Setting itself apart

This happy Dallas suburb is the best place in America for renters, study says

Most Plano renters have plenty of room to spread out.

Plano officially touts itself as a “city of excellence.” That slogan easily could apply to Plano’s atmosphere for renters.

A new study from Forbes Advisor ranks Plano as the No. 1 city in the country for renters.

Thestudy examined data from Apartments.com along with data related to factors like weather, disaster risk, and parkland to come up with its ranking.

“Plano serves up relatively spacious apartments, and its affordability makes it an attractive spot to settle in. Plano doesn’t have the cheapest rent — in fact it ranks down at No. 73 out of 100 for low rent,” Forbes Advisor says. “But the city’s high median household income of over $95,000 means that Plano has a low ratio of rent to income (20 percent of median income would be spent on the average two-bedroom apartment).”

Rental platform RentCafé lists the average apartment rent in Plano as $1,343.

Forbes Advisor further points out that one-third of rentals in Plano feature stainless steel appliances and 90 percent offer gym access. In addition, most rentals in Plano allow pets.

Meanwhile, self-storage platform StorageCafé adds to Plano’s status as a haven for renters, putting Plano at No. 2 on its list of the best cities for roommates to share space; only Atlanta ranks higher. Among the country’s 82 largest cities, Plano provides the second largest amount of room per roommate (542 square feet) in a two-bedroom apartment. Atlanta bested Plano by just five square feet per roommate.

According to StorageCafé, 18 percent of Plano residents live with roommates.

If the Forbes Advisor and StorageCafé studies weren’t enough to make a Plano renter smile, consider that personal finance website WalletHub gives it high marks as one of the happiest places to live in the U.S. (ranked 17th in 2021). To develop its ranking, WalletHub looked at factors like depression rate, income growth rate, and average leisure time spent per day.

Plano is the only Texas city to appear in the top 20. Holding down the No. 1 spot is Fremont, California, a San Francisco suburb.

In a blurb accompanying a YouTube video, the City of Plano brags that the suburb “has earned a national reputation as one of the best places in the United States for people to live, work, and play.”

Coming in below Plano on the Forbes list are Omaha, Nebraska (No. 2), Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 3), Lincoln, Nebraska (No. 4), and Gilbert, Arizona (No. 5).

wallethub reports rankings forbes rent

population explosion

7 booming Dallas neighbors see biggest population growth in U.S.

City of Denton, TX - City Hall/Facebook

Denton had the biggest population growth rate in Dallas-Fort Worth from 2022 to 2023.

Denton, Mansfield, McKinney, and more North Texas cities are among the fastest-growing places in the country, according to a new population growth study by SmartAsset.

The report, "These Cities Saw the Largest Growth in Population – 2024 Study," examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom nationwide from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Denton took the lead over all other Dallas-Fort Worth cities with the 16th-largest one-year population growth rate in the U.S., at 5.32 percent. Denton gained over 8,000 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 158,361 in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Denton, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the safest suburbs in America.

Mansfield trailed close behind with a 4.16 percent increase in population during that same period, which landed it the No. 26 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 3,189 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 79,775 residents in 2023.

McKinney appeared farther down the list as No. 49 with just a 2.89 percent one-year growth rate from 2022 to 2023, and a total population of 213,504 residents.

Only four other Dallas-Fort Worth cities appeared in the top 100 fastest growing cities in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023:

No. 61 – Frisco (2.48 percent increase)
No. 72 – Rowlett (2.48 percent)
No. 73 – Lewisville (2.17 percent)
No. 99 – Flower Mound (1.73 percent)

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Denton or Mansfield can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

Just two spots behind New Braunfels is the North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4), which grew 11.34 percent to 96,317 residents in 2023. According to the report's five-year population change analysis, Georgetown ranked seventh with a 29.85 percent growth rate.

The Houston suburbs of Atascocita and Conroe ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Atascocita's total population grew to 119,502 residents in 2023, which represented a 11.03 percent growth rate from 2022, and a whopping 38.56 percent population increase since 2018. Conroe's 6.73 percent one-year population increase paled in comparison, but the city grew 23.49 percent during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset dallas fort worth denton suburbs mansfield