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Dallas neighbor has 8th most moved-to U.S. ZIP code of 2025

McKinney is popular for numerous reasons.

Photo courtesy of City of McKinney

The Dallas area has already proved it's one of the hottest destinations for Americans on the move, but a new study has revealed one neighboring city to be a standout: McKinney, the primo of Collin County, has attracted the eighth-highest number of new residents of any studied U.S. city in 2025.

McKinney's 75071 ZIP code ranked No. 8 on MovingPlace's new list of the 10 most popular U.S. ZIP codes for movers in 2025.

The report analyzed more than 6.38 million moves that occurred between January and May 2025, and ranked the U.S. cities that had the most moves by ZIP code.

During the first five months of the year, McKinney's 75071 ZIP had 2,895 inbound moves, the eighth-highest number of moves out of all ZIP codes in the nation.

The report says the booming suburb is a suitable place for families and young professionals based on its quiet lifestyle, its historic downtown district, and its proximity to Dallas for commuters.

"McKinney offers a mix of old-town character and modern growth, attracting residents who want a strong sense of community with access to city jobs," the report's author wrote. "The city has big plans, with a host of multi-billion-dollar projects in the works, including a massive mixed‑use district, adventure park, and a JW Marriott resort."

There's so much more to love about McKinney, such as its affordability and its high safety rating. The North Dallas neighbor was also ranked the No. 1 best city for renters earlier in 2025. It also just topped WalletHub's ranking as the No. 1 real estate market in 2025.

Other top ZIPs in Texas
Texas remains a top destination for movers in 2025, with six total ZIP codes earning top-10 spots on MovingPlace's list, including Houston-area city Cypress, whose 77433 ZIP code ranked No. 1 with the highest number of inbound moves nationally.

The top 10 ZIP codes Americans are moving to in 2025 are:

No. 1 – 77433 in Cypress, Texas
No. 2 – 78130 in New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – 34787 in Winter Garden, Florida
No. 4 – 78641 in Leander, Texas
No. 5 – 77493 in Katy, Texas
No. 6 – 85142 in Queen Creek, Arizona
No. 7 – 80134 in Parker, Colorado
No. 8 – 75071 in McKinney, Texas
No. 9 – 95747 in Roseville, California
No. 10 – 78253 in San Antonio, Texas

real estate suburbs zip code zip codes dallas mckinney

welcome home

This is the income you need to buy a starter home in Dallas right now

Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash

Dallas and Austin lead the nation for improving starter-home affordability.

A new housing affordability report shows Dallas is among the nation's top metros for improving starter-home affordability. First-time buyers are finally catching a small break, with the income needed to purchase a median-priced starter home falling in 2026.

Dallas residents need to earn $83,096 to afford a median-priced home in the metro area, or 5.1 percent less than they did last year, the Redfin report found.

Dallas had the third-biggest decline in the income needed to afford a starter home out of the 50 U.S. metros analyzed in the report. Redfin also determined that all starter home listings in Dallas are "affordable" based on the city's median household income — which the report estimates at $103,144.

Dallas still has a far higher income required to afford a starter home compared to the national average, but affordability is improving slightly across the board. Americans need to make $70,693 to afford the typical starter home, according to the report's findings.

"The income needed to buy a starter home is declining while earnings are rising," the report said. "The typical American household earns an estimated $87,599, about $17,000 more than what’s needed to buy the median-priced U.S. starter home. That gap is widening: A year ago, the typical American earned roughly $12,500 more than they needed to buy a starter home."

Still, starter home affordability is "still often out of reach" for first-time homebuyers in expensive real estate markets due to "near high record" sale prices and soaring mortgage rates, the study said.

In neighboring Fort Worth, residents only need to make $77,886 to afford a starter home — an attainable milestone based on the city's estimated median household income of $93,102. Fort Worth ranks fourth nationwide for its year-over-year improvement in starter home affordability.

For additional comparison, this is the income needed to afford a starter home in other major Texas metros:

Austin – $92,607 (down 6.1 percent)
Houston – $70,384 (down 4 percent)
San Antonio – $62,859 (down 3.7 percent)

Unfortunately, affording a home in the overall housing market is further straining Americans' wallets. American households need to make just under $110,000 afford the typical U.S. home, but Redfin's evaluation found the typical household makes about $22,000 less than that.

"The discrepancy is partly because the overall market is driven by outsized price increases in the luxury segment, and outsized price increases in places like San Francisco and West Palm Beach, where affluent buyers are active," the report said. "At the same time, some would-be buyers of starter homes are pulling back because they typically earn less money and are more sensitive to affordability pressures."

The top 10 U.S. metros with the biggest declines in the income required to afford the typical starter home are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Oakland, California
No. 3 – Dallas, Texas
No. 4 – Fort Worth, Texas
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 8 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – Los Angeles, California

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