Head to head

Mesquite vs Plano

288 data points per city, side by side, straight from the source.

City A City B Third city

Mesquite

Dallas Co. · $259K

B- · Above Average

Plano

Collin Co. · $493K

B+ · Very Good

Mesquite or Plano?

Mesquite scores 68 and Plano scores 81 on the Realust Score (out of 100). Mesquite comes out ahead on market, affordability and growth. Plano comes out ahead on prosperity, schools, safety, lifestyle and commute. The median home is $259K in Mesquite and $493K in Plano.

More matchupsMesquite vs Balch Springs Mesquite vs Dallas Mesquite vs Garland Mesquite vs Sunnyvale Plano vs Richardson Plano vs Allen Plano vs Garland Plano vs Frisco

Realust Score	Mesquite	Plano
Prosperity	62	79
Schools	75	84
Safety	52	76
Lifestyle	78	89
Market	80	79
Affordability	84	76
Commute	62	69
Growth	69	62

What's coming	Mesquite	Plano
Projects on the way	10	13
Under construction	4	8
Biggest projects	BJ's Wholesale Club, MesquiteFall 2026 Mesquite ISD $600M bond projectsPhased from 2026 I-635/US 80 interchange rebuildExpected 2029	Samsung U.S. HQ move to PlanoBy end of 2026 Plano ISD CTE CenterOct 2026 (students due Oct 19) Texas Health Plano patient towerFall 2028
Opened in the last year	1	2
	All Mesquite projects →	All Plano projects →

Informational only: planned projects don't affect any city's Realust Score. Counts exclude countywide bonds and tax votes. See everything on the North Texas map →

Housing	Mesquite	Plano
Median Home Price	$258,678	$493,092
Price Per Sq Ft	$170	$222
Starter Home Price	$379,000	$424,000
Premium Home Price	$589,990	$970,000
Sale To List Ratio	98.1%	96.9%
% Single Family	98.5%	73.5%
Est Monthly Mortgage	$1,433	$2,731
Median Rent (1BR)	$1,569	$1,856
Median Rent (2BR)	$2,272	$2,451
Median Rent (3BR)	$2,830	$3,000
Rent Yoy Change	-1.8%	-1%
Rental Vacancy Rate	0%	0.5%
Housing Affordability Score	5.3	6
Avg Sq Ft	2,416 sq ft	2,487 sq ft
Avg Beds	3.8	3.5
Avg HOA Fee	$101	$224
% With HOA	5.5%	45.5%
% With Pool	0.5%	24%
Avg Lot Size	9,626 sq ft	12,100 sq ft
Avg Year Built	2004	1994
Avg Baths	2.8	3
Avg Baths Full	2.5	2.5
% Townhome	0%	5.5%
% Condo	0%	4.5%
% With Garage	95.5%	98%
% New Construction	80.5%	17.5%
% Price Reduced	6%	9.5%
% Foreclosure	0%	0%
% Pending	0%	3%
% Contingent	0%	2.5%
Avg Price Reduction	$15,224	$27,972
% Single Story	43%	38.5%
% With Fireplace	20%	74%
% With Central Air	13.5%	68.5%
% Waterfront	0%	0.5%
Avg Garage Size	2.1	2.1
Price Per Bedroom	$114,604	$149,855
Price Per Bathroom	$154,568	$173,475
Avg Home Age	22	32
Realtor Median Days on Market	61 days	63 days
Realtor Median Price	$295,000	$514,900
Realtor Price Per Sq Ft	$170	$222
Realtor Median Rent	$1,406	$1,781
Inventory Active	408	653
Inventory Total	574	909
Inventory Pending	166	256
% Under Contract	28.9%	28.2%
New Listings Monthly	132	196
Inventory Change (month)	-1.8%	-3.6%
Price Change (1 yr)	-2.5%	-3.8%
Price 1yr Ago	$265,305	$512,741
Price Change (5 yr)	10.3%	15.8%
Price 5yr Ago	$234,549	$425,877
Monthly Sales Volume	98	177
Rent 1yr Ago	$1,467	$1,750
Rent 5yr Change	28.6%	25%
Rent 5yr Ago	$1,119	$1,385
Momentum 2020	53	53
Momentum 2021	61	59
Momentum 2022	67	59
Momentum 2023	65	64
Momentum 2024	67	68
Momentum 2025	66	67
Momentum (1 yr)	-1.3	-0.8
Momentum (5 yr)	25.2	25.4

Economy	Mesquite	Plano
Median Household Income	$72,537	$112,253
Avg Household Income	$87,895	$151,865
Per Capita Income	$29,877	$59,916
% Income Under $25K	15.6%	7.7%
% Income $25K–$50K	17.9%	10.6%
% Income $50K–$75K	18.3%	13%
% Income $75K–$100K	14.2%	13.2%
% Income $100K–$150K	19.1%	19.1%
% Income $150K Plus	14.9%	36.4%
Poverty Rate	13.4%	6.8%
Unemployment Rate	5.4%	4%
Job Growth 1yr	1.7%	0.3%
Jobs Score	6	8

