The book's checklist
- Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.1% above the U.S. average in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area.
- More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.6 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
- A safer neighborhood7 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 6.5 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
- Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
- A hospital close byBaylor Medical Center at Trophy Club in Trophy Club, about 10 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
- Within reach of a big cityDallas is about 37 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.
A check means Justin meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.
What kind of town
Boom town. The population is up 62% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.
The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.
For a lifetime
Homes and money
- Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
- $406,800U.S.: $332,700
- Home prices since then
- Up 5.3%Denton County, 2022 to 2025
- Typical household income
- $114,157U.S.: $80,734
- Homes owned by the people living in them
- 84%U.S.: 65%
- Typical property tax bill
- $7,014 a yearTexas: $4,232
- Homes built before 1940
- 1%U.S.: 12%
- Vacation and seasonal homes
- 0%U.S.: 3%
- Everyday prices
- 103.1U.S. average = 100 (the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area)
Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 5.3% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, not Justin alone. Check current listings before you budget.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
The people
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 7,2852020: 4,505
- Median age
- 35.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
- Age 65 and older
- 9%U.S.: 17%
- Under 18
- 31%U.S.: 22%
- Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
- 41%U.S.: 36%
- Moved here from another county or state in the past year
- 6%U.S.: 6%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Work
- Biggest lines of work
- Finance, insurance and real estate (20%); schools, health care and social services (14%); wholesale trade (9%)
- Unemployment rate
- 5%U.S.: 5%
- Average commute
- 40 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
- Work from home
- 21%U.S.: 15%
- Below the poverty line
- 0%U.S.: 12%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Health care
Nearest emergency room: Baylor Medical Center at Trophy Club, Trophy Club, TX, about 10 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.
Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.
Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.
Schools
4 public schools in Justin, run by Northwest Isd.
See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Texas's school report card.
Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.
Internet
- Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
- 85%U.S.: 76%
- Homes with any internet subscription
- 92%U.S.: 91%
Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Weather
- January average low
- 36°F
- July average high
- 97°F
- Days 90°F or hotter
- 108 a year
- Nights at or below freezing
- 45 a year
- Rain and melted snow
- 39.8 inches a year
- Snow
- 0 inches a year
- Elevation
- 679 feet
Weather stations: Ft Worth Alliance Ap (8 miles away) and Roanoke (7 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.
Getting around
Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Baylor Medical Center at Trophy Club, Flower Mound, Dallas.
Denton County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).
For a day
Read about Justin's history on Wikipedia.
Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.
Nearby
Straight-line miles.
Small towns
- Northlake, TX12,000 people, 3 miles
- Ponder, TX2,900 people, 6 miles
- Roanoke, TX10,900 people, 7 miles
- New Fairview, TX1,700 people, 7 miles
- Argyle, TX6,400 people, 8 miles
- Haslet, TX5,300 people, 9 miles
Smaller places
- DISH, TX525 people, 3 miles
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
- Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
- National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
- National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
- U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
- National Park Service, park unit boundaries
- USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas
Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.