Frisco, McKinney Among Fastest-Growing U.S. Cities

The personal finance website WalletHub ranked 515 cities based on 14 metrics, and North Texas fared well.

Complexity Gaming

The Collin County cities of Frisco and McKinney, known for their innovative approaches to attracting businesses and new residents, are among the 10 fastest-growing mid-size cities in the United States, according to a new analysis by the personal finance website WalletHub.

Frisco ranked as the No. 1 medium-size city, while McKinney ranked No. 6. In the large city category, Fort Worth ranked No. 7 and Dallas came in at No. 33.

FRISCO HAD HIGHEST JOB GROWTH

The website’s analysts compared 515 U.S. cities across 14 metrics to determine the cities that have grown the most rapidly between 2009 and 2015. Among those metrics were population growth rate, college-educated population growth, and unemployment rate decrease.

Frisco, with a population of roughly 157,860, had the highest job growth in the nation at 5.32 percent, while McKinney had the highest poverty rate decrease at 9.63 percent, WalletHub said.

Collin County is experiencing rapid growth all around, as businesses flock to such developments as the “$5 billion mile” in Frisco, the new Toyota North American headquarters in Plano. Other businesses such as State Farm, Raytheon and Liberty Mutual have expanded in the Collin County area as well.

Among the businesses that have recently made Frisco home are the Dallas Cowboys, which opened its new headquarters and training facility wishing the “$5 Billion Mile.” The facility has high-tech amenities, including an innovative LED installation inside the Cowboys’ headquarters building.

GRAND PRAIRIE ALSO RANKED

Frisco’s total score on the WalletHub analysis was 66.57, topping League City, Texas, in second at 66.18.

McKinney’s score was 62.66. Grand Prairie finished in the top 30 among mid-size cities, coming in at No. 27 with a score of 56.34.

The analysis was just the latest example of North Texas cities ranking highly in a WalletHub release.

In May, Plano and Grand Prairie ranked in the top 20 Best Cities for Hispanic Entrepreneurs. Plano came in at No. 12, while Grand Prairie ranked No. 18.

Additional Reading

WalletHub Says DFW Cities Among Top 20 For Hispanic Entrepreneurs


Delivering what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth innovation, every day. Get the Dallas Innovates e-newsletter.

R E A D   N E X T

  • The City of Irving has won silver certification from Bloomberg Philanthropies' What Works Cities—the national standard of well-managed cities recognizing the most effective use of data to inform policy and funding decisions. The honor comes in a year that's tested the mettle of municipalities nationwide. Since 2018, 40 cities have achieved the certification. This year 16 new cities were recognized, including gold-winning Austin and silver-winning San Antonio. “During the pandemic, using data to inform decision-making was more important than ever for cities," said Michael Bloomberg in a statement. “By putting data at the center of their COVID-19 response efforts, these cities saved lives and…

  • The EdTech marketplace and PaaS startup will expand its HQ with a grant from the McKinney Economic Development Corporation's (MEDC) Innovation Fund. The startup connects learning resource buyers and sellers in 7,000 languages and dialects. The woman-owned and minority-led company says it's "empowering micro-entrepreneurs to reach their customers globally."

  • Part of PGA Frisco's $500M+ "Silicon Valley of Golf," the championship-level courses will feature an East Course designed by Gil Hanse that's primed for marquee PGA tournaments. The West Course, designed by Beau Welling, is destined for smaller tournaments, PGA of America members, and everyday public duffers.

  • HALL Park is expanding in Frisco, Texas.

    The redevelopment will include a new 16-story office tower, a 19-story apartment building, a 154-room boutique hotel, and a food hall—all with views of a new community park. Phase 1 has already begun: an initial $500M mixed-used project located across Warren Parkway from The Dallas Cowboys' Star development.

  • To find the answer, host Stephen Dubner flew to DFW to see why the region is so business-friendly, why the people are so friendly too, why cities to the north are growing like hotcakes, and why a Basquiat got on the wall of the Dallas Museum of Art. Oh, and he ate a Meat Potato at Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse. (Thumbs up.)