Updated August 13, 2026
The suburb that grew a downtown, a ballpark, and Dell's front door
Round Rock is a city of roughly 141,282 people in Williamson County (with a portion in Travis County), on the I-35 corridor about 16 miles north of downtown Austin. Incorporated in 1913 and named for a limestone crossing on the Chisholm Trail, it is Dell Technologies' global headquarters, home of the Round Rock Express, and served primarily by Round Rock ISD.
The city takes its name literally: an anvil-shaped limestone rock in Brushy Creek marked a reliable low-water crossing, and by the 1860s–1880s it was a waypoint on the Chisholm Trail as drovers pushed cattle north to Kansas. The settlement was formally named Round Rock in 1854; the downtown gunfight that killed outlaw Sam Bass in 1878 is still reenacted each summer at Old Settlers Park.
Round Rock incorporated as a home-rule city in 1913, but its modern identity is corporate: it is the global headquarters of Dell Technologies, the anchor of an economy that pulled the city from cotton-country bedroom community to employment center in a generation. Kalahari Resorts and the Round Rock Express at Dell Diamond back the city's "Sports Capital of Texas" branding.
Growth has been relentless. The 2010 Census counted 99,887 residents; the 2020 Census counted 119,468; the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate is 141,282 — up 18.2% since 2020. The city's own planning department puts the August 2026 figure slightly higher, near 143,000. Either way, this is a full-sized city, not a subdivision with a water tower.
Three buyers dominate here: relocation buyers priced out of Austin or moving in for tech jobs; move-up families chasing Round Rock ISD attendance zones; and current residents trading up or down within the same 78664/78665/78681 orbit. Each cares about a different variable — commute, school zone, or tax line — and in Round Rock all three can change from one street to the next.
1 · School district. Round Rock ISD is dominant, but Pflugerville ISD and Leander ISD reach into parts of the city, and Teravista straddles Round Rock ISD and Georgetown ISD. Confirm the exact campus by address at txschools.gov — not by the city name.
2 · MUD / PID status. Newer subdivisions can carry a Municipal Utility District or PID assessment on top of the base rate, pushing an effective tax rate well above 2%. Ask for the current tax bill on the specific property.
3 · County line. Round Rock sits mostly in Williamson County but crosses into Travis County. The county affects your tax jurisdiction and appraisal district — verify which one the parcel is in.
With the Redfin median sale price at $372,787 and down 5.6% year over year (Jun 2026), Round Rock has shifted toward buyers — more inventory, longer days on market, and sellers negotiating. But an effective tax rate that can run 1.7% to 2.6% with a MUD means the monthly carrying cost is higher than the sticker suggests. Run the full payment, not just the price.
The bigger risk isn't buying — it's buying the wrong zone. A home a mile away can sit in a different ISD, a different county, and a different tax district. Renting first while you confirm the school zone and MUD status for a specific street is a legitimate strategy in a city this fragmented.
Where to Live
Teravista
A ~1,500-acre Newland community off I-35 with an 18-hole course and resort amenities. The catch buyers miss: it straddles the district line — Teravista Elementary is Round Rock ISD, Carver Elementary is Georgetown ISD, and the RRISD side rates higher. Verify the section by address.
Forest Creek
East-side golf-course community built mostly late-1990s to mid-2000s, larger lots and mature trees, with Forest Creek Elementary inside the neighborhood. Overwhelmingly Round Rock ISD; a few edge addresses can feed Pflugerville ISD high schools, so confirm the assignment.
Behrens Ranch
Northwest Round Rock near Brushy Creek, known for quarter-acre-plus lots, an oak canopy, and a trail network. Round Rock ISD throughout; sources differ on the exact elementary feeder, so confirm the campus for your specific address.
Avery Ranch
A ~1,800-acre master-planned community on the Cedar Park border. The single biggest school-zone gotcha in the market: most of it is Round Rock ISD, but western sections zone to Leander ISD, and it varies by street. Effective taxes run near 2.2%. Verify per address.
Mayfield Ranch / Vista Oaks
Far northwest, near Brushy Creek Regional Trail, prized for high-rated Round Rock ISD campuses (Cactus Ranch Elementary rates 9/10 on GreatSchools). Newer development pushes prices toward the top of the local range; watch for MUD assessments.
The Reference Desk
Round Rock entered 2026 as a buyer's market. The Redfin median sale price is $372,787, down 5.6% from a year earlier (Jun 2026), while the Census Bureau's owner-occupied median value (a different, valuation-based measure) sits at $418,600 for 2020–2024. Inventory is up from pandemic lows and homes are taking longer to sell.
