Head to head

Mesquite vs Richardson

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

Richardson

Collin Co. · $439K

B · Good

Mesquite or Richardson?

Mesquite scores 68 and Richardson scores 76 on the Realust Score (out of 100). Mesquite comes out ahead on affordability and growth. Richardson comes out ahead on prosperity, schools, safety, lifestyle, market and commute. The median home is $259K in Mesquite and $439K in Richardson.

More matchupsMesquite vs Balch Springs Mesquite vs Dallas Mesquite vs Garland Mesquite vs Sunnyvale Richardson vs Plano Richardson vs Garland Richardson vs Dallas Richardson vs Carrollton

Realust Score	Mesquite	Richardson
Prosperity	62	74
Schools	75	80
Safety	52	73
Lifestyle	78	86
Market	80	81
Affordability	84	75
Commute	62	73
Growth	69	66

What's coming	Mesquite	Richardson
Projects on the way	10	12
Under construction	4	7
Biggest projects	BJ's Wholesale Club, MesquiteFall 2026 Mesquite ISD $600M bond projectsPhased from 2026 I-635/US 80 interchange rebuildExpected 2029	Renovated Richardson main libraryFall 2026 US 75 technology lanes, I-635 to SH 121Late 2026 AT&T Lakeside campus expansionFirst wave late 2026; phases into 2027
Opened in the last year	1	0
	All Mesquite projects →	All Richardson 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	Richardson
Median Home Price	$258,678	$438,611
Price Per Sq Ft	$170	$224
Starter Home Price	$379,000	$370,000
Premium Home Price	$589,990	$750,000
Sale To List Ratio	98.1%	96.1%
% Single Family	98.5%	83.5%
Est Monthly Mortgage	$1,433	$2,429
Median Rent (1BR)	$1,569	$1,429
Median Rent (2BR)	$2,272	$2,318
Median Rent (3BR)	$2,830	$3,965
Rent Yoy Change	-1.8%	0.8%
Rental Vacancy Rate	0%	0.5%
Housing Affordability Score	5.3	5.3
Avg Sq Ft	2,416 sq ft	2,200 sq ft
Avg Beds	3.8	3.6
Avg HOA Fee	$101	$246
% With HOA	5.5%	28.5%
% With Pool	0.5%	25.5%
Avg Lot Size	9,626 sq ft	39,518 sq ft
Avg Year Built	2004	1979
Avg Baths	2.8	2.8
Avg Baths Full	2.5	2.4
% Townhome	0%	0%
% Condo	0%	9.5%
% With Garage	95.5%	86%
% New Construction	80.5%	6%
% Price Reduced	6%	22.5%
% Foreclosure	0%	0%
% Pending	0%	8%
% Contingent	0%	4.5%
Avg Price Reduction	$15,224	$15,876
% Single Story	43%	53%
% With Fireplace	20%	72.5%
% With Central Air	13.5%	78%
% Waterfront	0%	1%
Avg Garage Size	2.1	2
Price Per Bedroom	$114,604	$128,933
Price Per Bathroom	$154,568	$162,631
Avg Home Age	22	47
Realtor Median Days on Market	61 days	58 days
Realtor Median Price	$295,000	$450,000
Realtor Price Per Sq Ft	$170	$224
Realtor Median Rent	$1,406	$1,752
Inventory Active	408	238
Inventory Total	574	334
Inventory Pending	166	96
% Under Contract	28.9%	28.7%
New Listings Monthly	132	88
Inventory Change (month)	-1.8%	-2.5%
Price Change (1 yr)	-2.5%	0.3%
Price 1yr Ago	$265,305	$437,150
Price Change (5 yr)	10.3%	19.6%
Price 5yr Ago	$234,549	$366,600
Monthly Sales Volume	98	59
Rent 1yr Ago	$1,467	$1,672
Rent 5yr Change	28.6%	25.6%
Rent 5yr Ago	$1,119	$1,341
Momentum 2020	53	53
Momentum 2021	61	59
Momentum 2022	67	62
Momentum 2023	65	62
Momentum 2024	67	65
Momentum 2025	66	63
Momentum (1 yr)	-1.3	-3.2
Momentum (5 yr)	25.2	19.7

Economy	Mesquite	Richardson
Median Household Income	$72,537	$98,111
Avg Household Income	$87,895	$131,546
Per Capita Income	$29,877	$51,863
% Income Under $25K	15.6%	10.7%
% Income $25K–$50K	17.9%	12.3%
% Income $50K–$75K	18.3%	14.5%
% Income $75K–$100K	14.2%	13.2%
% Income $100K–$150K	19.1%	19.6%
% Income $150K Plus	14.9%	29.6%
Poverty Rate	13.4%	9.7%
Unemployment Rate	5.4%	5%
Job Growth 1yr	1.7%	1.4%
Jobs Score	6	6.7

