Prosper is what happens when a small town north of Frisco gets discovered all at once. It had about 9,400 residents in 2010. Today it’s an upscale suburb of large new homes, highly rated schools and youth sports, with a Realust Score of 92, tied with Frisco for the top spot among the 84 cities we track.
It’s also still being built. Here’s what living in Prosper is really like in 2026, using Realust data and the town’s own numbers, including the parts the brochures skip.
Prosper at a glance
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The highest median of the five cities in this series. Starter homes start around $704K.
Top 4% in Texas and a 99.1% graduation rate.
36.6 miles to downtown Dallas; no rail or bus service.
A town growing at full speed
The Census Bureau estimates Prosper had 45,605 residents in July 2025, up 51% from 30,174 at the 2020 Census. The Prosper Economic Development Corporation expects about 72,000 residents at build-out over the next 20 to 25 years. In Realust data, 85% of homes for sale are new construction and the typical home was built in 2022.
That pace drives Prosper’s Growth score of 83, a point above Frisco’s. It also means the roads, shopping and services are still catching up with the rooftops.
Housing and what it costs
Prosper’s median home price is $875,900. Homes are big: the typical home has about 3,400 square feet, four bedrooms and a lot of roughly 12,600 square feet. That works out to about $253 per square foot, actually less per foot than Frisco. Starter homes come in around $704,000 and premium homes around $1.16 million.
Unlike the other cities in this series, Prosper prices are still rising, up 4.2% over the past year and 56.2% over five years. But homes take a median of 81 days to sell and close at about 94.8% of asking, the most buyer-friendly negotiating numbers of the cities we compare here. Median rent is $2,462 a month, against an estimated $4,571 monthly payment to buy.
For taxes, the town’s rate is $0.505 per $100 of value for FY2025-26, and Prosper ISD set its 2026-27 rate at $1.2011, which the district says is its lowest ever. The town offers a 17.5% homestead exemption. County and college rates are added on top. Prosper’s combined rate runs higher than Frisco’s, so compare the actual tax bill on any home, not just the price. About one in five homes has an HOA, averaging $119 a month.
- Do you need a 3,400-square-foot home, or are you paying for space you won’t use?
- Is the home in a special district (MUD or PID) that adds to the tax bill?
Schools
Prosper ISD is a big reason many families move here. It earns an A in our data, ranks in the top 4% of Texas districts and posts a 99.1% graduation rate. The district had more than 33,000 students across 31 campuses in 2025-26 and expected about 2,000 more during the year. Voters approved a $2.7 billion bond in 2023 to keep building schools.
Growth this fast has costs: the district budgeted a $29.4 million operating deficit for 2025-26, covered from reserves. And a few neighborhoods inside town limits are zoned to other districts, so check the campuses for any specific address.
Safety
Prosper’s Safety score is 82, with a B+ grade. Violent crime is very low at about 0.54 incidents per 1,000 residents, roughly half of Frisco’s rate. Property crime is about 9.99 per 1,000.
Getting around
Prosper is car-dependent. It isn’t a DART member city, and public transit is limited to curb-to-curb rides for seniors, residents with disabilities and income-qualified residents. The average commute in our data is 32 minutes, and downtown Dallas is 36.6 miles away. If you commute into Dallas daily, test the drive at rush hour.
Relief is coming slowly. NTTA is extending the Dallas North Tollway north of US 380, with the first segment to FM 428 expected in late 2027. TxDOT has approved plans to turn US 380 through Prosper into a freeway, but the eastern section has no construction date yet. Meanwhile the town is widening local roads like First Street and Coit Road, with work scheduled through 2029.
Day-to-day life
Life in Prosper centers on family, school activities and neighborhood amenities like pools and trails. The town has about 634 acres of parks and 61 miles of hike-and-bike trails. Restaurants and retail are growing, but for bigger shopping, dining and entertainment, most residents drive to Frisco. Cook Children’s opened a hospital in Prosper in 2023 and added a NICU in 2025, which matters for families with young kids.
Prosper also has a high share of remote workers (33.4% in our data) and a median household income of $178,224, the highest of the cities we compare here.
The honest tradeoffs
- Price of entry. Few options under $700K, and taxes are higher than in Frisco.
- Years of construction. Tollway, US 380 and local road projects run through the late 2020s.
- Distance. At 36.6 miles from downtown Dallas, Prosper’s Commute score is 64, second-lowest of the five cities we profile.
- Still filling in. Nightlife and dining are limited, and some services are a drive away.
Who Prosper fits
- Families who want top schools and a new, larger home and can handle the price.
- Remote workers and executives whose offices are along the tollway corridor, not downtown.
- Buyers who want a small-town feel and are willing to wait for amenities to arrive.
Prosper may not fit if you commute to Dallas every day, want walkability or need to keep your total payment under about $4,000 a month. Compare it with its neighbors on the compare page or explore the full Prosper city page.
Find the city that fits your weights
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Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Prosper town, Texas
- Prosper EDC: Demographics and build-out
- Town of Prosper: Budget and tax rate
- Prosper ISD: 2025-26 budget and tax rate
- Prosper ISD: 2026-27 tax rate
- Community Impact: Prosper raises homestead exemption to 17.5%
- Town of Prosper: Transit service
- DART: Service area
- NTTA: Dallas North Tollway Phase 4 project report (May 2026)
- TxDOT: US 380 Prosper environmental finding (2023)
- Community Impact: Transportation projects in Prosper and Celina (2026)
- Town of Prosper: Parks
- Community Impact: Cook Children’s Prosper NICU and trauma designations
Realust figures (scores, prices, days on market, crime rates, commute, school grades) are from Realust data as of October 2026; the comparison table updates live. Tax rates, population and project dates are from the official sources listed above. Rates change every year, so confirm with the appraisal district before you buy.