A recent ranking of the nation’s safest and most affordable cities featured several in North Texas, with Dallas unsurprisingly failing to make the cut.
GOBankingRates, an online resource for various financial products, recently published a report identifying the 50 safest and most affordable places to live in the United States. Some 19 Texas cities made the list, seven of which were in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Dallas did not make the top 50, even though a GOBankingRates report last month identified Dallas as having comparable living costs to others on the latest ranking. For instance, the top-rated city in the nation — Elgin, Illinois — has an average total monthly cost of living of $4,008. Meanwhile, in Dallas, the total monthly cost of living for a renter is $3,747, and for a homeowner is $4,059, according to GOBankingRates’ data.
Despite the Dallas Police Department’s efforts to reduce violent crime, criminal activity remains high in certain areas due to the dampening effect of a serious officer shortage. As covered extensively by The Dallas Express, Downtown Dallas has especially struggled to meet its potential, with monthly comparisons with the downtown area of Fort Worth by the Metroplex Civic & Business Association showing considerable disparities.
Citywide, the number of criminal incidents documented in Dallas has steadily increased over the last few years, reported DX. As such, developers, companies, and residents have been flocking to other metroplex cities, including the seven highlighted in GOBankingRates’ report:
McKinney
McKinney, home to over 214,000 people, landed at No.15 on GOBankingRates’ ranking. In 2022, the city reported just 238 violent crimes and 2,163 property crimes, per data from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer. The average monthly cost of living was reported to be $5,129, while the median household income was $113,286.
Frisco
Frisco came in right after McKinney at No.16, thanks partly to a higher median household income ($144,567) and average monthly cost of living ($6,128). Although slightly more property crimes were reported (2,928), there were fewer violent crimes (225).
Grand Prairie
Ranked No.21, Grand Prairie has a median household income of $76,626 and an average total monthly cost of living of $3,996. Its estimated 204,973 residents saw 3,770 property crimes and 405 violent crimes in 2022.
Plano
Just one spot below Grand Prairie, Plano made the top 25 with a median household income of $105,679 and an average total monthly cost of living of $5,266. Regarding safety, 5,496 property crimes and 458 violent crimes were recorded there in 2022.
Carrollton
Next in the ranking is Carrollton at No.23, with lower crime rates than Plano — 2,219 property crimes and 276 violent crimes — but a lower median household income of $95,380. Nevertheless, it is more affordable than its neighbor on this list, with an average monthly cost of living of $4,557.
Richardson
A bit further down in the ranking, Richardson came in at No.26. Its median household income is $94,362, and its average total monthly cost of living is $4,900. The city of roughly 119,000 people logged 2,630 property crimes and 183 violent crimes in 2022.
Denton
At No. 31, Denton placed last among the North Texas cities on this list. Its median household income is $71,921, and its average total monthly cost of living is $4,143. More crimes were reported in Denton compared to Richardson, with 3,672 property crimes and 445 violent crimes logged.