Schools	Mesquite	Richardson
Primary School District	Mesquite ISD	Richardson ISD
Overall District Rating	3.9	5.6
State Ranking Percentile	35.28	60.25
# Elementary Schools	34	36
# Middle Schools	10	8
# High Schools	6	4
Student Teacher Ratio	13.7:1	13.9:1
Graduation Rate	94.8%	91.5%
Niche Schools Score	6	8
SAT/ACT Participation Rate	93.7%	88%
SAT/ACT College Ready %	4.5%	24.8%
SAT/ACT TSI Ready %	10.8%	39.3%
Dropout Rate	3.6%	8%
Graduating Class Size	2,941	2,619

Safety	Mesquite	Richardson
Overall Crime Rate	27 per 1K	16.2 per 1K
Violent Crime Rate	4.6 per 1K	1.4 per 1K
Assault Rate	376.3 per 100K	98.3 per 100K
Robbery Rate	80.6 per 100K	38.2 per 100K
Property Crime Rate	22.4 per 1K	14.9 per 1K
Burglary Rate	391.8 per 100K	220.4 per 100K
Theft Rate	1,965 per 100K	1,295.3 per 100K
Vehicle Theft Rate	619.6 per 100K	317.9 per 100K
Safety Grade	C	B
Safety Score	1.66	2.66
Murder Rate	8.7 per 100K	1.7 per 100K
Rape Rate	40.3 per 100K	8.5 per 100K
Crime Source	Police department	Police department

Lifestyle	Mesquite	Richardson
# Movie Theaters	1	8
# Libraries	8	16
# Museums	2	10
Nightlife Score	6	8
Family Friendly Score	6	8
Health Fitness Score	4.7	8
Outdoor Activities Score	6	6
Commute Score	5.3	7.3
Weather Score	6.7	6.7
Diversity Score	8.7	8.7
Area Feel	Dense Suburban	Urban Suburban Mix
# Restaurants	60+	60+
# Parks	60+	60+
# Gyms	47	60+
# Grocery Stores	18	—
# Coffee Shops	60+	60+
# Hospitals	43	60+
# Bars	33	60+
# Pharmacies	56	60+
# Dentists	60+	60+

Transportation	Mesquite	Richardson
Avg Commute Time	32 min	24 min
% Drive Alone	100%	63.4%
% Carpool	0%	6.6%
% Public Transit	0%	2.4%
% Work From Home	0%	23.2%
Transit Score	—	32
Walkability Score	33	45
Walk Score Rating	Car-Dependent	Car-Dependent
Bike Score	43	52
Distance Downtown Dallas	14.2 mi	13.6 mi
Distance DFW Airport	34.9 mi	21.6 mi
Drive Time DFW Airport	34 min	23 min
Distance Love Field	21 mi	14.5 mi
EV Stations	11	56
EV Level2 Ports	18	156
EV Dc Fast Ports	7	53
EV Networks	ChargePoint Network, VIALYNK, UNIVERSAL	ChargePoint Network, Blink Network, GRAVITI_ENERGY
Walk Score Max	68	82
Walk % Walkable	29	43
Walk Score Points	40	40
Walk Score Updated	2026-10-27	2026-10-27

Demographics	Mesquite	Richardson
Population	149,299	118,731
Population Density	3,040.2	4,156.9
Population Growth 5yr	4.1%	2%
Median Age	32.9	33.9
% Under 18	27.9%	20.2%
% Age 18–24	9.7%	13.8%
% Age 25–34	15.4%	18%
% Age 35–44	11.8%	12.9%
% Age 45–54	12.6%	12.1%
% Age 55–64	11.3%	10%
% Age 65+	11.3%	13%
Avg Household Size	2.96	2.48
% Family Households	73.5%	61%
% Homeownership	62.8%	50.7%
% HS Graduate Or Higher	81%	93.3%
% Bachelor's Or Higher	19.6%	57%
% Graduate Degree	6.6%	23.6%
% White	29.9%	53.3%
% Black	27.5%	11.8%
% Asian	3%	16.2%
% South Asian	1%	5.7%
% Hispanic Latino	44%	18.3%
% Native American	0.9%	0.4%
% Pacific Islander	0.1%	0%
% Two Or More Races	25.4%	12.6%
% Other Race	13.3%	5.7%
% Foreign Born	20.9%	22.4%
% Moved Last Year	12.9%	21%
% Renters	37.2%	49.3%
Diversity Score	8.7	8.7
% Same House 1yr	87.1%	79%
% From Out Of State	1%	2.4%
% From Different County	2.4%	7.2%
% From Abroad	1.1%	1%
% Families With Kids	39.3%	27.9%
% Married Couples	44.7%	46.2%
% Single Parent	11.7%	5.7%
% Living Alone	23.7%	29.2%
% Seniors Living Alone	8.2%	8.7%
% With Broadband	94%	94.9%
% With Computer	97.3%	98.8%
% Male	47.6%	48.1%
% Female	52.4%	51.9%
Total Households	50,171	45,818

Mesquite vs Richardson

Mesquite or Richardson?

North Texas, read once a month.