PLANO, Texas — Read this story and more North Texas business news from our partners at the Dallas Business Journal
Plano ranks as the best city for family renters, a recent analysis finds.
The ranking analyzed a total of 136 cities with at least 10,000 apartment units across three main categories: cost of living and housing, local economy and quality of life. The categories were compiled from 25 metrics including availability of family-sized apartments and school quality, and every city received a score based on each metric and category.
Diving deeper into the city’s score, Plano ranked third in local economy and fourth in its quality of life. The city also has one of the highest job growth rates in the country at 6%, and an unemployment rate of 4%. Nearly 70% of its apartments are located in top locations, and Plano has a 91% child school enrollment rate.
The city ranked 115 in the cost of living and housing — one of its lowest scores. The cost of living in the city is 21% higher than the national average.
Plano was also listed as the second-best city for renters in the country, following Charleston, S.C.
Plano was the only North Texas city in the top 10. Round Rock and Austin were listed at sixth and seventh, respectively. Denton ranked 33, and Dallas was listed at 35.
Dallas ranked 35 in local economy and 31 in the quality of life. A quarter of the apartments in the area are located near top locations. The city scored above Plano in the cost of living and housing metric, at 81st, and its cost of living is 3% higher than the national average. Like Plano, Dallas has a job growth rate of 6% and unemployment rate of 5%.
Scoring slightly higher, Dallas was listed at 32 in the best places for renters to live ranking.
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