Car Insurance in McKinney, TX [Cheap Rates + Best Coverage]

While McKinney, Texas has no formal nickname, one title from Money Magazine might suffice: #1 Best Place to Live.

In 2014 and 2012, McKinney was named the best place to live out of small towns in America, and it’s not hard to see why.

Its school system leverages technology to better educate students, the area is home to major tech and healthcare companies, and there’s the all-world Hutchins BBQ.

It’s all very true, but if there’s one aspect of McKinney that doesn’t get talked about—because, well, it’s not sexy—is its car insurance.

That’s why we’re here today. If you’re on this page, you’re likely looking for car insurance for yourself, a family member, or a friend.

And you may have found car insurance to be…well, confusing.

There are technical terms like GAP coverage, plans formed with things like deductibles, issues with how they got that rate when you’ve always been a safe driver.

We understand. We feel your pain.

Car insurance can be confusing. You may even want to bang your head against a wall. That’s why we’re here to help.

In this comprehensive guide to car insurance in McKinney, we’ll talk rates, companies, factors influencing rates, highways, vehicle theft, where McKinney’s drivers rank nationally and more.

By the end, you should be able to make an informed decision about car insurance in McKinney.

Start your car. We’re going for a drive.

Ready to compare rates? Try our FREE online tool.

The Cost of Car Insurance in McKinney

Imagine this. You’re checking the day’s mail when you come across a letter from your insurance provider. It’s not a happy letter.

Why else would your car insurance company be sending you a letter? You may have had an accident or gotten a ticket and think—my rates will change.

Then your eyes settle on the bold print and you say,

How did they get that?

There are many reasons why you have the rate you have. Being male or female, your age, what zip code you’re in, can all influence rates.

Ready to find out why?

– Male vs Female vs Age

Everyone knows the story of 17-year-old James.

James was excited about getting a car.

He’d have the freedom to go wherever he wanted to—go to the movies with friends, take girls out on dates, even take that job more than five miles away from the house.

He was so excited, he threw the gear into drive and drove right through the garage door.

Young people are inexperienced drivers. Even more, they’re prone to risk-taking behaviors. For those reasons (and some others surely), insurance companies set rates highest for those who are the youngest, and then move those rates down as a person ages.

The following statistics come from our partner Quadrant, who is a leading data collector within the property and casualty insurance industry (any raw statistics about car insurance rates come from them).

In McKinney, the difference between the average 17-year-old’s premium and the average 60-year-old’s premium is $5,300.

It’s not the only demographic factor used to determine car insurance rates either. Insurance companies take that age-old question—are males or females better drivers—and turn it into rate-setting.

The average McKinney car insurance premiums for men and women show that:

• Male: $3,865.75
• Female: $3,656.50

Why are premiums for females in McKinney lower than those for males? According to the statistics, women are actually much better drivers than men.

Certainly safer.

According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that looked at 32 years of driving statistics, men were far more likely to die in accidents than women.

They went a step further, writing,

Men typically drive more miles than women and more often engage in risky driving practices including not using safety belts, driving while impaired by alcohol, and speeding.

But being a male or female and even your age are just two factors. Another is more circumstantial: Being married.

All things held equal between gender and age, being married drops your rates. Why?

Insurance companies believe that married people are more responsible and are less likely to take risks, which reduce the chance of you filing a claim. Being married also signifies you’re more financially stable, which means you won’t miss payments.

– Cheapest Zip Codes in McKinney

Have you heard the story of the two neighbors that had vastly different insurance premiums? Both were good drivers, clean records, good jobs. What was the difference?

The truth: They lived in two different zip codes, one with higher average rates than the other. This is, unsurprisingly, more common than you think.

For instance, the Consumer Federation of America did a study that looked at rates from six major insurance companies in 10 different cities and presented the following findings.

• In every city, at least one company charged $200 extra for the same coverage for someone living on the wrong side of the zip code
• Lower-income neighborhoods got hit the hardest, with rates sometimes increased $410 between comparable drivers (low-high income)

So what are the stats on this in McKinney?

Of the zip codes we have (there are just three in McKinney), 75071 is $350 more expensive than 75070.

According to Zip-Codes.com, residents of 75070 are older, earn more money, and have higher-priced homes.

– What’s the Best Car Insurance Company in McKinney?

Geico has the gecko. Progressive has Flo. State Farm has half of the (2018) Houston Rockets team. They bring the funny but how much do you know about them really? In particular, what their rates are. From the cheapest insurance company in McKinney to the one best for a DUI, let’s roll.

– Cheapest Car Insurance Rates by Company

Your first thought might be when searching for your new car insurance company is which ones have the cheapest rates? We’ve got your backs.

There are four price brackets for companies in McKinney:

• Allstate is clearly the most expensive at $5,100
• American Family and Progressive are bundled around $4,300 to $4,500
• Nationwide and Geico are about $1,000 lower around $3,500 to $3,600
• Then there are the two cheapest—State Farm ($3,100) and USAA ($2,600).

Allstate is the most expensive for the 35-year-old and 60-year-old categories. It and American Family are the most expensive for the 25-year-old category. Progressive is the most expensive for the 17-year-old category.

Insurance companies price their rates for different reasons. The largest reason is how likely it is that their customers will file claims. But there is also the operational cost of the company, their process of paying out claims, and differentiation with competition in the marketplace.

