Frisco vs McKinney: retirement compared
Frisco and McKinney are the two big Collin County cities of Dallas & Northern Suburbs. They are close in size, with 210,238 residents in Frisco and 202,314 in McKinney in the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 survey, and each has one main 55+ option: Frisco Lakes, a resale community on Lake Lewisville, and Del Webb at Trinity Falls, new construction inside a master-planned neighborhood. The choice between them is less about the lifestyle brochure than about how the tax and hospital picture is built. Frisco crosses the Collin and Denton county line, has three hospital campuses and a city tax freeze for owners 65 and older. McKinney sits in one county, has two hospitals and a larger city over-65 amount but no city freeze.
Last reviewed
Frisco and McKinney at a glance
Figures come from each place page and name their own period; sources are listed on those pages.
| Measure | Frisco | McKinney |
|---|---|---|
| Population (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate) | 210,238 | 202,314 |
| Residents aged 65 and over (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate) | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| Median age (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate) | 38.1 | 36.7 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate) | $595,400 | $439,500 |
| Median gross rent (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate) | $1,902 per month | $1,841 per month |
| Median household income (ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate) | $146,158 | $120,273 |
| Property tax context (tax year 2026) | 2026 rates per hundred dollars of taxable value (Collin County parcels): City of Frisco 0.425517; Collin County 0.151414; Frisco ISD 1.0194 (units overlap; exemptions differ, so the rates are not simply added) | 2026 rates per $100 of taxable value, Collin CAD table: City of McKinney 0.4122840; Collin County 0.1514140; Collin College 0.0812200; McKinney ISD 1.0664000 (units overlap; rates are not added) |
| Hospital access | Three hospital campuses operate in Frisco, including Texas Health Frisco at 12400 Dallas Parkway, which offers emergency services on a 24-hour basis (hospital system pages read October 2026) | Medical City McKinney, a 311-bed acute care hospital and Level II Trauma Center at 4500 Medical Center Drive, is inside the city; the record names Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - McKinney as a second hospital (hospital system page read October 2026) |
| Airport access (airport page read October 2026) | Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the commercial airport the record names for Frisco; no drive time is stated | Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the commercial airport named for the area; the airport sites do not publish drive times from McKinney |
| 55+ communities in our research | 1 | 1 |
Frisco vs McKinney: the short answer
Frisco and McKinney are the two big Collin County cities of Dallas & Northern Suburbs. They are close in size, with 210,238 residents in Frisco and 202,314 in McKinney in the Census Bureau's 2019-2023 survey, and each has one main 55+ option: Frisco Lakes, a resale community on Lake Lewisville, and Del Webb at Trinity Falls, new construction inside a master-planned neighborhood. The choice between them is less about the lifestyle brochure than about how the tax and hospital picture is built. Frisco crosses the Collin and Denton county line, has three hospital campuses and a city tax freeze for owners 65 and older. McKinney sits in one county, has two hospitals and a larger city over-65 amount but no city freeze.
Three cautions apply throughout. First, the rates compared below come from the Collin Central Appraisal District's 2026 table of taxing entities and the City of Frisco's fiscal year 2027 rate page, which carry the same city and school figures, so Collin County parcels in both cities are compared on one year; Frisco parcels in Denton County are a different set of units and are kept separate. Second, rates and exemptions are reset every budget year, and a rate comparison is not a bill comparison, because the bill also depends on appraised value, exemptions and any special district. Third, hospital and community descriptions are the operators' own and are not quality ratings. For the statewide rules, see property taxes and appraisal districts and homestead and age-65 exemptions.
Which one fits you
Choose Frisco if
- You want three separate hospital campuses inside the city, run by three different systems, rather than two.
- You want a city-level tax freeze for owners 65 and older, which the City of Frisco has offered since January 1, 2022, and you are willing to confirm which county and school district a parcel sits in before relying on any rate.
- You prefer an established lakeside 55+ resale community of 3,019 homes with three amenity centers over a new-construction section of a larger neighborhood.
- You can accept a higher citywide price level, with a survey median owner-occupied value of $595,400 against $439,500 in McKinney.
Choose McKinney if
- You want a lower citywide entry price, with a survey median owner-occupied value of $439,500, and a 55+ builder community with published starting prices from $351,990.
- You want one county and one appraisal district to deal with, so that the Collin Central Appraisal District table is the only rate table to read for a parcel.
- You value the larger city over-65 amount of $90,000 and can accept that McKinney's city tax carries no freeze, with only the school ceiling and the county and college ceilings in place.
- You want a Level II Trauma Center and a 311-bed hospital in the city, plus a historic downtown with a farmers market and more than 120 locally owned businesses.
