Plano ( ; Spanish for 'flat surface') is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, where it is the largest city in Collin County. A small portion of Plano is located in Denton County. Plano is one of the principal suburbs of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. With a population of 285,494 at the 2020 census, it is the ninth most-populous city in Texas, and, respectively, the 74th most populous city in the United States.
Plano serves as an important hub of the economy of Dallas. It is home to the headquarters of Frito-Lay, JCPenney, Pizza Hut, and Toyota Motor North America.
History
Several Native American tribes have passed through what is now Plano, including the Comanche, Caddo, and Wichita. Settlers came to the area near present-day Plano in the early 1840s. Facilities such as a sawmill, a gristmill, and a store soon brought more people to the area. A mail service was established, and after rejecting several names for the nascent town (including naming it in honor of then-President Millard Fillmore), residents suggested the name Plano (from the Spanish word for "flat") in reference to the local terrain. The post office accepted the name.
In 1872, the completion of the Houston and Central Texas Railway helped Plano grow, and it was incorporated in 1873. By 1874, the population was over 500. In 1881, a fire raged through the business district, destroying most of the buildings. Plano was rebuilt and business again flourished through the 1880s. Also in 1881, the city assumed responsibility for what would eventually become Plano Independent School District (PISD), ending the days of it being served only by private schools.
At first, Plano's population grew slowly, reaching 1,304 in 1900 and 3,695 in 1960. By 1970, Plano began to feel some of the boom its neighbors had experienced after World War II. A series of public works projects and a change in taxes that removed the farming community from the town helped increase the population. In 1970, the population reached 17,872, and by 1980, it had exploded to 72,000. Sewers, schools, and street development kept pace with this massive increase, largely because of Plano's flat topography, grid layout, and planning initiatives.
During the 1980s, many large corporations, including J. C. Penney and Frito-Lay, moved their headquarters to Plano, spurring further growth. By 1990, the population reached 128,713, dwarfing the county seat, McKinney. In 1994, Plano was recognized as an All-America City. By 2000, the population grew to 222,030, making it one of Dallas's largest suburbs. Plano is surrounded by other municipalities and so cannot expand in area, and there is little undeveloped land within the city limits. But as of July 2012, one large tract of land was being developed: Turnpike Commons at the intersection of Renner Road and the George Bush Turnpike (also bordered by Shiloh Road to the east). The development is expected to feature apartments, medical facilities, restaurants, a Race Trac gas station, and a hotel.
On June 15, 2015, after five years of disuse, a water tower built in 1985 was demolished to make room for Legacy West.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, Plano has an area of 71.6 square miles (185.5 km2). Plano is about from Downtown Dallas.Haag, Matthew. "Maybe Toyota moved to Plano because the suburb is a lot like Torrance, Calif." (Archive). The Dallas Morning News. May 6, 2014. Retrieved on September 4, 2015.
Plano is in the humid subtropical climate zone. The highest recorded temperature was 118 °F (48 °C) in 1936. On average, the coolest month is January and the warmest is July. The lowest recorded temperature was –7 °F (–22 °C) in 1930. The maximum average precipitation occurs in May. Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Plano city, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)161,543151,629132,19472.76%58.35%46.30%Black or African American alone (NH)10,98919,19925,0264.95%7.39%8.77%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)6557318450.30%0.32%0.30%Asian alone (NH)22,51843,65968,73810.14%16.80%24.08%Pacific Islander alone (NH)891211330.04%0.05%0.05%Some Other Race alone (NH)3174491,3300.14%0.17%0.47%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)3,5625,77911,4291.60%2.22%4.00%Hispanic or Latino (any race)22,35738,17445,79910.07%14.69%16.04%Total222,030259,841285,494100.00%100.00%100.00% As of the 2020 United States census, there were 285,494 people, 107,320 households, and 76,211 families residing in the city. , Plano had 259,841 people, 99,131 households and 69,464 families, up from 80,875 households and 60,575 families in the 2000 census. The population density was . There were 103,672 housing units at an average density of .
In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 67% White (58.4% non-Hispanic white), 7.5% Black, 0.36% Native American, 16.9% Asian (6.5% Asian Indian, 5.2% Chinese, 1.2% Vietnamese, 1.2% Korean, 0.6% Filipino, 0.2% Japanese, 1.9% Other), 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.86% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino made up 14.7% of the population (10.6% Mexican, 0.5% Puerto Rican, 0.2% Cuban, 3.5% Other). By 2020, the racial makeup was 46.3% non-Hispanic white, 8.77% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 24.08% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.47% some other race, 4.0% multiracial, and 16.04% Hispanic or Latino of any race, reflecting nationwide trends of greater diversification.
Of the 99,131 households in 2010, 35.8% had children under the age of 18. Married couples accounted for 56.7%; 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. About 24.4% of all households were individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61, and the average family size was 3.15. Data indicates that 28.7% of Plano's population was under the age of 18, 7.0% was 18 to 24, 36.5% was 25 to 44, 22.9% was 45 to 64, and 4.9% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $84,492, and the median income for a family was $101,616. About 3.0% of families and 4.3% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those 65 or older. In 2007, Plano had the United States' highest median income among cities with a population exceeding 250,000, at $84,492. According to crime statistics, there were four homicides in Plano in 2006, the lowest rate of all U.S. cities of 250,000 or more people.
