Round Rock vs Taylor

Which is the better fit for you?

Round Rock, TX
73
Area Score
Top 8% nationally
Taylor, TX
64
Area Score
Top 32% nationally

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Round Rock receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Round Rock to Taylor

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 98.3 against 98.3 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,852 in Taylor against $1,852 in Round Rock.
The median home
32% less
$285,800 in Taylor against $418,600 in Round Rock.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 42°F in Taylor against 42°F in Round Rock; July highs are 97°F against 97°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Round Rock
Taylor
Opportunity: Round Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
76 · Top 14%
vs
66 · Top 30%
Growth: Taylor is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
52 · Top 46%
vs
62 · Top 26%
Climate
67 · Bottom 39%
vs
67 · Bottom 39%
Physical resilience: Taylor is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
85 · Top 16%
vs
86 · Top 15%
Housing affordability: Round Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
71 · Top 38%
vs
67 · Top 48%
Schools: Round Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
73 · Top 21%
vs
21 · Bottom 14%
Access: Round Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Access
90 · Bottom 40%
vs
84 · Bottom 27%
Economic stability: Round Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
69 · Top 27%
vs
59 · Top 49%

Measured values

MetricRound RockTaylorSource period
Population127,78617,1362024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$99,287 — more favorable$75,5082024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$50,365 — more favorable$36,9962024 ACS 5-Year
Population density3,351/sq mi757/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$418,600$285,8002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,763$1,074 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,852$1,852FY2026
Cost of living index98.398.32023
Homeownership rate55.5%74.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.0% — more favorable4.1%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+0.4%+0.4%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher44.8% — more favorable20.4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate7.3% ±1%7.1% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)3929012 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents3.15.3 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−76.7%−37.9%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high97°F97°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low42°F42°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation36.3"36.3"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport23 mi — more favorable30 miNASR current cycle
Average commute26.8 min — more favorable33.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.241.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools4162024-25 school year
Students per teacher14.713.9 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency55.7% — more favorable31.3%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency59.0% — more favorable37.0%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility31.5%68.6%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Round Rock

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Taylor

Elevated or high exposure: hail.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Round Rock
—
Round Rock: Your Score
73
Area Score
Taylor
—
Taylor: Your Score
64
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Round Rock, TX · Taylor, TX · How this is calculated: methodology