Carrollton vs Leander
The short version
- Leander is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 5% lower than in the Carrollton area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $381,000 in Carrollton and $506,200 in Leander.
- Households earn more in Leander ($139,048 vs $101,396 median).
- Leander has the warmer winter: January highs of 63°F vs 58°F.
- Leander is growing faster: +53.8% since 2020 vs +0.8%.
- Commutes are shorter in Carrollton (24 vs 29 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Carrollton, TX | Leander, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 134,562 | 91,132 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.8% | +53.8% |
| People per square mile | 3,671 | 2,349 |
| Median age | 39.2 | 36.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 45% | 53% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $101,396 | $139,048 |
| Median home value | $381,000 | $506,200 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,735 | $1,939 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 98.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 120.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,300 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 59% | 73% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.1 | 29.2 |
| Work from home | 22% | 31% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.3% | 3.4% |
| Poverty rate | 7.1% | 5.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 38° | 63° / 42° |
| July high / low | 97° / 78° | 97° / 75° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 36 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 108 | 123 |
| Nights below freezing | 23 | 12 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 97.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | 44% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.4% | +15.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Carrollton: March to April and November. Leander: February to April and October to December.
Full monthly tables: Carrollton weather by month and Leander weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,300 in Carrollton and $73,500 in Leander. Moving from Carrollton to Leander, you would need about $71,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Carrollton and Leander
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Carrollton and Leander.
Which would you pick?
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