McKinney has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of McKinney without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of McKinney: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$250,001 median income · $2,420,171 median home price
Located in
Dallas County, Texas
University Park is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the McKinney area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome University Park.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the 2nd highest in the McKinney region. And only 3.6% are out of work. Homes average more than $2,420,171 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$186,075 median income · $971,050 median home price
Highland is the second best ‘burb we looked at near McKinney for 2026.
It ranks 8th for incomes in the area and only 4.4% of residents lack insurance, good for 10th best.
$250,001 median income · $2,891,619 median home price
Located in
Dallas County, Texas
Here in Highland Park, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the McKinney 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 Highland Park.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$221,364 median income · $1,074,131 median home price
Located in
Collin County, Texas
Lucas ranks as the 4th best suburb of McKinney for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Lucas and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$172,321 median income · $845,919 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is Double Oak.
Double Oak gets kudos for having the 8th most expensive homes in the McKinney area, where houses sell for an average of $845,919. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$146,235 median income · $619,492 median home price
Located in
Denton County, Texas
Coppell 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 2.6%.
According to online reports, Coppell is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the McKinney area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$161,235 median income · $609,719 median home price
Located in
Tarrant County, Texas
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Flower Mound.
Flower Mound 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 28.0 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$175,699 median income · $571,960 median home price
Located in
Collin County, Texas
Murphy 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 7.0% of people lack insurance, good for 16th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$118,072 median income · $527,895 median home price
Is ‘Everything Better In Providence?’
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.
$220,828 median income · $708,331 median home price
Located in
Rockwall County, Texas
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Heath.
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Texas’s statewide median.
Texas statewide median: $78,476
Texas statewide median: $300,957
Texas statewide median: 5.3%
Texas statewide median: 13.8%
On the map
Where the best McKinney suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around McKinney for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around McKinney was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- 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
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of McKinney.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 61 suburbs to evaluate around McKinney.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 61 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near McKinney.” We’re lookin’ at you, University Park.
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 more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best McKinney suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best McKinney Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University Park | 8.64 | 25,155 | $250,001 | $2,420,171 |
| 2 | Highland | 12.79 | 20,119 | $186,075 | $971,050 |
| 3 | Highland Park | 12.79 | 8,773 | $250,001 | $2,891,619 |
| 4 | Lucas | 13.86 | 8,351 | $221,364 | $1,074,131 |
| 5 | Double Oak | 16.29 | 3,071 | $172,321 | $845,919 |
| 6 | Coppell | 17.14 | 42,154 | $146,235 | $619,492 |
| 7 | Flower Mound | 18.00 | 78,389 | $161,235 | $609,719 |
| 8 | Murphy | 18.29 | 21,188 | $175,699 | $571,960 |