So, the cheapest company might be the cheapest for reasons other than the actual plan; either way, this provides a good look at which is the cheapest and which is really, really not.

– Best Car Insurance for Commute Rates

Texans, on average, drive 15,533 miles per year, which is about 2,000 miles more than the average American according to the Federal Highway Administration.

Did you know how far you drive can impact your insurance rates?

Insurance companies think logically about the issue of annual mileage: The more you drive, the more likely you are to get into an accident or file a claim.

This rate spike hits men the hardest, as they drive significantly more on average than women.

Does this affect McKinney?

Only three companies change their rates based on annual mileage.

• Allstate +$250
• Geico +$130
• USAA +$60

That’s positive, especially for men, who are well above the average for miles driven.

– Best Car Insurance for Coverage Level Rates

Whether your coverage level is high or low depends on numerous factors. First, a high coverage level might include different types of coverages, such as GAP coverage or collision insurance.

A high coverage level might also have higher coverage limits than a low coverage level plan, such as a $50,000 bodily liability limit versus a $25,000.

Insurance companies price their rates accordingly.

While most companies stay between $200 and $500 between low-level coverages and high-level coverages, there is one standout: American Family with a difference of $800.

– Best Car Insurance for Credit History Rates

Your credit history certainly can influence your rates.

Insurance companies believe that your credit history determines how likely you are to file a claim, and of course, there’s the issue of making payments.

The biggest difference within a company?

Geico with a $3,500 jump from a good credit score to a poor credit score.

The smallest difference?

Progressive with just a $1,000 jump from a good credit score to a poor one.

It’s important to note that the credit scores companies use are not your typical FICO credit score.

Insurance companies use their own formula to determine your likelihood to file a claim, which is then used to set your rates.

Fortunately, more people are calling for the abolishment of this practice, as it can adversely affect minority groups and those with low credit but have an overall good driving record.

– Best Car Insurance for Driving Record Rates

If you’ve ever gotten into an accident and watched your rates spike, you know well that your driving record influences your rates.

Car accidents, moving violations, DUIs all can cause your rates to jump hundreds of dollars, if not thousands.

If you’ve gotten an infraction or have some already and are looking for insurance, there are certain companies you want to go with for each infraction.

• Best for one Speeding Violation: Allstate, American Family, and State Farm (no change in rates)
• Best for one Accident: Nationwide (no change in rates)
• Best for one DUI: Geico (+$300 from a clean record) and American Family (+$500)

Averaging each company’s rates shows which infractions are the most expensive and by how much.

DUIs are the most expensive—$1,200 over a clean record—but it’s not by much: Accidents are just $200 on average less.

Speeding violations are the least expensive on average—just $300 over a clean record. In general, the spread is not high compared to other cities, where the number can be in the multiple thousands.

– Car Insurance Factors in McKinney

You remember the day surely: The cap and gown, all thrown into the air, everyone cheering.

Graduating from high school or college is a big thing, but did you know it could affect your car insurance rates for years to come? There are circumstantial and tangential factors that affect car insurance rates, ones that may leave you scratching your head.

And then there’s the biggest factor—what is the percentage of your income you’re paying on car insurance.

– Median Household Income

McKinney is known for being an affluent town. Victorian homes, mansions, neighborhoods with wide sidewalks and trees lining the streets…McKinney has money.

But how much?

The following graphs and many of the statistics come from DataUSA.io, which analyzes, researches, and puts together information on hundreds of American cities.

McKinney will always be in orange.

For McKinney, the median household income is $87,608, which is higher significantly than the U.S. average of $57,652.

It’s even higher than the bustling commercial metro of Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, where residents have a median income of $63,870.

Now, we here at TexasCarInsurance.com have a handy statistic that shows just how much residents are paying for their car insurance—out of their income.

It’s called premium as a percentage of income (PaPI).

Because the median household income in McKinney is $87,608 and the average premium is $5,701.09, the average person in McKinney spends 6.5 percent of their income on their premium.

This is actually more than nearby Frisco, where residents have a median income of $120,701 and pay just 4.6 percent on their premiums.

But it’s much better than nearby Denton, where residents have a median income of $52,164 and pay 10.3 percent on their premiums.

Cities around the Dallas metro vary quite a bit in terms of income, which affects the financial cost per income of their car insurance premium.

McKinney looks good.

There are some cities with much higher PaPIs.

To check your own PaPI, plug your info into the calculator below.

CalculatorPro

– Homeownership in McKinney

Homeownership may seem like a strange thing to talk about in a car insurance article. However, it is important; car insurance companies look at homeownership to set rates—or give discounts.

Why?

Car insurance companies believe that a homeowner is more responsible, less likely to take risks, and more financially secure.

These lead, in their minds, to fewer claims, which lowers the rate of the person they’re evaluating.

The average property value in McKinney was $255,300 in 2017, up from $228,500 in 2016.

As Dallas News, a subsidiary of the Dallas Morning News, writes

Frisco, McKinney and Allen were rated first in the country in the comparison of best housing and economic markets by WalletHub.

And as the Community Impact Newspaper writes,

Major Collin County developments taking shape along the Dallas North Tollway in Plano and Frisco have drawn thousands of workers to an influx of relocated national headquarters and a range of companies big and small.

Housing prices are rising, making affordability for entry-level families difficult, as to buy a $200,000 house requires a significant income stream (or streams).