Frisco and McKinney: best for, and think twice if
Frisco
Best for
- Buyers 55 or older who want a lakeside 55+ community and a city freeze: Frisco Lakes is on the east shore of Lake Lewisville, and the city offers an $80,000 over-65 exemption with a tax freeze effective 2022.
- Buyers who want a choice of inpatient hospitals inside the city: Texas Health Frisco, the 98-bed Medical City Frisco and the 118-bed Baylor Scott & White Centennial are all in Frisco.
- Buyers who want newer homes: 40.3 percent of units were built in 2010-2019 and 34.8 percent in 2000-2009, with 70.3 percent single-family detached.
Think twice if
- Think twice if you want a simple tax bill: two appraisal districts and at least four school districts apply, with Frisco ISD at 1.0194 and Prosper ISD at 1.2141, so the school district drives the total.
- Think twice if price matters: the median owner-occupied value is $595,400, the median owner cost with a mortgage is $3,246 a month, and the sources says Frisco is not an older-adult town.
- Buyers who want a single-level home outside Frisco Lakes should shop deliberately: the sources says the rest of the market is largely two-story family housing, and April 2026 hail reached softball size in North Texas.
McKinney
Best for
- Buyers who want two inpatient hospitals and a 55+ community in the same city: Medical City McKinney (311 beds), Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - McKinney (192 beds) and Del Webb at Trinity Falls are all in McKinney.
- If you want a historic downtown at a price point the sources place below neighboring Frisco: the visitor bureau lists more than 120 locally owned downtown businesses, and the ACS median home value is $439,500.
Think twice if
- Think twice about hail: the NWS review of the April 2026 storms records hail up to softball size across North Texas, and the sources name roof age, material and the wind-and-hail deductible as the main insurance variables.
- Newer subdivisions may sit in a utility or management district: Collin CAD lists 29 MUDs and three management districts countywide, so ask which apply before comparing a bill to the 0.412284 city rate.
- Buyers who want a retiree-concentrated setting should note only 10.3% of residents are 65 or older and the median age is 36.7; the structured 55+ option is Del Webb at Trinity Falls.
Each point restates facts from that place's own page and sources. It is not a rating.
Frisco and McKinney side by side
| Dimension | Frisco | McKinney |
|---|---|---|
| Tax rates on Collin County parcels, same year | The City of Frisco's rate page for fiscal year 2027 lists, for Collin County parcels, the City of Frisco at 0.425517 per $100 of taxable value, Collin County at 0.151414, Collin County Community College at 0.081220 and Frisco ISD at 1.019400. Collin Central Appraisal District's 2026 table shows the same city and school figures. Where Prosper ISD territory applies, the city page lists that district at 1.214100 instead of Frisco ISD. | The 2026 Collin Central Appraisal District table lists the City of McKinney at a total of 0.4122840 per $100, made up of 0.2768560 for maintenance and operations and 0.1354280 for debt service, with Collin County at 0.1514140, Collin College at 0.0812200 and McKinney ISD at 1.0664000. For example, adding the city, county, college and school rates gives 1.677551 for a Frisco ISD parcel and 1.711318 for a McKinney ISD parcel, our arithmetic and before any special district. McKinney's lower city rate therefore does not produce a lower four-unit total, because its school rate is higher. This is a like-for-like rate comparison for one year and one county, not a bill comparison. |
| Local homestead exemption, over-65 amount and freeze | The City of Frisco's tax administration page says the city offers a general homestead exemption of 20 percent with a $5,000 minimum, an additional $80,000 exemption for owners 65 or older or disabled, and, effective January 1, 2022, a tax freeze for those owners. Once frozen, the city says, taxes will not increase while the owner owns and lives in the home, unless the home is improved. The 2026 appraisal district table agrees: 20.0 percent homestead, an $80,000 over-65 amount and a freeze flag of Yes for the city, and the state $140,000 and $60,000 amounts with a freeze flag of Yes for Frisco ISD. | In the same table the City of McKinney shows no local homestead percentage, a local over-65 amount of $90,000 and a freeze flag of No. McKinney ISD carries the state amounts and a freeze flag of Yes. Collin County, with a 5.0 percent homestead exemption and a $30,000 over-65 amount with a freeze, and Collin College, with 20.0 percent and $100,000 with a freeze, are the same for both cities. A McKinney retiree therefore gets the larger city amount but no city ceiling, while a Frisco retiree gets a smaller amount plus a city ceiling. Exemptions reduce taxable value and are not cash payments, and a freeze flag is a unit-by-unit ceiling, not a freeze on all property taxes at 65. |
| Appraisal districts, school districts and tax statements | Frisco sits in two counties, and which side a parcel is on changes every unit. Collin Central Appraisal District values the Collin parcels and Denton Central Appraisal District, at 3911 Morse Street in Denton, values the Denton parcels. Prosper, Lewisville and Little Elm school districts each hold territory inside the city limits alongside Frisco ISD. The city says Collin County residents receive one statement from the Collin County tax collector, while Denton County residents receive two: one from Denton County covering Lewisville ISD and Little Elm ISD, and one from Collin County billing the City and Frisco ISD. The Denton side lists Denton County at 0.183394, Lewisville ISD at 1.077800 and Little Elm ISD at 1.225200, so those rates must not be set against the Collin figures for a different address. Frisco Lakes is on the Denton County side. | McKinney is a Collin County city, so Collin Central Appraisal District, whose office is on Eldorado Parkway in McKinney, values its parcels and publishes the rate table for the city, county, college and McKinney ISD in one place. That is a real practical difference: one appraisal district and one table mean fewer ways to read the wrong row. McKinney's tax picture centers on McKinney ISD, but a buyer near a city edge should still confirm the school district on the parcel's own tax statement, since the same table lists many Collin County districts. |
