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Everything is bigger in Texas, but for folks who life things a bit smaller, Dallas has some grade-A suburbs to choose from. This is our seventh time ranking the best Dallas suburbs, so trust us when we say we know what we're talking about.
There's a lot to love about Dallas. The Texas State Fair, with ambassador Big Tex presiding, is one of the biggest events of the year, drawing visitors from all over. Nobody does pecan pie and all other things pecan-related better than Dallas. And there's a healthy competition between Dallas' downtown and uptown over who has the superior nightlife scene.
With Dallas thriving in so many areas, it's no wonder people want to live in or around the big city. So how'd we come up with a list of Dallas' best suburbs? Well, we looked at data from both the FBI and the Census to find places with low crime, poverty, and unemployment, great housing options, and safe streets. We didn't stop there, though; we also came up with our own SnackAbility scores, based on things like education, the availability of essential amenities, diversity, and even commute times. These suburbs did not disappoint, with more than half this list receiving a perfect 10/10 overall SnackAbility score.
Just wbere are these idyllic Dallas suburbs? Every single one of them is north of Big D, with some being closer to Fort Worth than Dallas ! If you're hoping to escape the crime of big city life by choosing a suburb, then places like Double Oak and Trophy Club should be the first you research. If your motivation for living outside Dallas is to lower your cost of living, then Keller is probably your best bet. And if you're just trying to keep up with the Kardashians and live lavishly, then you'll definitely feel comfortable in one of University Place's $1,000,000+ homes.
So order up some chili con queso with a frozen margarita and get ready to start living the Cowboy life, because we're heading to the best Dallas suburbs to live in for 2021.
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Dallas for 2021:
Texas may be famous for its Maverick mindset, but we think you should listen to the data when choosing a Dallas suburb to call home. And if you're keeping your options open, check out our list of the best neighborhoods in Dallas to help make an informed decision.
While any one of these Dallas suburbs is sure to put a lasting smile on your face, only one can be dubbed the best. So what is Dallas's best suburb for 2021? According to the most recent data available, Highland Park reigns as the supreme Dallas suburb.
What about the other 76 suburbs Dallas has to offer? Consult the comprehensive list below to see how each suburb fared in our rankings.
Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Texas:
The 10 Best Dallas Suburbs To Live For 2021
/10
Population: 9,168
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $211,136
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 2.3%
More on Highland Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Highland Park is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Dallas area. We'll tell you the good about "Awesome Highland Park."
Everyone here is rich; families average $211,136 a year, which is the 3rd highest in the Dallas region. And only 1.43% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,508,900 each.
/10
Population: 25,036
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $224,485
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 3.9%
More on University Park: Real Estate | Data | Photos
University Park is the second best 'burb we looked at near Dallas for 2021.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 2.44% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
/10
Population: 31,292
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $240,248
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.5%
More on Southlake: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Here in Southlake, it's really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you'll see in the Dallas metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Southlake.
/10
Population: 41,645
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 3)
Median Income: $122,340
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.6%
More on Coppell: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Coppell ranks as the 4th best suburb of Dallas for 2021.
You won't find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Coppell and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 18,726
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $139,453
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Highland: Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Highland.
Highland gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Dallas area, where houses sell for an average of $559,600. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 26,462
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 2)
Median Income: $163,509
Unemployment Rate: 3.6%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Colleyville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Colleyville is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here's why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.61% which is 27th best in the area.
According to online reports, Colleyville is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Dallas area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 7,763
Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 12)
Median Income: $160,278
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 0.7%
More on Lucas: Real Estate | Data
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Lucas.
Lucas schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it's only 23.8 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 46,813
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 2)
Median Income: $141,364
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 3.1%
More on Keller: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Keller is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 5.42% of people lack insurance, good for 14th in the area.
/10
Population: 11,949
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 4)
Median Income: $147,477
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Trophy Club: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Is 'Everything Better In Trophy Club?'
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it's really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 2,912
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Median Income: $147,542
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 1.1%
More on Mclendon-Chisholm: Real Estate | Data
And rounding out the top ten for 2021 is McLendon-Chisholm.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It's far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Dallas for 2021
Figuring out the best suburbs around Dallas was pretty simple; we just needed to list several things that people like, and then find out which cities have the most of those things.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Low unemployment rate
- High Median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2015-2019 to research each suburb.
FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Dallas.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 76 suburbs to evaluate around Dallas.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 76 in each category, where 1 was the "best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the "Best Suburb near Dallas." We're lookin' at you, Highland Park. You can download the data here.
Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the best of the best. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Welcome to the Best Dallas 'Burbs of 2021
We said it once and we'll say it again--life in the big city isn't for everyone. At least not all the time.
So if you're hankering for some of the amenities of a larger city like Dallas, but don't want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might just be for you.
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