This is a graph that shows the ratio of homeowners to renters in McKinney contrasted with other cities and the United States at large.

In McKinney, 66.6 percent of homes in 2017 were occupied by their owner. That’s down from 67.7 percent in 2016. That is actually higher than the national average of 63.9 percent and Texas as a whole at 62 percent.

A possible cause?

Because McKinney is such a hot moving destination, many people may be relocating to McKinney and renting to check out the city before buying a home or waiting for the right house in the market.

– Education in McKinney

Education is a major part of McKinney.

The city is known for supply students with technological tools to succeed, including individual laptops.

There is also the McKinney Education Foundation, which issues grants and has a program where qualified college advisors work with students to prepare them for the next level education.

In McKinney, the sole college is the McKinney Campus of Collin College, which is a community college that serves the Collin and Rockwall counties.

According to DataUSA.io, 3,030 degrees were awarded in 2016 at Collin College at McKinney. It has no data about the bachelor’s degrees awarded; however, there is data on the associates and post-secondary degrees.

In 2015, 1,833 associates degrees were awarded in the top three categories.

• Liberal Arts: 953 degrees or 39.2 percent of the total
• General Studies: 744 degrees or 30.6 percent of the total
• General Business: 136 degrees or 5.6 percent of the total

Post-secondary certificates were split within trades and general education.

The top three categories were fire science and fire fighting (59 degrees awarded), medical insurance coding specialist (54 degrees), and paralegal (35 degrees).

When it comes to car insurance, your level of education can influence your rates. Some companies offer discounts for those with higher education (bachelor’s or up), rightly or wrongly.

– Wage by Race & Ethnicity in Common Jobs

Wages vary according to race in most places in the country.

In McKinney, it is the same.

The differences in wages for each race can be seen (especially when comparing minorities to whites) as a racial wage gap based on inequality.

Whatever your thoughts on that are, there is little doubt that when a race earns on average less than another, the impact on their pocketbooks in terms of car insurance is felt.

The differences in pay are the largest within miscellaneous managers, with the top race (Asians) earning over $60,000 on average than the lowest (Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders).

In PaPI, that difference is significant: 5.28 percent for Asians with 12.14 percent for Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

For drivers/sales workers and truck drivers, the difference is much smaller.

The other category earns the most at $47,000 for 12.24 percent PaPI, while the Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders earn the least $32,881 for a 17.34 percent PaPI.

The difference makes an impact on both general finances and nondiscretionary expenses like car insurance premiums.

– Wage by Gender in Common Jobs

The gender wage gap is well known: Women make 79 cents to every dollar that men make, according to PayScale.

Part of this is due to the opportunity gap, where women climb corporate ladders or are promoted less than men. In McKinney, the gender wage gap is alive and well.

In every category, women earn less than men, even in the female-dominated industry of elementary and middle school teaching.

There is a $34,000 gap between male miscellaneous managers and female miscellaneous managers.

There is a $5,000 gap within male and female elementary and middle school teachers.

PaPIs are significantly different as well; 5 percent to 7.15 percent for miscellaneous managers and 11.02 percent to 12.24 percent for teachers.

Fortunately, there are organizations that have missions of eliminating the wage gap between men and women.

– Poverty by Age and Gender

In McKinney, partly due to its affluence, poverty is significantly less widespread than in other cities.

Around seven percent of people live below the poverty line, which is $25,750 for a family of four according to the Department of Health & Human Services.

That is well below the 13.4 percent national average.

Females between 35 and 44 years of age are the largest group in poverty, with 9.25 percent of that age/gender group living in poverty.
Females between 25 and 34 years of age are next, with 8.38 percent living in poverty.

Males between six and 11 years of age are the third-largest group with 7.53 percent living in poverty.

The National Women’s Law Center looked at Census Bureau data for 2016 and found that women were 38 percent more likely to be in poverty than men in 2016.

There are numerous reasons for this according to Legal Momentum.

• The gender wage gap
• Segregation into lower-paying work
• Lack of affordable childcare
• Costs or pregnancy
• Violence and/or abuse

Children are also much more likely to be in poverty than adult males.

Fortunately, like with the gender wage gap, there are organizations devoted to improving these conditions.

– Poverty by Race and Ethnicity

Poverty can also be broken down according to race and ethnicity.

This graph is based on percentages compared to the whole; as in the number of whites compared to the total number from all races.

In this case, whites clearly have the largest percentage share (53.3 percent) and total number (8,367 people) living in poverty. Hispanics are next, then black people.

– Employment by Occupations

In the past decade, the suburbs and cities above Dallas have experienced tremendous growth in terms of jobs, with corporations relocating to Plano and Frisco especially. McKinney has also experienced its own growth, with Raytheon moving its headquarters to McKinney earlier this decade.

As DataUSA.io writes,

From 2016 to 2017, employment in McKinney, TX grew at a rate of 5.48 [percent], from 78,100 employees to 82,400 employees.

Among the top jobs: Management, sales, and office administration.

In the graph, they are organized into 24 different categories with the largest having a 15.2 percent share and the lowest having a .46 percent share.

The top three comprise 41.5 percent of the jobs.

• Management Occupations: 15.2 percent or 12,500 people
• Sales and Related Occupations: 14.1 percent or 11,600 people
• Office and Administrative Support Occupations: 12.2 percent or 10,100 people

In McKinney, the economy is said to be diverse and with the climate surrounding the north Dallas cities to be positive, it’s likely more companies will move to McKinney as well.

