Buying or Selling a Home in McKinney, TX: Historic Core, New Edges

How fast has McKinney grown?

McKinney counted 21,283 people in 1990, 54,369 in 2000, 131,117 in 2010 and 195,308 in 2020. The Census Bureau's 2025 estimate is 236,001. The bureau ranked McKinney the fourth fastest-growing large city from 2010 to 2019.

The McKinney and Frisco urban area held 504,803 people in the 2020 Census. A city that grew this quickly has many neighbors who arrived recently and many homes under twenty years old, alongside a historic core that dates to the 1800s.

What is downtown McKinney like?

McKinney is named for Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. William Davis donated 120 acres for the townsite on March 24, 1849. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad arrived in 1872, and construction of the Old Collin County Courthouse began in 1874.

The courthouse now houses the McKinney Performing Arts Center, which seats 427. The Collin County History Museum sits in the 1911 post office. Events such as Arts in Bloom, Texas Music Revolution, Red White and Boom, Oktoberfest and Home for the Holidays draw crowds to the square. Streets near downtown are older and sell differently from a new subdivision, and event weekends change parking and traffic.

Which school district serves a McKinney address?

Wikipedia reports that about two-thirds of residents are in McKinney ISD, which has three high schools: McKinney High, McKinney North and McKinney Boyd. The rest of the city is in Frisco, Prosper, Allen, Melissa, Lovejoy or Celina ISD.

That is seven districts for one city. Look up the exact address on the district tool and confirm with the enrollment office before you describe a school to a family member or a buyer. We make no statement about how any district compares with another.

What do McKinney homeowners pay in property tax?

The City of McKinney announced that council adopted the fiscal year 2026-27 budget and kept the city rate at 0.412284 per 100 dollars of taxable value. The city's hearing slides split it into 0.276856 for operations and 0.135428 for debt. The city estimated the bill on a median taxable home value of 518,167 dollars at about 2,165 dollars for the city portion.

That is only the city line. A McKinney home also carries Collin County, Collin College and a school district rate, and the district depends on the address. New subdivisions may add a MUD or PID. Ask for the notice and the remaining term, and read the Texas Real Estate Research Center explainers before you sign.

Who employs people in McKinney?

The city's 2024 annual financial report, as cited on Wikipedia, lists Raytheon Intelligence and Space with 4,200 employees, McKinney ISD with 2,920, Collin County with 2,000, Globe Life with 1,700 and Encore Wire with 1,653. The City of McKinney, Medical City McKinney Hospital, Baylor Scott and White McKinney Hospital, Collin College and Simpson Strong-Tie follow.

Wikipedia also reports a median household income of 98,317 dollars in 2023 and unemployment of 3.7% in fiscal year 2023. Many residents still commute to Plano, Frisco and Dallas. We have no McKinney relocation counts and make no claim about volume.

How do people get around McKinney?

US 75 and US 380 run through the city, SH 5 runs north and south through downtown, and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH 121) follows the McKinney and Allen border toward DFW Airport. McKinney sits about 32 miles north of Dallas.

Collin County Transit offers curb-to-curb service operated with DART at a fixed fare. McKinney National Airport handles 300 to 700 flights a day, and city officials approved a 72 million dollar commercial terminal in January 2025, with Avelo Airlines planning service from November 2026, per Wikipedia. Flight paths and airport growth matter to a buyer near the airport, so visit at several hours.

What is there to do in McKinney?

The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary covers 289 acres with 6.5 miles of trails and a 50-acre wetland. Erwin Park covers 212 acres and has 10 miles of mountain bike trails. The city has two libraries that together lent 1.6 million items in fiscal year 2022.

Collin College's McKinney campus opened in 1985. The city is governed by a seven-member council: the mayor and two members elected at large and four elected from single-member districts.

How old are McKinney homes?

McKinney had 15,193 people in 1970 and 21,283 in 1990, so the older housing stock is small and sits mostly near downtown. Most of the city's homes were built after 2000, when the population rose from 54,369 to 195,308 in twenty years. The Census table below gives the median year built and the share built since 2010 and before 1990.

For a buyer, that split means two kinds of inspection. A downtown-area home may need a close look at foundation, sewer line and wiring. A newer home usually has younger systems, but its neighborhood may carry an HOA, a special district or a builder warranty with a deadline. Ask which applies before you tour, and keep the dates in writing.

For a seller, the split decides the comparison set. A home near the square is compared with other character homes nearby. A subdivision home is compared with the same floor plans on the next street and with new builds that carry incentives.

What should you check when buying in McKinney?

Pick the list that matches your home.

• Older home near downtown: full inspection, sewer line and foundation review, and the age of the roof and HVAC
• New construction at the edge: builder contract review, any MUD or PID notice before you sign, and what the builder's warranty covers
• Either type: confirm the school district for the exact address from two sources
• Whether the home is near the airport, the square or a major road, and how it feels on an event day
• A lender pre-approval before touring

How should you think about selling in McKinney?

Your comparison set depends on where the home sits.

• Price against sales in your own neighborhood and school district, not the whole city
• A downtown-area seller can lean on character and location, but should have inspection records ready
• A subdivision seller competes with builder inventory nearby, so check what builders are offering on your street
• Order the HOA resale certificate and gather any special-district notice before the first showing
• Pick a lowest acceptable price before offers arrive

What did home sales look like in July 2026?

Source: North Texas Real Estate Information System (NTREIS) single-family MLS data for July 2026, prepared by the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University. Closed single-family sales for one month. Small cities have few sales, so figures swing. Builder sales and sales not listed in the NTREIS MLS are not counted. This is background, not a price for any home. We do not predict prices.