| MUD, PID and special-district stacking | Collin Central Appraisal District's 2026 table lists 29 municipal utility districts and three management districts across the county, and none carries the City of Frisco's name. The table therefore cannot say whether a given Frisco lot is inside one. The tax statement and the seller's disclosures answer that, and for a Frisco Lakes address on the Denton County side the Denton statement and the association's resale certificate do. Where a district applies, it adds its own rate to the city, county, college and school rates. | The same table lists McKinney MUD No. 1 and McKinney MUD No. 2 with $5,000 local over-65 amounts and no rates shown, and no district in it carries the Trinity Falls name. Districts elsewhere in the county are listed with total rates of 1.0 to 1.2 per $100, which shows how large a district charge can be when one applies. A Del Webb buyer should ask the sales team to state in writing whether the lot is in any municipal utility district, public improvement district or similar district, and what each charge covers. |
| Hospitals inside the city | Three campuses from three systems operate in Frisco. Texas Health Frisco, at 12400 Dallas Parkway, offers emergency services on a 24-hour basis and works in collaboration with UT Southwestern Medical Center. Medical City Frisco Hospital, at 5500 Frisco Square Boulevard, describes itself as a 98-bed acute care hospital with a Level III Trauma Center. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Centennial, at 12505 Lebanon Road, describes a 118-bed hospital open 24 hours that serves Frisco and Collin and Denton Counties. Having three systems gives Medicare households more in-network combinations, though which one applies depends on the physician group and plan. | Two campuses operate in McKinney. Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - McKinney, at 5252 W University Drive, describes a 192-bed full-service not-for-profit hospital. Medical City McKinney, at 4500 Medical Center Drive, describes a 311-bed acute care hospital that is a Level II Trauma Center, Primary Stroke Center and Stroke Rehabilitation Center. McKinney therefore has the larger single hospital and the higher trauma designation as the hospitals present themselves, while Frisco has more choice of system. Baylor Scott & White and Medical City operate in both cities. Plan networks change every year, so confirm a preferred hospital and physician group before choosing. |
| Hail evidence and what it does not show | The National Weather Service Fort Worth review of storms from April 24 to 29, 2026 describes supercell thunderstorms with large hail up to softball size across North Texas and the Metroplex. For April 27 it reports hail up to teacup size across the middle of the Metroplex, with the largest hail in northeast Dallas, Rockwall and Hunt Counties. Frisco is not named in that line, which is not evidence of lower risk, because hail tracks are narrow and vary storm by storm. | McKinney is not named in that line either, so the review supports one conclusion for both cities: hail is a metro-wide exposure. The Texas Department of Insurance advises filing a claim as soon as possible, taking pictures and video, and avoiding contractors who offer to waive the deductible, which it says is illegal under state law. Its roof guidance explains replacement cost against actual cash value and warns that the wind and hail deductible may differ from other deductibles. Roof age and material matter equally in both cities, and no premium comparison is possible without an insurer quote for the address. |
| Flood, creeks and lake shoreline | FEMA states that floods do not follow city limits or property lines, that its Flood Map Service Center is the official source for a community's map, and that most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Frisco Lakes lies on the east shore of Lake Lewisville, so shoreline and low-lying lots deserve a flood-map check before an offer. Frisco's records give no city-wide flood rating, and none should be assumed. | Collin County's website says the county will update its Hazard Mitigation Action Plan in 2027, the FEMA-required document that identifies long-term natural-hazard risks such as floods and wildfires, so the findings are worth reading for a creek-side or low-lying McKinney lot. Del Webb's Trinity Falls page mentions kayaking on the lake in its description of the neighborhood, so ask which water bodies are inside the community, who owns them and what the flood map shows. McKinney's records offer no city-wide flood rating either. |
| Airport access | The Frisco Lakes association describes quick access to the Dallas North Tollway and Highway 121 and a short drive to DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field. Neither airport publishes a drive time from Frisco. | Visit McKinney's planning menu includes a page for McKinney National Airport, and DFW International Airport is the commercial gateway for the region, with 193 domestic and 77 international nonstop destinations by its own count. Del Webb's community page gives no airport distance. For both cities the practical step is the same: drive the route to your usual airport at the hour you would actually fly, since tollway and highway traffic changes the trip. |
