Melissa, Texas
Buying or selling a home in Melissa, TX?
Melissa went from a quiet stop on US 75 to one of the fastest-growing towns in the country. It sits right against McKinney, keeps its own Melissa ISD, and the Sherman chip jobs are a straight shot up the highway. Markets moving this fast reward buyers who know where the value actually is.
What makes it Melissa
Melissa has more than doubled since 2020. What sets it apart is McKinney right next door.
For most of its history Melissa was a modest town on the northern edge of Collin County. That changed fast. Its population has more than doubled since 2020, from about 14,000 to nearly 33,000, its master-planned neighborhoods filled in, and the highway that runs through it now carries commuters in both directions: south toward McKinney and the metroplex, north toward the semiconductor jobs remaking Sherman.
What sets Melissa apart from its corridor neighbors is McKinney next door and its own compact school district. You get Collin County shopping, hospitals and jobs minutes away, but corridor prices instead of inner-McKinney ones. The catch is the same one every fast-growing town has: builder pricing, incentives and lot premiums swing widely from community to community, and knowing which neighborhoods have already run up and which still leave room is what I track for my clients.
Where people land
Melissa by area
A quick lay of the land across town. Every buyer weighs commute, budget, new versus established and proximity to the highway differently, so treat this as a starting map and we'll narrow it down together.
- Established master-planned communities Melissa's growth started here. Liberty, a large master-planned community off US 75, filled in over two decades with homes from name DFW builders and an amenity center, pool and trails, and it's now largely built out. These give buyers established streets and resale choice rather than raw new construction.
- New-construction neighborhoods Fresh communities like North Creek and newer phases are still going up on the edges, close to the highway. This is where most relocating buyers who want a brand-new home spend their search.
- Older in-town Melissa The original town core near downtown and the older grid, with more established homes on larger lots and a quieter pace than the newer subdivisions.
- Acreage & rural edges Land and larger lots toward the county line and the east side of town, for buyers who want elbow room but still want to be minutes from US 75.
Small-town square, big-town neighbor.
Worth knowing up front
Four things to know before you buy in Melissa
- It's one of the fastest-growing towns in the country
- Melissa has more than doubled since 2020, from roughly 14,000 residents to nearly 33,000, and it keeps ranking among the nation's fastest-growing cities alongside Collin County neighbors like Princeton, Anna and Celina (as of 2025). That means real demand and steady new supply to compare. I'll tell you which communities are pricing ahead of themselves and which still leave room.
- The Sherman chip jobs are up the road
- Melissa sits on US 75 roughly 26 miles south of Sherman, where a multi-billion-dollar semiconductor build-out led by Texas Instruments is adding thousands of jobs (as of 2026). For a fab worker who wants Collin County schools and shopping with a straightforward highway commute, Melissa is a straight shot up the road. That demand is part of the Melissa story.
- McKinney is right next door
- Melissa's southern edge runs up against McKinney, so you're minutes from McKinney's jobs, hospitals, shopping and dining while paying corridor prices instead of inner-McKinney ones. For a lot of my buyers, that adjacency is the whole appeal.
- Schools
- The city has its own compact Melissa ISD, which has grown quickly alongside the town. Because campus zoning can shift as new schools open, I confirm the exact campuses for any specific address rather than going by the city name.
What it costs
A citywide median tells you little about the specific home you want.
Melissa's median sale price has run roughly in the mid-$400,000s (as of mid-2026), a bit higher than corridor towns just to the north like Anna. But this is a mixed market of established master-planned homes and new construction, so builder, lot premium, incentives and floor plan move the real number far more than any citywide median.
So I don't hand you a portal figure. I pull live, address-specific comparable sales for the exact community you're weighing, read the builder's incentives against the resale market next door, and factor in Collin County's property taxes, which run higher than out-of-state buyers expect even though Texas has no state income tax. Filing your homestead exemption and protesting your appraisal can bring that bill down, and I help with both.
my relocation guide · the next town north, Anna · the Sherman chip-boom market · how I help you protest your property taxes · buying new construction
Common questions
Melissa FAQ
Why is Melissa, TX growing so fast?
Melissa's population has more than doubled since 2020, from roughly 14,000 residents to nearly 33,000, and the city keeps ranking among the fastest-growing in the country (as of 2025). The drivers are straightforward: a steady supply of new construction, its position right next to McKinney, US 75 access in both directions, and job growth pulling north out of the metroplex and south from the Sherman semiconductor build-out. That combination turned a small town on the highway into one of Collin County's busiest home markets.
How far is Melissa from the Texas Instruments plants in Sherman?
Melissa sits on US 75 roughly 26 miles south of Sherman, about a half-hour drive up the highway (as of 2026). Sherman is the center of a multi-billion-dollar semiconductor build-out anchored by new Texas Instruments chip-fabrication plants. For a fab worker who wants Collin County schools and shopping rather than living in Sherman itself, Melissa is a reasonable straight-line commute up US 75, which is one reason demand here keeps climbing.
How much do homes cost in Melissa, TX?
Melissa's median sale price has run roughly in the mid-$400,000s (as of mid-2026), a bit higher than corridor towns just to the north like Anna, partly because of its established master-planned homes and its position next to McKinney. New-construction communities range widely, though, with some floor plans starting in the high-$200,000s and others running past $500,000 depending on builder, lot and size. A citywide median tells you little about the specific home you want, so I pull live, address-specific comparable sales for the exact community you're considering rather than quoting a portal number.
Is Melissa, TX a good place to buy a new home?
Melissa mixes established master-planned neighborhoods like Liberty, which is largely built out, with newer communities like North Creek and fresh phases still going up. That gives buyers both resale choice and brand-new options, but builder pricing, incentives and lot premiums vary a lot from community to community. I represent buyers through new-construction contracts so you're not negotiating alone against the builder's own sales team, and I give you an honest read on which communities are worth the premium.
Which school district is Melissa in?
The city has its own Melissa ISD, a compact district that has grown quickly along with the town and continues to add campuses. Because zoning depends on where in the city you land and can shift as schools are added, I confirm the exact campuses for any specific address rather than going by the city name.
Is Melissa or Anna better for commuting to the Sherman jobs?
They're both on the US 75 corridor between the metroplex and the Sherman fabs, so the real answer depends on your budget, how new you want the home, and how close to McKinney you want to be. Melissa sits a bit further south, right next to McKinney, and tends to price a little higher; Anna is the next town north with heavy new construction and prices often a step below Melissa's. Van Alstyne is further north again, in Grayson County and closer to Sherman. I walk relocating buyers through the trade in real numbers so you're comparing the right things.
Let's talk Melissa
Thinking about Melissa?
Tell me what you're looking for and roughly when, and I'll put together a short list of the communities that fit, with real numbers for each and a candid read on where the value is. No pressure, no obligation.