The softness is priced, not structural: proximity to Dell, Apple's regional presence, and the North Austin tech corridor keeps underlying demand healthy.
A typical no-MUD homestead in Round Rock ISD and Williamson County combines the city rate ($0.3720), the school rate ($0.8931), and the county rate ($0.4138) for roughly $1.68 per $100 — about 1.68% before exemptions.
Add a Municipal Utility District in a newer subdivision, an ESD outside city limits, or the Travis-County side, and the effective rate climbs toward or past 2.5%. Always price the specific parcel.
Rates: City of Round Rock, Round Rock ISD, and Williamson County adopted TY2025 (FY2025-26). Verify the current year's adopted rates and any district assessments before closing.
Round Rock is defined by its road geometry: I-35 runs north–south through the middle, SH-130 (a tolled bypass) skirts the east, US-79 crosses east–west, and SH-45 ties into the North Austin toll network. The mean commute is about 25 minutes, though I-35 at peak is the local variable that ruins averages.
SH-130 is the locals' pressure valve — a faster, tolled route to the airport and southeast Austin that many relocation buyers underuse at first.
The northeast side has grown a cluster of medical facilities anchored by St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, alongside Baylor Scott & White and Ascension Seton facilities in the broader area, plus higher-education health branches (Austin Community College, Texas State, Texas A&M Health Science Center).
Confirm current hospital affiliations and service lines directly with each system before relying on them.
Round Rock Premium Outlets and La Frontera anchor retail, with H-E-B stores across the city and the IKEA and Round Rock Crossing corridors along I-35 for big-box needs.
The city provides water and wastewater in most areas; MUD subdivisions may bill separately. Texas is a deregulated electricity market — you choose a retail provider. Confirm which utilities serve a specific address.
Brushy Creek and its tributaries create localized flood risk; Round Rock sits largely on Blackland clay east of the Balcones Escarpment, which drives foundation-maintenance needs. Check the FEMA flood map for the parcel.
The branding is earned: the Round Rock Express (Triple-A affiliate) play at Dell Diamond, Old Settlers Park hosts one of the largest amateur sports complexes in the state, and Kalahari Resorts brought a major indoor waterpark and convention draw to the SH-130 side.
Frontier Days at Old Settlers Park each summer reenacts the Sam Bass shootout — a direct line back to the city's Chisholm Trail origins.
The historic "Old Town" downtown along Main Street has been steadily reinvested in, with local restaurants, the Round Rock donut, and Brushy Creek trail access nearby. Salt Lick BBQ, Jack Allen's Kitchen, and a growing independent-coffee scene round out the everyday options.
Round Rock's median household income is about $99,287 with a median age near 36 — a working, family-heavy city rather than a retirement or resort town. Roughly 45% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the population is diverse: about 46% White non-Hispanic, 30% Hispanic, 11% Black, and 8% Asian.
Demographics: U.S. Census QuickFacts (2020–2024 ACS / V2025 estimates).
Round Rock Preferred Partners
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Liz Rich — Lending by Liz
Liz Rich is a Round Rock–based loan officer serving buyers across the Greater Austin area, including conventional, FHA, VA, and jumbo loan programs. Contact her directly for current rates and program details.
Moving to Round Rock, Texas: The Short Version
Moving to Round Rock means weighing Round Rock schools, the Round Rock housing market, and the neighborhoods that fit your budget and commute. This guide covers Round Rock neighborhoods like Teravista, Forest Creek, Behrens Ranch, Avery Ranch, and Mayfield Ranch; the Round Rock schools picture across Round Rock ISD, with parts of the city reaching into Leander ISD, Pflugerville ISD, and Georgetown ISD; and the current Round Rock housing market for buyers and renters.
Living in Round Rock TX puts you in Williamson County (with a portion in Travis County) along the I-35 corridor, about sixteen miles north of downtown Austin, at the global headquarters of Dell Technologies and home of the Round Rock Express. Because moving to Round Rock can mean a different school district from one street to the next, verify the exact campus assignment at the address before you make an offer — this is the most common mistake buyers make in the Round Rock housing market.
Compare nearby Central Texas communities and dig deeper with these guides: the Georgetown community guide, living in Pflugerville, the Hutto relocation guide, and our Hutto vs. Pflugerville vs. Round Rock comparison. You can also browse every market in the Central Texas communities index.
For current data, see the Redfin Round Rock market report and the U.S. Census QuickFacts for Round Rock.