| 9 | Providence | 18.93 | 8,947 | $118,072 | $527,895 |
| 10 | Heath | 19.86 | 10,777 | $220,828 | $708,331 |
| 11 | Frisco | 20.00 | 219,304 | $150,212 | $656,758 |
| 12 | Copper Canyon | 20.86 | 2,514 | $155,625 | $1,073,390 |
| 13 | Corinth | 21.00 | 23,385 | $120,580 | $410,565 |
| 14 | Parker | 21.36 | 5,999 | $229,080 | $1,088,169 |
| 15 | Shady Shores | 21.86 | 2,922 | $159,375 | $522,063 |
| 16 | McLendon-Chisholm | 22.00 | 4,511 | $204,773 | $667,451 |
| 17 | Oak Point | 22.29 | 5,887 | $126,290 | $419,835 |
| 18 | Lavon | 22.57 | 6,498 | $131,303 | $349,797 |
| 19 | Hickory Creek | 22.57 | 5,611 | $148,852 | $494,276 |
| 20 | Allen | 23.00 | 110,265 | $130,901 | $493,532 |
| 21 | Celina | 23.07 | 34,268 | $170,894 | $546,742 |
| 22 | Prosper | 24.14 | 37,869 | $195,281 | $784,350 |
| 23 | Melissa | 25.29 | 20,136 | $138,763 | $434,769 |
| 24 | Rockwall | 26.43 | 51,168 | $115,580 | $480,553 |
| 25 | Bartonville | 26.86 | 2,112 | $149,071 | $1,403,732 |
| 26 | Sachse | 27.57 | 30,491 | $131,808 | $433,037 |
| 27 | Plano | 28.57 | 290,594 | $112,253 | $498,989 |
| 28 | Sunnyvale | 29.64 | 8,336 | $170,348 | $631,290 |
| 29 | The Colony | 30.14 | 45,454 | $114,511 | $406,282 |
| 30 | Fairview | 31.07 | 10,783 | $109,347 | $660,166 |
| 31 | Aubrey | 31.29 | 7,396 | $101,574 | $363,613 |
| 32 | Addison | 31.36 | 17,290 | $73,854 | $490,587 |
| 33 | Fate | 32.00 | 22,884 | $132,752 | $361,762 |
| 34 | Rowlett | 32.43 | 65,463 | $112,081 | $371,473 |
| 35 | Wylie | 32.43 | 60,334 | $119,522 | $421,548 |
| 36 | Grapevine | 33.71 | 51,139 | $111,376 | $552,148 |
| 37 | Gunter | 33.93 | 2,398 | $120,000 | $665,810 |
| 38 | Carrollton | 35.71 | 133,740 | $101,396 | $406,040 |
| 39 | Lake Dallas | 35.71 | 7,822 | $76,879 | $347,097 |
| 40 | Van Alstyne | 36.14 | 5,952 | $102,469 | $433,827 |
| 41 | Collinsville | 36.43 | 2,060 | $60,417 | $387,665 |
| 42 | Richardson | 36.64 | 118,731 | $98,111 | $440,400 |
| 43 | Princeton | 37.00 | 25,229 | $105,200 | $294,071 |
| 44 | Little Elm | 37.86 | 54,820 | $119,219 | $403,397 |
| 45 | Anna | 38.57 | 24,330 | $105,593 | $349,537 |
| 46 | Lewisville | 38.79 | 131,080 | $89,233 | $393,896 |
| 47 | Lakewood | 39.21 | 62,937 | $74,720 | $521,148 |
| 48 | Farmers Branch | 39.21 | 36,645 | $91,186 | $377,734 |
| 49 | Hackberry | 39.71 | 2,979 | $109,769 | $441,786 |
| 50 | Caddo Mills | 40.64 | 3,340 | $107,067 | $315,941 |
| 51 | Josephine | 41.57 | 5,842 | $91,000 | $287,283 |
| 52 | Cross Roads | 42.14 | 2,035 | $124,145 | $337,284 |
| 53 | Irving | 44.79 | 256,492 | $81,830 | $341,503 |
| 54 | Sherman | 46.14 | 46,397 | $58,859 | $257,920 |
| 55 | Denton | 46.36 | 152,866 | $76,019 | $354,135 |
| 56 | Garland | 47.29 | 246,844 | $76,320 | $286,805 |
| 57 | Dallas | 48.43 | 1,307,930 | $70,518 | $309,421 |
| 58 | Pilot Point | 49.21 | 5,332 | $97,933 | $329,619 |
| 59 | Howe | 53.00 | 3,689 | $51,108 | $247,617 |
| 60 | Farmersville | 53.14 | 4,018 | $81,036 | $338,460 |
| 61 | Leonard | 53.29 | 2,505 | $54,717 | $370,224 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 61 suburbs within 30 miles of McKinney.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best McKinney ‘Burbs of 2026
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.
The best suburbs of McKinney are University Park, Highland, Highland Park, Lucas, Double Oak, Coppell, Flower Mound, Murphy, Providence, and Heath.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like McKinney but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Texas? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of McKinney FAQs
What is the best suburb of McKinney?
University Park is the best suburb of McKinney for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Highland and Highland Park are next.
What are the best suburbs of McKinney?
The best suburbs of McKinney are University Park, Highland, Highland Park, Lucas, Double Oak, Coppell, Flower Mound, Murphy, Providence, and Heath. We ranked all 61 places within commuting range.
How expensive is University Park?
The median household income in University Park is $250,001 and the median home costs $2,420,171. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of McKinney?
Any place within 30 miles of McKinney qualifies. 61 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank McKinney suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, University Park, takes the crown.
