Plano vs Wichita Falls
The short version
- Wichita Falls is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 13% lower than in the Plano area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $156,800 in Wichita Falls and $465,900 in Plano.
- Households earn more in Plano ($112,253 vs $60,177 median).
- Plano is growing faster: +2.6% since 2020 vs -0.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Wichita Falls (14 vs 25 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Plano, TX | Wichita Falls, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 293,028 | 101,951 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.6% | -0.3% |
| People per square mile | 4,087 | 1,412 |
| Median age | 39.6 | 33.8 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 61% | 25% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $112,253 | $60,177 |
| Median home value | $465,900 | $156,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 2.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,841 | $1,022 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 89.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 68.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,300 | $67,100 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 56% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.4 | 14.3 |
| Work from home | 28% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4% | 3.8% |
| Poverty rate | 6.8% | 17.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 38° | 55° / 30° |
| July high / low | 97° / 78° | 97° / 72° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 28 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 108 | 105 |
| Nights below freezing | 23 | 58 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.9 | 81.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.4% | +34.2% |
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: Plano: March to April and November. Wichita Falls: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Plano weather by month and Wichita Falls 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 Plano and $67,100 in Wichita Falls. Moving from Plano to Wichita Falls, you would need about $65,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Plano and Wichita Falls
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Plano and Wichita Falls.
Which would you pick?
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