What it's like to live in Duncanville
Duncanville is a small city in Texas with home prices that remain within reach and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Duncanville deals with rent well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a population that has been shrinking, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- Air quality concerns
- Shrinking population
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Duncanville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Duncanville
Based on Duncanville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,260
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $65,200 a year
- 60% of Duncanville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$51,100
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $25,550
- Homes cost 3.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 15% above US
$1,630/mo median rent
Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,630 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $255,500. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $255,500 · 60% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▲ 19% above US
5.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 5.1%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 21% below US
260 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2041/100k · Duncanville Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.5 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 95°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 30% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
16 public schools inside the boundary
There are 16 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Waco Mammoth National Monument (74 miles away).
Bottom line
Duncanville's strongest point is home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,630/mo) equals 26% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Duncanville
All Texas guides →Moving to Cedar Hill →
5 mi away · pop. 48,879
Rent $1,993/mo · Income $101,909
Compare with Duncanville →Moving to Grand Prairie →
7 mi away · pop. 201,883
Rent $1,629/mo · Income $81,619
Compare with Duncanville →Moving to Glenn Heights →
7 mi away · pop. 18,096
Rent $1,675/mo · Income $81,718
Compare with Duncanville →Not sure Duncanville is the one?
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