Driving in McKinney

Imagine this. You wake up one morning, after a nice eight-hour sleep. You’re drinking your cup of coffee when a sudden blare of an alarm shocks you. You drop the cup and it shatters across the floor.

Racing outside, just in a robe with a pair of slippers, you see that the window of your car has been busted open. But the person who did it is nowhere in sight.

From there you might have questions:

• How do I get this repaired?
• Where is the nearest repair shop and how do I get there the fastest?
• Will I be able to get to work at a reasonable hour with all that traffic?

Those, and many other questions, might race through your mind.

And it’s tough to find the answers to all those questions.

That’s what we’re here for.

In this section, Driving, we’re going to take you on a tour of McKinney—its roads including the major highways; its traffic, including times of peak congestion; and its vehicles, including numbers about theft.

Along the way, we’ll take a look at repair shops, speed traps, the quality of McKinney’s drivers, and more.

And of course—popular road trips and sites to visit.

Strap on your seatbelt (though it should already be on): things are going to get a little bumpy.

– Roads in McKinney

Roads: they’re how (most of us) get to work, get to school, get to our favorite spots in the country that are hours away.

But there are challenges, including knowing which ones to take, what the roads conditions are, even where the red light and speeding cameras are.

This section covers all that and more.

– Major Highways

There are just four major highways running through McKinney.

When counting for their nationwide distances, they total 865.8 miles.

SH 121 is the only toll road and is commonly referred to as the Sam Rayburn Tollway. It links together Grapevine and McKinney, covering a short distance above the general metroplex of Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington.

Texas, as a whole, as 25 toll roads, the most of any state in the Union.

What do you do if you encounter one of these toll roads? There are three tags you can purchase that’ll deduct automatically off your account and a fourth, simpler option.

The first of the three tags is TxTag.

They write,

TxTag works like a prepaid phone card or gift card. With a TxTag account, you prepay your tolls. You can easily check your toll expenses and account balance or make payments to your account online or by phone.

When you sign up, they send you a tag you place on your windshield below your mirror.

When you go through the toll, an electronic reader scans the card and automatically deducts money from your account.

The same process works for the other two—EZ Tag and TollTag.

TollTag might be the one most relevant to you if you live in McKinney or are planning to move there, as it covers all the tollways run by the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA).

These tollways are predominantly around the Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington metroplex, though TollTag can be used at other locations around Texas.

If the idea of accounts and tags doesn’t appeal to you, there is the option of ZipCash.

It is also a program of the NTTA and works by having a camera snap a picture of your license as you drive through the toll.

It’ll then send you a bill, though the NTTA says that charges could be up to 50 percent more with ZipCash.

Those are many options, all for different parts of Texas and some overlapping in terms of use. Knowing them is important, if for nothing else than your next road trip.

– Popular Road Trips/Sites

Got a day and a full tank of gas? Here are four exciting road trip destinations near McKinney.

Dallas and Fort Worth are excluded cause, well, they’re less than an hour away.

• Palo Duro Canyon: With the Spanish name hard stick, Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States, 120 miles long and with an average width of six miles. There’s plenty to do—hiking, biking nature watching, horseback riding, even taking in the musical drama Texas during the summer. Just watch out for rattlesnakes.

• Texas Hill Country: Hill Country is less a specific destination and more of a region. It is in the heart of Texas and has all the attractions of such—beautiful lakes, large cypress trees, delicious barbecue joints, over a dozen great swimming holes, and even a dedicated brewery trail.

• Waco, Texas: Home to the Dr. Pepper Museum and two of HGTV’s major stars, Waco is great for relaxation, recuperation, and antique shopping. With dozens of antique and vintage shops, Waco is something of a paradise for those who like furniture and other items made from an earlier time.

• Austin, Texas: What more can you really say about Austin? It’s one of the fastest-growing cities, home to a young hip crowd, full of great breweries and amazing food trucks. While you’re in town, you can check out the Mexican free-tailed bat flight from under the Congress Avenue Bridge or play chicken [poop] bingo at The Little Longhorn Saloon. Among many other things.

– Does Your City Use Speeding or Red-Light Cameras?

Fortunately, there’s good news: McKinney does not use red light cameras.

Why?

In June 2019, the governor of Texas—Greg Abbott—signed a bill banning red-light cameras statewide, which takes effect in September.

Since then, towns and cities across Texas have moved to shut down their red-light camera programs and said they will stop enforcing tickets since the bill signing.

This comes in light of many drivers have posted their concerns (and derision) for red-light cameras that seem like a money grab, as they are operated by private companies.

There were and are other concerns as well, including the effectiveness of the red-light cameras, whether they capture actual crimes, and whether they are constitutional.

– Vehicles in McKinney

Back to that original prompt at the start of the Driving Section: A burglar has attempted to steal your car, leaving you with a shattered window and a bunch of broken glass.

You might ask: How many times does this happen in McKinney? I thought this city was safe, at least safer than typical.

From how many cars each household has to speed traps to the vehicle theft rates, let’s keep things rolling with Vehicles in McKinney.

– How Many Cars Per Household

With the affluence of McKinney, it makes sense that they would average more than one car per household, maybe even more than two.

53.2 percent of households in McKinney own two cars, the highest percentage of any category. The next largest is 20.3 percent, with one car in third at 16.4 percent.

