Best PlacesMcKinney, Austin, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around McKinney, Austin, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
McKinney, Austin ranks 2,588th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on quiet by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in McKinney, Austin
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
McKinney, Austin's strengths and weaknesses
Where McKinney, Austin ranks high
- QuietBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where McKinney, Austin ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD+, better than only 20% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 21% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in McKinney, Austin
A household needs to earn about $109,000 a year to comfortably buy the median McKinney, Austin home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $83,534, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses McKinney, Austin's effective rate of 1.37%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in McKinney, Austin
McKinney, Austin runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for McKinney, Austin.
Who works in McKinney, Austin, and how
Work in McKinney, Austin centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 21%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in McKinney, Austin
McKinney, Austin has more restaurants and bars per resident than 87% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 89% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of McKinney, Austin and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in McKinney, Austin, month by month
McKinney, Austin sees roughly 122 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 99 degrees. January highs sit near 66, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 66° | 50° | 38° |
| April | 83° | 68° | 56° |
| July | 99° | 85° | 74° |
| October | 86° | 71° | 58° |
Flying in and out of McKinney, Austin
Austin-Bergstrom International sits about 4 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 10.7 million passengers in 2025, with 127 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around McKinney, Austin
Schools across McKinney, Austin average a D+, better than 20% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Smith ElD+ · 25% proficient
- Rodriguez ElD− · 15% proficient
- Linder ElD− · 14% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lively MiddleC− · 30% proficient
- John P Ojeda MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Harmony School Of Excellence - AustinC− · 28% proficient
- Del Valle H SD+ · 25% proficient
- Travis Early College H SD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every McKinney, Austin school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
McKinney, Austin measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare McKinney, Austin against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in McKinney, Austin
Is McKinney, Austin a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, McKinney, Austin ranks 2,588th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on quiet, fast internet, and state finances, and lowest on summer heat and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is McKinney, Austin expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $386,343. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $83,534 median income, cost of living beats 72% of neighborhoods.
Is McKinney, Austin safe?
Yes, McKinney, Austin is safer than 67% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $453 per resident a year.
Compare McKinney, Austin with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to McKinney, Austin. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in McKinney, Austin represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
McKinney, Austin detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for McKinney, Austin: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in McKinney, Austin: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of McKinney, Austin: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in McKinney, Austin: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
McKinney, Austin detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.