Best PlacesSouthwest Dallas, Dallas, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Southwest Dallas, Dallas, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Southwest Dallas, Dallas ranks 3,635th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores best on state finances, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Southwest Dallas, Dallas
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.
Southwest Dallas, Dallas' strengths and weaknesses
Where Southwest Dallas, Dallas ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$883 a month, better than 78% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
Where Southwest Dallas, Dallas ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 19% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Southwest Dallas, Dallas
A household needs to earn about $77,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Southwest Dallas, Dallas home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $70,000; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Southwest Dallas, Dallas' effective rate of 1.43%, 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 Southwest Dallas, Dallas
Southwest Dallas, Dallas runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Southwest Dallas, Dallas.
Who works in Southwest Dallas, Dallas, and how
Work in Southwest Dallas, Dallas centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Southwest Dallas, Dallas
Southwest Dallas, Dallas has more parkland per resident than 87% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Southwest Dallas, Dallas and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Southwest Dallas, Dallas, month by month
Southwest Dallas, Dallas sees roughly 123 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 97 degrees. January highs sit near 58, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 47° | 38° |
| April | 77° | 66° | 56° |
| July | 97° | 86° | 76° |
| October | 81° | 69° | 59° |
Flying in and out of Southwest Dallas, Dallas
Dallas Love Field sits about 11 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 8.2 million passengers in 2025, with 91 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Southwest Dallas, Dallas
Schools across Southwest Dallas, Dallas average a C−, better than 33% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Colin Powell ElA− · 56% proficient
- Trinity Heights Gifted And Talented SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Cedar Hill Collegiate PrepB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cedar Hill Collegiate AcademyB+ · 52% proficient
- Ronald W Reagan MiddleB · 45% proficient
- G W Kennemer MiddleC · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Trinidad Garza Early College At Mt ViewA+ · 83% proficient
- Cedar Hill Collegiate H SA · 72% proficient
- Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate AcademyA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Southwest Dallas, Dallas school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Southwest Dallas, Dallas 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 Southwest Dallas, Dallas against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Southwest Dallas, Dallas suits
Families
Schools land around the 33rd percentile and crime safety beats 77%.
Retirees
The weather beats 64% of neighborhoods and it is quieter than 66%.
Common questions about living in Southwest Dallas, Dallas
Is Southwest Dallas, Dallas a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Southwest Dallas, Dallas ranks 3,635th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, low taxes, and a stable housing market, and lowest on civic engagement and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Southwest Dallas, Dallas expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $272,680. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $70,000 median income, cost of living beats 43% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Dallas, Dallas safe?
Yes, Southwest Dallas, Dallas is safer than 77% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $372 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Southwest Dallas, Dallas?
July highs average about 97 degrees, and January highs near 58 with lows near 38. That works out to about 123 pleasant days a year, more than 64% of neighborhoods.
Is Southwest Dallas, Dallas good for families?
Schools beat 33% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 77%, and childcare runs $883 a month.
Compare Southwest Dallas, Dallas with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Southwest Dallas, Dallas. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Southwest Dallas, Dallas 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.
Southwest Dallas, Dallas detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Southwest Dallas, Dallas: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Southwest Dallas, Dallas: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Southwest Dallas, Dallas: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Southwest Dallas, Dallas: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Southwest Dallas, Dallas 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.