Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waycross earns a D, 226th of 258 graded towns in Georgia, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its police reported 89 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. It also has a long history, with 7 places on the National Register. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Waycross, where Georgia’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Waycross is home to Coastal Pines Technical College. The median household income is $38K, and 33% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Waycross beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 628 in 1880, a peak of 20,944 in 1960, 13,942 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Waycross is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waycross, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Waycross.
Waycross draws workers from Blackshear and beyond and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Georgia rate.
21% of adults have diabetes in Waycross. Waycross beats the Georgia average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 41% of adults get no exercise outside work in Waycross.
| Waycross | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 14% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 29% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 38% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Waycross | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.3% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.2% | 77.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17.6% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Ware County school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waycross Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 606 | B− |
| Ware County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,633 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 6.5 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Property crime runs at 40.2 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Georgia rate, most of it theft.
Waycross’ property crime rate is 40.2 per 1,000 residents. Waycross reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less. Waycross’ violent crime rate is 6.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Waycross | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 40.2 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
10,168 jobs are based in Waycross, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.7 minutes, against 28.3 across Georgia.
About one in 3 of Waycross’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Waycross is 19 minutes. Half commute less than 11 miles.
| Waycross | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $38,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.7% | 9.2% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 2.8 years of the Waycross area’s $52K median household income, the typical home (about $144K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $818, against $2,341 across Georgia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Waycross home is worth about $144,000, up 3.4% in a year, 56% below the Georgia typical home. 47% of Waycross households own their home.
| Waycross | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $768 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Waycross 4 Ne weather station records that about 103 days a year reach 90°, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Among 264 Georgia towns, just 5 have a higher July high than Waycross. Waycross has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 22 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waycross.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.3 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| Waycross | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Voight Field | — | 14 |
| 2. Memorial Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Monroe Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Waycross
About 4 of every 100 Waycross residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
6 places in Waycross on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Waycross.
City in Georgia, US
Waycross is the county seat of and the only incorporated city in Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its population was 13,942 in the 2020 census. Waycross gets its name from the city's location at key railroad junctions; lines from six directions meet at the city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Waycross.
Sunnyside and Deenwood have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sunnyside and Deenwood report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Waycross with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waycross grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #226 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($51,821 across the Waycross, GA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
22 notable people were born here, including Nikki DeLoach and Pernell Roberts.
