Living in Denison and Working in Sherman: Worth the Drive?
Quick Answer: Living in Denison and working in Sherman means about 12 miles on US 75, roughly a 17 minute drive with no delays. TxDOT construction runs through fall 2027, so build in a buffer. Denison's average apartment rent sits near $94 a month below Sherman's, which is what keeps the trade worthwhile. Sherman grew 20% between 2020 and 2025 while Denison grew 9.6%, and that gap is the whole story behind living in Denison and working in Sherman: the new jobs landed on one side of the county line, the cheaper apartments stayed on the other. The Crawford at Denison serves renters across the Texoma area who make that drive daily. Here is what the US 75 run actually looks like in 2026. What to look for before you commit to the US 75 commute Two things decide whether this commute works: where your Sherman job actually sits, and how much of the TxDOT work zone you cross to reach it. The distance itself is settled at roughly 12 miles by road. What changes is the time of day you drive it and which exits happen to be open that month. US 75 traffic between the two cities right now US 75 carries around 75,000 vehicles a day through Grayson County, according to the area's Metropolitan Planning Organization. TxDOT is rebuilding the corridor to handle that load, widening the mainlanes from four to six and adding U-turn bridges at cross streets. Two projects worth $325 million between them are underway. The segment from US 82 to SH 91 is scheduled to finish in fall 2026. The northern one runs to fall 2027. That northern project is the one Denison commuters feel. Its work list includes bridges at FM 691 and Spur 503 in Denison plus a U-turn bridge at Loy Lake Road in Sherman, which is precisely the stretch you drive. Day to day it means a 65 mph limit on the mainlanes, plus lane shifts and night closures. TxDOT's Paris District road report from July 20, 2026 also lists the northbound frontage road between Loy Lake Road and FM 691 as fully closed from March 30, 2026 until February 2027. If you use frontage roads for local errands, that closure stings more than the mainlane work does. Where your Sherman job actually sits Not every Sherman job is 12 miles away. Texas Instruments began production at its SM1 fab in December 2025 on a 1,200 acre campus off US 75 near Shepherd Road, at the south end of the city, and the site is expected to support up to 3,000 direct jobs. Reaching it from Denison means driving the full length of Sherman and through the US 82 interchange, which adds real minutes in both directions. A job near downtown Sherman or Austin College is a completely different drive. Pull up the address, then check it against the neighborhood map before you sign anything. How much cheaper is the cost of living in Denison TX? Rent is where the gap shows up. RentCafe's April 2026 figures put the average Denison apartment at $1,116 against $1,210 in Sherman, a difference of about $94 a month. Buy instead of rent and the spread widens sharply: Census Bureau estimates put Denison's median home value $62,600 below Sherman's. Measure Denison Sherman Population, July 1, 2025 26,822 52,417 Growth since April 2020 9.6% 20.0% Average apartment rent, April 2026 $1,116 $1,210 Median gross rent, 2020 to 2024 $1,309 $1,324 Median home value, 2020 to 2024 $180,900 $243,500 Median household income $67,365 $58,859 Mean travel time to work 19.4 minutes 23.2 minutes Bottom line Lower rents, smaller rental pool More jobs and listings, higher rents Treat any single rent average with suspicion. Apartments.com listed the Denison average closer to $902 in mid 2026, while the Census figure for median gross rent, which folds in utilities, sits at $1,309. Different samples, different math. The direction is consistent, though, and the broader cost of living in Denison TX lands somewhere between 8% and 13% under the national average depending on which index you trust. One number that surprises people: Denison households out-earn Sherman households by about $8,500 a year at the median. Is affordable living near Sherman worth the extra miles? For most commuters, yes, and the census numbers make the case better than the anecdotes do. Denison's mean travel time to work is 19.4 minutes against Sherman's 23.2, based on 2020 to 2024 estimates. Both sit below the Texas average of 26.7 minutes. You are not trading a cheap apartment for a punishing drive here. You're trading it for roughly seven extra miles. The honest caveat is timing. Until fall 2027, a wreck or a lane closure in a narrowed work zone has nowhere to go, and a 17 minute drive can turn into 40. That happens a handful of times a year, not weekly. Still, if you work a shift with a hard clock-in, factor it in. What the population of Denison TX says about your rental options Census Bureau QuickFacts puts Denison at 26,822 residents as of July 1, 2025, up 9.6% since the 2020 census. Sherman sat at 52,417 after 20% growth over the same stretch. That size difference matters when you're hunting, because there are simply fewer apartments in Denison TX than in Sherman, and the well-kept units at the lower end lease quickly. Start looking a month earlier than feels necessary. If you're comparing apartments for rent in Denison TX, it helps to shortlist by layout first: browse the one and two bedroom floor plans , then look at the community features to see what is included before you book a tour. Frequently Asked Questions 1. How long does it take to drive from Denison to Sherman? About 17 minutes on clear roads, covering roughly 12 miles of US 75. Budget closer to 25 while construction continues, and add more if your destination sits past the US 82 interchange on Sherman's south side. Census figures put Denison's average one-way commute at 19.4 minutes. 2. Is US 75 traffic bad between Sherman and Denison? Not by Dallas standards. The corridor moves about 75,000 vehicles a day countywide, and this segment stays free-flowing outside peak hours. Construction is the real variable: a 65 mph limit, shifting lanes, and closed frontage roads that force detours for anyone exiting rather than passing straight through. 3. How much are apartments in Denison TX? RentCafe pegged the April 2026 average at $1,116, with one-bedrooms near $983 and two-bedrooms near $1,184. Other trackers report lower figures because they sample different buildings. Apartments.com showed roughly $902. Call the leasing offices you're actually considering, since published averages are a starting point rather than a quote. 4. When will the US 75 construction be finished? TxDOT expects the segment from US 82 to SH 91 to wrap in fall 2026. The northern project, which includes bridge work at FM 691 and Spur 503 in Denison, runs to fall 2027. Schedules move with weather and utility work, so check TxDOT's Paris District road reports for current closures. 5. Is living in Denison TX cheaper than living in Sherman? On housing, yes. Four measures tell the same story: Average apartment rent of $1,116 versus $1,210 (RentCafe, April 2026) Median home value of $180,900 versus $243,500 (Census, 2020 to 2024) Median gross rent of $1,309 versus $1,324, utilities included Median household income of $67,365 versus $58,859, which flips the gap further in your favor The bottom line on the Denison to Sherman commute Living in Denison and working in Sherman comes down to a 12 mile trade: lower housing costs and a shorter average commute in exchange for a couple of years of orange barrels on US 75. Fall 2027 is when the Denison-side work is scheduled to clear. Until then, leave a few minutes early, learn which frontage roads are open that month, and keep some perspective. This drive is still shorter than what most of North Texas puts up with every morning.
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