Fewer McKinney households actually own three or more cars than the national average.

This is due to just how high the two-car ownership category is; It outstrips the national average by 12 percent.

– Households Without a Car

Not having a car is difficult, even in a relatively small city like McKinney.

Cars equate with mobility, the ability, in particular, to get to work quickly, without having to deal with the difficulties of public transportation. In McKinney, again, you’d expect that percentage to be down, due to the wealth in the area.

And it is, comparatively, to many other cities. The number actually dropped significantly from 2015 to 2016—1.4 percent.

Still, that 2.4 percent has a difficult time, especially just on the outskirts of a huge metro like Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington.

Not having a car disproportionately impacts households living below the poverty line.

As the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) notes,

The high sticker price of vehicles, increased prices at the pump, and transit fare hikes all pose a financial burden to the mobility of all households, especially those in poverty.

There are many mobility challenges that occur when not having a car, including having to take alternative modes of transportation—biking, walking, carpooling, public transport—to work.

Finally, as the FHWA writes,

As transportation costs continue to rise, poor households will have an increasing burden with expenses that are necessary to meet basic needs and improve quality of life.

Even with a small percentage of households without a vehicle in McKinney, it can still be an issue.

– Speed Traps in Your City

This scenario probably sounds familiar.

You’re driving down the highway, listening to music, when you put your foot on the gas for that little extra burst.

Then you see, just at the edge of your vision, a cop in the ditch with a radar gun. You slam on the brakes but it’s too late—the blue lights come on and you’re in for a ticket.

Speed traps always seem to happen when you’re letting loose a little, and they always seem to happen where you least expect them.

But we, here at TexasCarInsurance.com, have a source that catalogs the speed traps in your area, submitted all from people like you who saw them first-hand and either were caught or got away.

It’s SpeedTrap.org, and it has the meat on where the speed traps are in McKinney.

First, the good news: McKinney is not listed on the 10 worst cities for speed traps in Texas, though Fort Worth and Dallas are.

McKinney has seven pages of speed traps listed for a total of 32 speed traps, though some of these date back to 2002.

Some of the more recent ones show cops ticketing people around schools, right before speed limit changes, and at stoplights with short during yellows.

One person writes about Joplin Dr and Lea Ln:

Cop sitting just between the 20mph and 30mph speed signs pulling over people just before it changes to 30 mph. Such a scam.

Another points out this fact about Hwy 380:

Truckers beware. 60 mile per hour speed limits. Stop lights with short-duration yellows. If you don’t brake hard to stop, you will be ticketed $220. Watch out for motorcycle officers.

One person has an issue with State Troopers at Hwy 380 Going West Right before you get to Hwy 289

This is a favorite spot for the State Troopers. There is a small hill with a closed road on the right side ( west bound lanes ). They pull way up in there and are blocked by trees and brush.

Some of these are dated, but often speed traps don’t change much over the course of 10 years. These are cities after all. There’s a limited amount of places cops can hide.

– Vehicle Theft in McKinney

To answer that question about whether McKinney is safe and, if so, how safe: It is very, very safe.

At least compared to most cities in America.

These 2017 numbers come from NeighborhoodScout which uses FBI data sourced from over 18,000 law enforcement organizations around the country to come up with crime profiles of cities.

Although motor vehicle theft is a stressful experience, it is highly unlikely for it to happen in McKinney.

There were 155 motor vehicle thefts in McKinney in 2017, for a motor vehicle theft rate of .85. This is significantly lower than the rate for the U.S. as a whole—2.37.

Looking at total crimes reveals another good picture.

Taken together, there is a 15 in 1000 chance a person will be a victim of crime in McKinney. That number drops significantly for violent crimes: A person has a 1.37 in 1000 chance of being a victim.

Each category within violent crimes is less than 151. There were just two murders in McKinney in 2017, 68 robberies, and 151 assaults.

The rates are all significantly lower than the U.S. averages.

It’s another reason why Money Magazine named it the #1 Place to Live in 2014.

Still, if you’re looking to stay in the safest of safest neighborhoods, NeighborhoodScout gives a list:

1. N Fm 2478 / Fm 1461
2. Virginia Pky
3. W University Dr / Redbud Dr
4. Cypress Point Dr / Berkshire Rd
5. Canyon Creek Dr / Stone Hollow Dr
6. Hardin Blvd / Maverick Trl
7. W University Dr / Gray Branch Rd
8. Virginia Pky / Spectrum Dr
9. Virginia Pky / N Village Dr
10. Lauren Dr / Sidney Ln

And if you’re very concerned about getting your car stolen, there are some techniques you can use to attempt to prevent it from happening.

– Traffic

Ah, traffic. It’s the worst.

When you’re sitting in rush hour traffic, trying to get to work—perhaps commuting from McKinney to Dallas—you may get a headache from all the stop and go traffic.

Even if you’re humming along to your favorite Meat Loaf song.

It can be frustrating.

• So, what is the traffic like in McKinney?
• And further, how safe are the drivers?
• What about the roads for that matter?

This section answers all those questions and a few more, such as where you can get quality repairs near year. Bear with us, we know this a lot of information.

We’re rounding bend three; avoid the speed traps and forget the red lights—we’re almost home.

– Traffic Congestion in Texas

The good news: McKinney has such little traffic that it’s not listed in major traffic aggregating sites like TomTom and INRIX.