Schools	Mesquite	Plano
Primary School District	Mesquite ISD	Plano ISD
Overall District Rating	3.9	6.9
State Ranking Percentile	35.28	76.07
# Elementary Schools	34	45
# Middle Schools	10	13
# High Schools	6	6
Student Teacher Ratio	13.7:1	13.7:1
Graduation Rate	94.8%	94.5%
Niche Schools Score	6	8.7
SAT/ACT Participation Rate	93.7%	93%
SAT/ACT College Ready %	4.5%	42.9%
SAT/ACT TSI Ready %	10.8%	60.5%
Dropout Rate	3.6%	2.8%
Graduating Class Size	2,941	3,676

Safety	Mesquite	Plano
Overall Crime Rate	27 per 1K	13.6 per 1K
Violent Crime Rate	4.6 per 1K	1.5 per 1K
Assault Rate	376.3 per 100K	90.6 per 100K
Robbery Rate	80.6 per 100K	26.8 per 100K
Property Crime Rate	22.4 per 1K	12.1 per 1K
Burglary Rate	391.8 per 100K	160.6 per 100K
Theft Rate	1,965 per 100K	1,163.4 per 100K
Vehicle Theft Rate	619.6 per 100K	142.4 per 100K
Safety Grade	C	B
Safety Score	1.66	2.66
Murder Rate	8.7 per 100K	0.7 per 100K
Rape Rate	40.3 per 100K	33.3 per 100K
Crime Source	Police department	Police department

Lifestyle	Mesquite	Plano
# Movie Theaters	1	3
# Libraries	8	15
# Museums	2	13
Nightlife Score	6	8
Family Friendly Score	6	8.7
Health Fitness Score	4.7	8
Outdoor Activities Score	6	5.3
Commute Score	5.3	6
Weather Score	6.7	6.7
Diversity Score	8.7	8
Area Feel	Dense Suburban	Dense Suburban
# Restaurants	60+	60+
# Parks	60+	60+
# Gyms	47	60+
# Grocery Stores	18	38
# Coffee Shops	60+	60+
# Hospitals	43	60+
# Bars	33	60+
# Pharmacies	56	60+
# Dentists	60+	60+

Transportation	Mesquite	Plano
Avg Commute Time	32 min	25 min
% Drive Alone	100%	63.6%
% Carpool	0%	6.9%
% Public Transit	0%	0.7%
% Work From Home	0%	25.3%
Transit Score	—	14
Walkability Score	33	36
Walk Score Rating	Car-Dependent	Car-Dependent
Bike Score	43	48
Distance Downtown Dallas	14.2 mi	19.3 mi
Distance DFW Airport	34.9 mi	26.5 mi
Drive Time DFW Airport	34 min	27 min
Distance Love Field	21 mi	20.2 mi
EV Stations	11	58
EV Level2 Ports	18	158
EV Dc Fast Ports	7	89
EV Networks	ChargePoint Network, VIALYNK, UNIVERSAL	ChargePoint Network, Blink Network, GRAVITI_ENERGY
Walk Score Max	68	83
Walk % Walkable	29	19
Walk Score Points	40	40
Walk Score Updated	2026-10-27	2026-10-27

Demographics	Mesquite	Plano
Population	149,299	290,594
Population Density	3,040.2	4,052.7
Population Growth 5yr	4.1%	1.2%
Median Age	32.9	39.6
% Under 18	27.9%	20.9%
% Age 18–24	9.7%	8.3%
% Age 25–34	15.4%	13.8%
% Age 35–44	11.8%	15.3%
% Age 45–54	12.6%	13.4%
% Age 55–64	11.3%	13.6%
% Age 65+	11.3%	14.7%
Avg Household Size	2.96	2.57
% Family Households	73.5%	68.3%
% Homeownership	62.8%	56.9%
% HS Graduate Or Higher	81%	94.3%
% Bachelor's Or Higher	19.6%	60.5%
% Graduate Degree	6.6%	24.9%
% White	29.9%	49.9%
% Black	27.5%	8.8%
% Asian	3%	23.7%
% South Asian	1%	12.4%
% Hispanic Latino	44%	16.7%
% Native American	0.9%	0.5%
% Pacific Islander	0.1%	0%
% Two Or More Races	25.4%	12.8%
% Other Race	13.3%	4.3%
% Foreign Born	20.9%	29.3%
% Moved Last Year	12.9%	14.5%
% Renters	37.2%	43.1%
Diversity Score	8.7	8
% Same House 1yr	87.1%	85.5%
% From Out Of State	1%	3.2%
% From Different County	2.4%	4.3%
% From Abroad	1.1%	1.5%
% Families With Kids	39.3%	32.2%
% Married Couples	44.7%	55.2%
% Single Parent	11.7%	4.3%
% Living Alone	23.7%	25.8%
% Seniors Living Alone	8.2%	8.4%
% With Broadband	94%	96.6%
% With Computer	97.3%	99.1%
% Male	47.6%	49.5%
% Female	52.4%	50.5%
Total Households	50,171	112,438

Mesquite vs Plano

Mesquite or Plano?

North Texas, read once a month.