Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waco grades D− overall, 588th among Texas's 640 graded towns, mostly because of safety and health. Its crime rate is higher than 84% of U.S. towns, with 610 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 75% of the country. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. 49% of working residents work locally in Waco, where Texas’ towns sit at 8.3% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Waco Suspension Bridge and Praetorian Building. On the outdoors, just 35 of Texas’ 1,000 towns do better.
Where Waco beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,008 in 1870, 138,486 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1896 and 3 maps from 1931 on.
23 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Waco is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waco, 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 Waco.
Waco carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Texas (mostly tornadoes), is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
57 miles of trail in 49 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Airport Park, at 920 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cameron Park | 15.7 mi | 335 |
| 2. Airport Park | 0.7 mi | 920 |
| 3. Woodway Activity Park | 0.7 mi | 160 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by Waco ISD. Three of its 60 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennyson MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 963 | C+ |
| Midway H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,687 | A |
| China Spring H STop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 959 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 4,602 to 3,254 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Waco is 4.1 per 1,000 residents. Waco reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less. The property crime rate in Waco is 17.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Waco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.8 per 1,000 residents | 10.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 93% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $291 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
Waco’s FEMA risk score is 12 of 100. Since 1979, 113 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waco.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Waco home is worth about $193,000, down 1% in a year, 35% below the Texas typical home. 58% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Waco.
| Waco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 58% | 50% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,165 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,228 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waco’s, it is less healthy than 52%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
20% of Waco adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Waco beats the Texas average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 27% of Waco adults worry about having enough food.
| Waco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 20% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Waco | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.8% | 12.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.8% | 10.5% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.8% | 10.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 34% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 30% of residents (38% statewide). Waco has grown 5.5% since 2020, to 147,788 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.
| Waco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 29.7 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 14% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 26% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 23% | 29% |
51.7% women, 48.3% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 31.1, men 28.4.
| Waco | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 19.3% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.5% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.9% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.6% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.2% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.5% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
July afternoons average 95.2°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.9°.
Waco has mild winters and hot summers. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Waco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 95°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 37°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 55,711 working residents takes 18.7 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
Jobs based in Waco grew to 83,174 in 2023, 15,799 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Austin (4%), Dallas (4%) and Woodway (3%). Half commute less than 8 miles.
| Waco | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waco. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaMcLane Stadium
in town MuseumTexas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum
in town National MonumentWaco Mammoth National Monument92K visitors a year
in town Zoo & aquariumCameron Park Zoo
in town MuseumMayborn Museum ComplexMcLane Stadium: Djyueng, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum: Pi3.124, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Waco Mammoth National Monument: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Cameron Park Zoo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Mayborn Museum Complex: User:Aboxorocks, Public domain
3 within 15 miles of the center of Waco
College town 15 of every 100 Waco residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Texas.
3 colleges in town.
23 places in Waco on the National Register of Historic Places.
41 notable people were born in Waco.
7 towns share a border with Waco.
Lacy-Lakeview next door grades lower for schools (D to Waco’s C) and higher for cost of living (B to D).
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waco | #588 | D− | D | C− | C | C− |
| Woodway | #33 | A− | D | — | A | A |
| Bellmead | #589 | D− | C+ | D | C | D |
| Robinson | #118 | B | D | B+ | A− | B |
| Hewitt | #108 | B | D | B | A | A− |
| McGregor | #350 | C− | C− | — | B− | B+ |
| Lacy-Lakeview | #549 | D | B | C | D | C− |
| China Spring | — | — | B | — | A | A− |
China Spring has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Woodway, McGregor and China Spring report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Waco with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waco grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #588 of 640 in Texas. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($66,205 across the Waco, TX metro area).
41 notable people were born here, including Jennifer Love Hewitt and Steve Martin.
