Economic Trends

How North Texas cities stack up against nation for income equality

Frisco is the best city in Texas for income equality.

SimplifyYourMoney.com

According to a new survey, North Texas is home to one of the best cities for income equality. Using statistics from the Brookings Institution, Nerdwallet.com ranked Frisco No. 5 out of 50 for income equality.

The survey took into account 303 U.S. cities with a population of at least 100,000 and created an "income equality ratio" by comparing the mean income of the highest-earning 20 percent of residents to the mean income of the lowest-earning 20 percent.

The median household income in Frisco is $111,687, with the lowest earners bringing in just $32,665 compared to the highest 20 percent of Frisco earning $260,066. Although the highest-earning households make nearly eight times more than the lowest-earning families, other cities are actually much worse.

"Frisco has experienced tremendous growth — the city’s population grew by 247 percent in the last decade," Nerdwallet reports. "Its strong income ratio and extremely high median household income are signs of a healthy economy."

To add more low-income housing options in Frisco, the Inclusive Communities Project opened North Court Villas in 2013. Frisco's income equality ranking was not impacted by Section 8 housing, however, as this survey uses data from 2007 to 2012.

West Jordan, Utah, took the top spot on the survey, followed by Thornton, Colorado, and Surprise, Arizona. No other Texas cities fell in the top 10; however, outside of that were Round Rock (No. 16), Carrollton (No. 21), Garland (No. 27), Mesquite (No. 32), Grand Prairie (No. 40) and Odessa (No. 49).

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that Frisco was ranked No. 5 in income inequality. We have updated the story with the correct information.

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Convention Center News

Dallas City Council drops $142 million for convention center re-do

Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center has opened as a warming center in Dallas.

Courtesy photo

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The Dallas Convention Center got a big infusion of cash for its imminent makeover. According to a release, the Dallas City Council awarded more than $187 million in contracts for construction projects in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (KBHCCD) Master Plan.

The contracts are as follows:

$141.5 million contract to Perkins&Will and Populous for architectural, engineering, and design services for the Convention Center Expansion West of Lamar (Component 1)
$42 million in city contributions and $31 million in federal funding, including $20 million from the Reconnecting Communities grant program awarded through a partnership with the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). This funding will be used to construct the foundations for three deck caps, as well as the capping and foundation of the Lamar crossing, near the KBHCCD.
$3.7 million to Metropolitan Infrastructure, PLLC, a Dallas-based M/WBE firm to oversee the renovation of Pioneer Plaza and Cemetery.

Convention and Event Services is leading a team of architects, engineers, and other contractors to design a Convention Center district from Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station to Old City Park that will connect surrounding communities, meet convention attendees’ evolving needs.

"The City Council has made a transformational investment to realize the vision for a reimagined Convention Center district,” said Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “The local and global expertise of our project partners will be instrumental in creating a facility that not only meets current and future convention demands but connects the surrounding residential community and serves downtown workers, benefitting Dallas economic growth and social vibrancy for generations."

With more than 40 conventions booked in the facility scheduled to open in 2029, the new KBHCCD expansion plans include
800,000 square feet of Exhibit Hall space 170,000 square feet of Ballroom space, including a 100,000-square-foot largest ballroom 100,000 square feet of Meeting Rooms and 2,000 parking spaces.