However, there is the possibility that you commute or will commute (if you’re moving) to the Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington Metroplex.

TomTom lists the Dallas Metroplex as 299 in the world for traffic congestion, which isn’t bad considering the size.

It looked at 8.5 billion kilometers worth of roadways and found that congestion was worse on non-highways than highways (20 percent to 16 percent).

December 25th is the best day, while February 20th is the worst (34 percent average congestion).

• The evening commute was much worse than the morning commute
• An average 30-minute trip during the morning rush would take an additional 10 minutes
• In the evening, it would take an additional 14 minutes.

But that’s just for the Dallas Metroplex. If you’re not heading there, you don’t need to worry; McKinney has such little traffic, it’s not even listed.

– Transportation

The commute time statistics from DataUSA.io support this.

While the average commute time is 26.7 minutes, slightly longer than the U.S. average (25.1 minutes), the numbers are a little skewed towards the 45 to 89-minute commutes.

These commutes are most likely to the Dallas-Ft. Worth-Arlington Metroplex. Over 50 percent of commutes in McKinney are 29 minutes or less.

Sometimes in affluent cities, there are slightly different ways of getting to work.

82 percent of McKinnians get to work by driving alone, which is higher than the national average by six percent.

Just 6.37 percent carpool, which is lower than the national average by about three percent. And four percent more people in McKinney work from home compared to the national average.

The high rate of car ownership certainly helps within these statistics, and the median level of income indicates high-paying jobs, which often allow people to work from home.

– Busiest Highways

On the way to Dallas via U.S. 75, you may experience a slight uptick in the following things: Blood pressure, a headache, grinding teeth. Why?

Because U.S. 75 on the way to Dallas is one of the most congested highways in the state.

This, according to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, which analyzes road sections to determine the ones are the most congested.

U.S. 75 owns four of those sections, all on the way to Dallas: ranks 47, 14, 9, and 23.  Put together, the congestion cost for all four sections is nearly $300 million.

Also, the total delay of hours for all commuters is 14.8 million. So, if you’re heading to the heart of downtown Dallas, prepare yourself.

– How Safe Are McKinney’s Streets and Roads

Collins County is the 7th most populous county in Texas with a population of 780,000. It’s home to many small towns and a few mid-sized cities, including McKinney, which is its county seat.

When living there or planning to move there, knowing the roads and the fatalities which occur on them can help for safety purposes.

This data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which categories fatalities according to contexts—alcohol-impaired or roadway departure, for instance.

With categorization, fatalities can be assigned to more than one category, which is why they might go over the total number of fatalities for the area.

There were 243 vehicle fatalities in 2017 in Collins County.

The top three categories were roadway departures (129), single-vehicle (112), and speeding (105).

Roadway departures leading is not necessarily a surprise; while Collin County has numerous small towns and mid-sized cities, good parts of it are rural.

As the FHWA notes, rural roads accounted for over half the traffic fatalities nationwide in 2016, with two-thirds of them being roadway departure.

Some of the issues with rural fatalities (and roadway departures) have to do with circumstances or just plain bad roads.

• EMS times tend to be longer in rural parts of the country
• Rural drivers tend to wear seat belts less and speed more
• Rural roads sometimes have outdated designs and objects near the road like light poles or trees

However, as the Dallas Morning News states, the rural country in Collin County won’t last forever with the growth in population.

Still, what kinds of roads are these fatalities occurring on?

The NHTSA has data from its Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which categorizes fatalities in a state according to the type of road.

The majority of deaths did not happen on interstates or highways in Texas; they happened on minor and collector arterial roads.

According to the FHWA,

Minor Arterials provide service for trips of moderate length, serve geographic areas that are smaller than their higher Arterial counterparts and offer connectivity to the higher Arterial system.

And

Collectors serve a critical role in the roadway network by gathering traffic from Local Roads and funneling them to the Arterial network.

Most of the fatalities happen on these roads.

Miovision suggests that the high amount of deaths might be due to poor road conditions, deteriorating infrastructure, and the overly high volume of traffic.

Now, traffic fatalities are more than just car on car.

Trains play a role as well.

From 2012 to 2016, there were eight railroad incidents in Collin County, with two injuries sustained. Certainly not as high as other counties in Texas.

However, one news publication notes that even though there is a history of collisions between trains and objects, many don’t have gates, which can lead to further problems.

– Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

With all that talk about safety, it’s important to ask another question: Just how good are McKinney’s drivers? The answer: Not very good.

Every year, Allstate does a Best Drivers Report analyzing the driving behavior and claim history of people all across the country.

They put together a list of 200 cities and rank them based on driving behavior and how many claims they file.

McKinney is ranked 127 out of 200, which is actually an improvement from the previous year of 134. Why is McKinney ranked so low?

One of the reasons is the claim history. The average years between claims in McKinney is two years less than the national average.

That means insurance companies are paying more for the customers in McKinney than elsewhere. They’re not going to be happy about that.

– Ridesharing

If you don’t have a car or are just wanting a night out without the danger of drinking and driving, rideshare services are a good option.

McKinney has four major options—Uber, Lyft, Taxi, and Curb.

For this experiment, we created a hypothetical trip from Aero Country Airport to Hutchins BBQ. The trip is 9.1 miles; fares varied between $14 and $50.