Plano also has a substantial Iranian-American community.
Foreign-born residents , of the foreign-born residents, 17% were from China, 9% from India, and 4% from Vietnam;Brettell, Caroline B. '"Big D" Incorporating New Immigrants in a Sunbelt Suburban Metropolis' (Chapter 3). In: Singer, Audrey, Susan Wiley Hardwick, and Caroline Brettell. Twenty-First Century Gateways: Immigrant Incorporation in Suburban America (James A. Johnson metro series). Brookings Institution Press, 2009. , 9780815779285. Start p. 53. CITED: p.64. a total of 30% of foreign-born residents came from these three countries. That year, 22% of Plano's foreign-born originated in Mexico.Brettell, Caroline B. '"Big D" Incorporating New Immigrants in a Sunbelt Suburban Metropolis' (Chapter 3). In: Singer, Audrey, Susan Wiley Hardwick, and Caroline Brettell. Twenty-First Century Gateways: Immigrant Incorporation in Suburban America (James A. Johnson metro series). Brookings Institution Press, 2009. , 9780815779285. Start p. 53. CITED: p.61.
Chinese Americans
Along with Houston and Sugar Land, Plano has one of Texas's major concentrations of Chinese Americans.Railey, Kimberley. "Cornyn seeks to lure Chinese Americans to GOP" (Archive). The_Dallas_Morning_News. September 3, 2014. Retrieved on September 22, 2014. According to the 2010 U.S. census, there were 14,500 ethnic Chinese in Plano. Of cities with 250,000 or more residents, Plano has the sixth-largest percentage of ethnic Chinese, making up 5.2% of the city's population. Charlie Yue, the executive vice president of the Association of Chinese Professionals, estimated that about 30,000 Plano residents are Chinese and that many "don't participate in government activities, like the census".Kripke, Pamela Gwyn. "Why 30,000 Chinese People Call Plano Home" (Archive). D_Magazine. June 2012. Retrieved on September 27, 2014.
Chinese professionals began to settle Plano by 1991.Meyers, Jessica. "Rare Chinese bilingual program highlights Plano schools' diversity" (Archive). The_Dallas_Morning_News. November 4, 2011. Retrieved on September 22, 2014. As of 2011, DFW's Chinese restaurants catering to ethnic Chinese are mainly in Plano and Richardson.Brenner, Leslie. "Best in DFW: Chinese restaurants" (Archive). The_Dallas_Morning_News. March 9, 2011. Updated February 10, 2013. Retrieved on September 22, 2014. Most of the DFW-area Chinese cultural organizations are headquartered in Plano and Richardson. Plano has six Chinese churches and supermarkets, including 99 Ranch Market and zTao Marketplace.
Economy Top employers
According to the 2025 Corporate Regional Headquarters Report, Plano's top 10 employers were: # Employer # of Employees 1 JPMorgan Chase 11,261 2 Capital One Finance 5,649 3 Toyota Motor North America, Inc. 4,938 4 PepsiCo 3,759 5 Ericsson 3,346 6 AT&T Foundry and Services 2,500 7 Liberty Mutual Insurance Company 2,100 8 JCPenney Company, Inc. 2,000 9 NTT DATA, Inc. 1,968 10 Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.) 1,711
About 80% of Plano's visitors are business travelers, due to its close proximity to Dallas and the many corporations headquartered in Plano. The city also has a convention center owned and operated by the city. Plano has made a concerted effort to draw retail to its downtown area and the Legacy West in an effort to boost sales tax returns. It has two malls, The Shops at Willow Bend and The Shops at Legacy. Collin Creek Mall closed in 2019. There is an area that has apartments, shops, and restaurants constructed with the New Urbanism philosophy. An experimental luxury Walmart Supercenter is at Park Boulevard and the Dallas North Tollway.
Headquarters of major corporations Some of the country's largest and most recognized companies are headquartered in Plano. Legacy Drive in ZIP Code 75024, between Preston Road and Dallas North Tollway, has many corporate campuses. The following companies have corporate headquarters (Fortune 1000 headquarters) or major regional offices in Plano:
Agricen At Home Beal Bank Boeing Global Services Cinemark Theatres Critical Start Diodes Incorporated FedEx Office Frito-Lay Hilti North America Huawei Device USA JCPenney KFC Mooyah NTT Data Services Pizza Hut Rent-A-Center Ribbon Communications Robot Entertainment Samsung Electronics Siemens Digital Industries Software Toyota Motor North America Tyler Technologies
In 2014 Toyota Motor North America announced its U.S. headquarters would move from Torrance, California, to Plano.Hirsch, Jerry and David Undercoffler. "Toyota to move jobs and marketing headquarters from Torrance to Texas." Los Angeles Times. April 27, 2014. Retrieved on April 29, 2014. In 2015, Liberty Mutual announced its plans to build a new corporate campus just a few blocks east of Toyota's, bringing an estimated 5,000 jobs to the community. In January 2016, JP Morgan Chase and mortgage giant Fannie Mae announced they would move their regional operations to Plano, bringing a combined 7,000 new jobs to the community.
Arts and culture