populations.
- Educational Attainment:
- Southlake: Nearly 80% of residents hold college degrees or higher.
- Plano: Around 60% of residents hold college degrees or higher.
Housing
Let’s take a look at the housing and development stats in these areas:
Occupancy Rates: In Southlake, 90% of the homes are occupied by the owner, which is a positive because owners tend to put more effort into maintaining their houses and the community. Plano, on the other hand, has 40% of its homes occupied by renters and may join the renter-majority DFW suburbs in the coming years.
Age of Buildings: Not surprisingly, Frisco has the youngest structures, with the median house built in 2007. Plano has the oldest, with the median year being 1992.
Low-Income Housing: There are no significant low-income housing properties (such as public housing or Section 8) in Southlake and Flower Mound. However, Plano and Frisco each have four such properties, with about 100 housing units per property.
Land Cover: The notable pattern in land cover among the four areas is that Frisco still has a considerable amount of agricultural land (25%), while Plano has the highest proportion of developed land (almost 75%), whether residential or commercial.
Crime and Safety
All four areas have significantly lower crime rates than the national average. Flower Mound takes the prize here, at a total of 34 for its crime rate, basically one-third of the national average. Plano ranks fourth, with an index of 70 about two-thirds of the national average for most all crimes.
Car Accidents
Car accidents can be an indication of how safe the roads are and a culture of responsible driving. In 2019-2022, the newest data available, Southlake had the fewest fatal car accidents at 3. Plano was highest with 44, including one-third involving DUI. Even when adjusted for their size and population, that is a big difference.
Registered Sex Offenders
Again, Southlake comes out the winner with only 1 registered sex offender at the time of this writing. The highest was Plano with 109, or almost 2 per square mile.
Schools
Probably what would be most in the forefront of families’ minds when choosing which area to go with is schools. All four areas have top-rated school districts.
Again, Southlake is served by Carroll ISD, which ranks first in all of Texas, thereby winning this category outright. Frisco ISD comes in a distant second to Carroll but was still ranked at the 95th percentile. Plano and Flower Mound are served by Plano ISD and Lewisville ISD, ranking in the 88th and 66th percentiles, statewide.
It’s also worth mentioning that all areas include exceptional charter and private schools.
Environment
The air quality is similar in all areas, generally good but worsening in summer due to higher ozone levels.
All areas have almost zero risk of earthquakes but include high-risk flood zones near rivers and lakes.
Walkability
Plano and Frisco are the most walkable, while Flower Mound is the most car-dependent.
Politics
Southlake is the most conservative area among the four, with almost 62% voting for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Plano is the most liberal, with almost 55% voting for Joe Biden. Frisco is perfectly moderate, with each candidate receiving 49% of the votes.
Affordability and Appreciation Forecasts
At the moment, Southlake holds the highest-priced houses with a median home cost of about $750,000, while Plano offers the cheapest at $480,000. Regarding price appreciation, Flower Mound and Plano will have the steepest increases over the next 5 years, at around 8% and 7%, respectively. Frisco and Southlake have more modest appreciation rates of 4% and 5%, respectively.
Overall Winner
Maptimum calculates a score called the Desirability Score, which measures how closely the features of an area match those of a perfect one. The closer the score is to 100, the more flawless the area is. Price is not included in this calculation.
The four areas score closely:
- Southlake: 72.03/100
- Frisco: 71.93/100
- Flower Mound: 67.35/100
- Plano: 63.08/100
So, Southlake wins with a tiny margin.
Maptimum also has a Bang for the Buck score, which measures how much value you get from the area given its price. Again, the scores are close:
- Flower Mound: 69/100
- Frisco: 69/100
- Plano: 68/100
- Southlake: 63/100
In this category, Frisco and Flower Mound share the trophy marginally.
From the data analysis, these four Dallas suburbs offer residents an excellent quality of life. Southlake, the most expensive one, unsurprisingly performed marginally better than the rest in most categories. Taking value for money into account, Frisco and Flower Mound show better. The rest dominated Plano, perhaps due to its more commercial orientation, which has separated it from the other three residential oases.
Keep in mind that these stats and analyses are for the entire suburbs, which are pretty large. Therefore, particular areas inside each suburb may vary in features and feel. Request neighborhood analysis for an exact address to ensure that the smaller area within really fits what you’re looking for.