• Uber: X $14 | Select $29 | Black $48
• Lyft: Regular $15 | Premier $31 | Lux $50
• Taxi: $21
• Curb: $23

Overall, not bad prices.

– E-star Repair Shops

When you purchase insurance through Esurance, you get access to its E-star direct repair program, which matches you up with certified repair shops in your area to give you quality repairs.

If you live in McKinney, there are 15 repair shops within 20 miles (top 10 included here).

With the E-star program, you get daily updates about the progress on your car, including pictures.

– Weather

Weather is fairly charming in McKinney.

The annual high is 75 degrees, which is pleasant, while the annual low is just 55 degrees.

There is an average of 234 days of sunshine in McKinney, which is above the norm.

Even the number of natural disasters in Collin County (13) is on par with the U.S., not bad at all.

The causes of them have been hurricanes (5), floods (4), storms (4), fires (3), tornadoes (3), and other (1) (one disaster can be assigned to multiple categories).

– Public Transit

In 2015, the bus system in McKinney stopped running which left residents who relied on public transportation a little stranded.

Then in 2017, public transportation made a comeback, in a sort of unique way—taxi vouchers.

According to McKinneyTexas.org, residents of Collin County can participate in a program that uses taxis to provide affordable service anywhere in the country.

To participate, residents sign up for the program online or with a paper copy and must be elderly, disabled, or in a household with a low income to qualify.

You are then given a debit card, which you load through your own funds. For every dollar you load, the city will deposit three times that amount; so if you load $1, the city will add $3.

You can call rides Monday through Friday, from 6 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, from 8 am to 6 pm. The trips must be within Collin County.

– Alternate Transportation

If you’re in look for a quick jaunt to a location, you might walk. However, you might also take an electric scooter as has become popular in major cities across America.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence that those scooters, whether Bird or Lime, operate out of McKinney.

Still, you can find some in Dallas, though take caution: Police are cracking down on delinquent electric scooter user.

One example of delinquent behavior might be the Dallas man who used one on a freeway in rush hour traffic.

– Parking in Metro Areas

If you’re looking for parking in downtown McKinney, you’re in luck: The city was numerous affordable options, both on-street and off-street.

This all comes from McKinneyTexas.org.

For on-street parking, think free; that is, free three-hour parking during the week—8 am to 5 pm—and free all-day parking during the weekends and evenings.

For off-street parking, there are 15 uncovered parking lots and two garages, as well as ample parking near the square.

For those looking to get around downtown without a car, there is the Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH), a free six-passenger shuttle service that has on-demand pick-up and drop-off.

They even opened up a new garage in February.

– Air Quality in Cities

Air quality is a serious issue in many parts of the world. What is it like in McKinney?

We used the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index Report and because McKinney was too small to be added to the list, we used Collin County as the sample.

Overall, very good, though the trend is not looking positive. Hopefully, the city will turn it around. Air pollution left unchecked never looks good.

Military/Veterans

Being an active service member can be a stressful experience. There are the constant work demands, the training, getting moved around, and even the possibility of deployment.

But you know what shouldn’t be stressful? Finding your car insurance.

That’s why we’ve put this special section together just for active, reserve, or retired service members.

From what the veteran make-up is in McKinney to just how much USAA charges compared to other companies, this is the military/veterans section.

– Veterans by Service Period

It can be interesting to see the percentage share of veterans in McKinney by conflict; as in, are there more veterans from a particular conflict living in McKinney than others.

The number of veterans is divided closely within three categories, all separated by just about 150 veterans:

• Gulf War (1990s): 1,975 veterans
• Vietnam: 1,941 veterans
• Gulf War (2001 – present): 1,821 veterans

There’s a much larger percentage of veterans from the two Gulf Wars in McKinney than compared to the national average, with a smaller representation of Vietnam, Korean, and WWII vets.

– Military Bases Within an Hour

There is one major military base within an hour of McKinney: the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth.

The base is home to approximately 40 separate commands, including parts of the Air Force, Marines, Army, and Texas National Guard.

As they write,

Our 10,000 active duty military, Guardsmen, Reservists, and civilian employees work as a team to accomplish our overall mission of support, and take great pride in our contributions to national defense and the local community.

It has a long history, having been opened in 1941.

– Military Discounts by Providers

When it comes to military discounts for standard providers, there is just one: Geico, for active and retired personnel.

Nationwide is hoping to have a discount soon.

– USAA Available in State

But there is USAA, which is generally the cheapest company around and is tied for the highest customer satisfaction rating in Texas per J.D. Power.

USAA is 38 percent below the average premium for the companies listed and nearly a full $3,000 lower than the most expensive in Allstate.

USAA offers additional options other than individual insurance plans; it’s possible to sign up your spouse and children as well.

Unique City Laws

Every state has strange laws, most of them leftovers from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Texas, for instance, has a law mandating that anyone who intends to commit a crime must inform their victims 24 hours before and include the crime they’re going to commit.

When it comes to McKinney, there are not necessarily strange laws; more like unique.

– Hands-Free Laws

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, a new state law (HB62) was passed in 2017 that banned using a wireless device for electronic messaging while operating a motor vehicle.

So, no texting and driving.

It’s still legal to drive and use your phone for calling, navigation, playing games, and essentially anything other than sending, receiving, or writing a message.

There are additional bans, however.

