Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Celina grades A− overall, ranked 50th of 640 in Texas. The median household earns $171K. It is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns and its schools rank ahead of 90% of Texas towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $512K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Dallas metro’s $90K median household income. 64% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Celina, above both Texas’ towns (23%) and U.S. towns (29%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. Celina Public School is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Celina beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Christie El | K–5 | 1,016 |
| Lilyana El | PK–5 | 982 |
| O'Dell El | K–5 | 770 |
6,028 counted in 2010 and 16,739 in 2020; an estimated 64,427 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 276.8% since 2020, after 177.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Celina is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 9%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 724 in 1910, 16,739 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2013 and a map from 1960 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Celina, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Celina.
Celina has schools in the top 5% of Texas, fares better on crime within Texas than nationally and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
The typical value, about $512K, is 18% below its July 2022 peak. The median property tax bill is $9,514, against $4,232 across Texas, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Celina is $2,379 a month. Typical home values fell 8.9% in the year to September 2026. 93% of households own their home in Celina.
| Celina | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,379 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 93% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A ranks #23 of the 642 Texas towns we grade for schools. Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $512K.
Its public schools are run by Celina ISD. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry & Linda Moore MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,219 | A |
| Celina H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,322 | A |
| O'Dell ElTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 770 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Texas is tooth loss: 5.7% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.5% statewide. Against the 1,656 U.S. towns with household incomes like Celina’s, it is less healthy than 58%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
7.5% of Celina adults have diabetes. Celina beats the Texas average on 19 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 27% of Celina adults have high blood pressure.
| Celina | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.5% | 13% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Celina | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.7% | 12.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 19.3% |
| More binge drinkers | 20.6% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Celina has 2,998 jobs for its 11,709 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 1,090 in 2013 to 2,998.
Most working residents leave Celina for work: only 4% work in town. Celina’s average trip to work is 33 minutes. Jobs based in Celina grew to 2,998 in 2023, 1,908 more than in 2013.
| Celina | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $171,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.7% | 8.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 11.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 83% of Texas’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 300 to 265 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
July afternoons average 94.7°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 34°.
Celina has mild winters and hot summers. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Celina | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 34°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2015, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Celina.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
4.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Old Celina Park, 48 acres with 1.7 miles of trail.
| Celina | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Old Celina Park | 1.7 mi | 48 |
| 2. Bobcat Stadium | — | 8 |
| 3. Founders Station Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Celina. Close and well known come first.
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaCotton Bowl
9 mi Theme parkUniversal Kids Resort
12 mi Stadium & arenaToyota Stadium
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaTexas Stadium
34 mi Stadium & arenaGerald J. Ford Stadium
22 mi MuseumSouthfork RanchCotton Bowl: Robbiewest88, Public domain · Universal Kids Resort: CANthony0125, CC0 · Toyota Stadium: Flavius Constantine, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Texas Stadium: Allspamme, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerald J. Ford Stadium: Jmcstrav, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Southfork Ranch: Sf46 at en.wikipedia, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Celina
About 5 of every 100 Celina residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Where Celina’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Texas, United States
Celina ( sil-EYE-nə) is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. Celina is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 16,739 at the 2020 census, and according to 2025 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 64,427. The Dallas Business Journal has ranked Celina as the fastest-growing city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex for three consecutive years (2019-2021). The population growth rate of Celina was 50.8% from 2015 to 2019. Celina's maximum project buildout population is approximately 378,000. Celina is the 1st gigabit city in the State of Texas and was recognized by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in May 2022. In 2017, Celina p…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Celina.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celina | #50 | A− | D | B+ | A | A |
| Prosper | #43 | A− | D | B+ | A | A |
| Pilot Point | #99 | B+ | C+ | B+ | B− | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Celina grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #50 of 640 in Texas. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