| 55+ communities available | Frisco Lakes is an established resale community: its association lists 3,019 homes on about 900 acres and 5,000 active residents, with three amenity centers totaling more than 40,000 square feet, each with a fitness center, and pools, bocce and pickleball courts. A seven-member resident-elected board sets policy, and the association says the recorded CC&Rs set the age and rental restrictions. The 55+ status is how the association markets the community, so obtain the CC&Rs and the resale certificate before relying on any age rule. Dues are set in those documents and are not quoted here. | Del Webb at Trinity Falls is a new-construction section of a larger master-planned neighborhood. Del Webb markets it as 55+ and lists three single-family collections with starting prices of $351,990, $440,990 and $599,990, a 10,000-square-foot amenity center, a pickleball pavilion with 9 courts and a full-time Lifestyle Director. Residents also use the wider Trinity Falls amenities, and the page lists a future second amenity center without an opening date. The surrounding neighborhood is not described as age-restricted, and association dues are not given on the page, so ask for them in writing. Buyers who want a finished neighborhood lean toward Frisco Lakes, while those who want a new home lean toward Trinity Falls. |
| Age profile and housing cost | The 2019-2023 American Community Survey puts Frisco's median age at 38.1 years, with 20,246 residents aged 65 and over, or 9.6 percent. Median household income is $146,158, the median owner-occupied value is $595,400, median monthly owner costs with a mortgage are $3,246 and median gross rent is $1,902. The stock is young: 40.3 percent of units were built from 2010 to 2019 and 34.8 percent from 2000 to 2009, out of 77,787 housing units. | McKinney's median age is 36.7 years, with 20,764 residents aged 65 and over, or 10.3 percent. Median household income is $120,273, the median owner-occupied value is $439,500, owner costs with a mortgage are $2,690 and gross rent is $1,841. Of 74,436 housing units, 34.7 percent were built from 2010 to 2019 and 34.1 percent from 2000 to 2009, and an estimated 1,055 were built in 1939 or earlier, which fits the preserved downtown. Both sets are five-year survey estimates on the same basis, so they compare fairly, but they lag current prices and describe whole cities, not the 55+ communities. |
Communities worth a look
Time-sensitive details
- DFW Airport's news page announced new drive-up parking and access rates taking effect October 1, 2026, with discounts for TollTag customers and for those who prebook. (as of October 8, 2026; valid through November 22, 2026). Confirm before relying on it.
Sources and review date
Last reviewed . Facts on this page come from the sources below; where a rule or figure can change, check the linked source before relying on it.
- Property Tax Rate (City of Frisco tax rates for fiscal year 2027) — City of Frisco (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Tax Administration — City of Frisco (accessed 2026-10-08)
- 2026 Tax Rates and Exemptions — Collin Central Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Exemptions — Denton Central Appraisal District (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Property Tax Exemptions — Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Texas Health Frisco — Texas Health Resources (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Medical City Frisco Hospital — Medical City Healthcare (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Centennial — Baylor Scott & White Health (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – McKinney — Baylor Scott & White Health (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Medical City McKinney Hospital — Medical City Healthcare (accessed 2026-10-08)
- April 24-29, 2026 Severe Storms and Tornadoes — National Weather Service Fort Worth (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Hail damage to your home or car? What to do next. — Texas Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Insurance and your roof: What to know when buying a policy or filing a claim — Texas Department of Insurance (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Flood Maps — Federal Emergency Management Agency (accessed 2026-10-08)
- National Flood Insurance Program — Federal Emergency Management Agency (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (accessed 2026-10-08)
- About DFW and Fast Facts — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Collin County, Texas (county home page) — Collin County (accessed 2026-10-09)
- Plan Your Visit to McKinney — Visit McKinney (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Del Webb at Trinity Falls, McKinney, TX — Del Webb (PulteGroup) (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Welcome Home Frisco Lakes Homeowners Association — The Village at Frisco Lakes Community Association (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Frisco Lakes: Location — The Village at Frisco Lakes Community Association (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Governance at Frisco Lakes — The Village at Frisco Lakes Community Association (accessed 2026-10-08)
- American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP05 Demographic and Housing Estimates, Frisco city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
- American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics, Frisco city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
- American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP04 Selected Housing Characteristics, Frisco city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
- American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP05 Demographic and Housing Estimates, McKinney city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
- American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP03 Selected Economic Characteristics, McKinney city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)
- American Community Survey 2019-2023 DP04 Selected Housing Characteristics, McKinney city, Texas — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-10-08)