• If you are under the age of 18, you cannot use wireless devices while driving at all.
• If you have a learner’s permit, you can’t use wireless devices until you pass the six-month mark.

And for those 18 or above who have their drivers license or have had their learner’s permit for six months, you can’t use your wireless device at all within a school zone.

Although there are a few loopholes to this new law—officer, I swear I was navigating with Apple Maps—a person can be given a citation.

The first offense results in a fine between $25 and $99, with repeat offenders getting fined between $100 and $200.

Some lawmakers have said the new law is impossible to enforce, while some say it is still progress.

Others want to go further and implement a complete hands-free law.

– Food Trucks

In 2015, McKinney started the process of allowing food trucks—not as stand-alone shops, but to let businesses host one on their premises.

In 2017, McKinney went a little bit further, amending its ordinance to set food truck hours and regulate food truck parks.

Today, there are just a few steps for food trucks to start selling in McKinney, according to resources and the city code.

First, this application for the McKinney Fire Department is necessary.

There are specific requirements for each food truck to meet safety standards:

• There must be waste receptacles on site
• Shall not be parked illegally
• Shall abide by general noise and sign ordinances

There is also a $100 annual fee.

All food trucks must undergo an inspection before approval and there must be a certified food protection manager on-site at all times when the food truck is in service.

The other food handlers must complete a food service worker training class before handling food.

In addition, city ordinance 2017-10-099 goes deep into the regulations of food trucks, the permits that are required, the inspections necessary, and more.

– Tiny Homes

Tiny homes have become more popular, as people are seeking an affordable living option compared to the standard apartment or more expensive house.

In North Texas, tiny homes are something of a thing, with at least one nearby city home to a large tiny home development.

But what about the laws for tiny homes in McKinney? Can you build one on your own land? The answer: It depends.

Tiny homes are generally referred to as accessory dwelling units in a city’s code, but there’s little on there about them.

McKinney does offer a definition, however, which can be helpful:

Accessory dwelling means a self-contained dwelling unit created either by converting part of or adding on to an existing family structure, whether attached or detached, or by building a separate apartment onto or along with a home on a single-family lot.

It also adds:

Both the principal dwelling and the accessory dwelling must contain cooking, sleeping, eating, and sanitary facilities. The accessory dwelling must have a separate outside entrance.

According to Nolo, whether you can or cannot build a tiny home on your property comes down to zoning laws.

If the zoning laws permit it, you can, although you may need to submit a construction plan, file for a permit, and pay a fee.

Laws vary from city to city, so digging deep in the city code can help. Or you can call up your councilor or government official and ask.

– Parking Laws

Parking laws are easier to find, as there’s a whole section devoted to them in the city code.

Some included are about private property:

It shall be unlawful for any person to park a motor vehicle, whether occupied or unoccupied, in any posted private drive, private parking lot or other private property without the express or implied consent of the owner of such property or the owner’s representative.

Others are about alleys:

It shall be unlawful to stop, stand or park a vehicle within an alley located within the corporate limits of the city.

Others are for specific streets:

Cloyd Street. Two spaces on the south side of Cloyd Street between Chestnut Street and Tennessee Street beginning 110 feet from the intersection of Chestnut Street and Cloyd Street extending westward a distance of 30 feet.

For more information on specifics, refer to the code.

McKinney Car Insurance FAQs

What happens if I get into an accident in McKinney?

Texas is an at-fault state, meaning that if you are in an accident and found at fault, you are responsible for all the damages, including the property damage and bodily harm done to the person(s) in the other car.

Your insurance company should payout on these damages; but if the damages exceed your coverage limits, you’ll be required to pay out of pocket.

Who was McKinney, Texas named after?

McKinney, Texas (and Collin County) are named after Collin McKinney, an 18th-19th century Texan who was one of five people who drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence, separating Texas from Mexico.

He served as a delegate from Red River District and County to the first few Republic of Texas congresses and died in what would later be named Collin County.

What insurance can I get in Texas if I’m a high-risk driver?

In Texas, if you are a high-risk driver, you will likely be required to get an SR-22, which is a form of financial responsibility—something to prove you have insurance. These forms are issued by insurance companies; if they all deny you, you can try the Texas Auto Insurance Plan Association. They are a last-ditch market for high-risk drivers.

Where is McKinney on the map?

McKinney is the county seat of Collin County, which is about 32 miles north of Dallas. It is part of the Texas Blackland prairies, which is a region that runs from North Texas to San Antonio in the south. It also is part of the Sun Belt and is about a three-hour drive from Oklahoma City and not far from the Oklahoma border.

What are the minimum insurance requirements in Texas?

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, the minimum insurance coverage required in Texas is 30/60/25—$30,000 for the damages to one person, $60,000 for the damages to more than one person, $25,000 for property damage.

Although these limits seem high, a major accident could result in damages above the minimum coverage limit. Generally, higher coverage is recommended.

How does McKinney pay for schools?

There are many ways to pay for schools, including using money allocated by the state, as in the case of House Bill 3 in the Texas legislature. It appears, based on some research, that McKinney also uses property taxes to fund schools that average around $9,000 in expenditures for students.

In 2018, thousands of more people than the previous year protested against property taxes in Collin County. It is an issue.

Okay, you’ve made it.

Relax, unwind. Now, you should have all the information you need to make an informed decision about car insurance in McKinney.

Clear eyes, full hearts. Happy driving.

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