Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waxahachie grades C+ overall, ranked 267th of 640 in Texas, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $86K and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $368K, 4.1 years of the Dallas metro’s $90K median household income. Its National Register listings include Waxahachie Chautauqua Building and Joshua Chapel A.M.E. Church. Waxahachie’s July high is 95°F, where Texas’ towns sit at 95°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Waxahachie is home to Nelson University.
Where Waxahachie beats most towns.
Waxahachie Chautauqua Building| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Nelson University | 1,053 |
Its 75 National Register listings are more than in 97% of Texas towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,354 in 1880, 41,140 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 2 maps from 1961 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Waxahachie is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waxahachie, 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 Waxahachie.
Waxahachie has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns, trades workers with Dallas and other neighbors and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 1989, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waxahachie.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Waxahachie ISD. Three of its 23 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard J HLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 918 | B+ |
| Waxahachie H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,056 | B |
| Waxahachie Global H STop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 369 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
The median rent in Waxahachie is $1,618 a month. The typical Waxahachie home is worth about $368,000, down 1.2% in a year, 24% above the Texas typical home. 60% of Waxahachie households own their home.
| Waxahachie | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,618 a month | $1,206 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 69% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 95.1°, hotter than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.4°.
Waxahachie has mild winters and hot summers. Waxahachie’s January low is 36°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Waxahachie has about as many jobs (18,754) as working residents, but only 3,948 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Waxahachie for work: only 18% work in town. Since 2013, Waxahachie has added 3,110 jobs, to 18,754 in 2023. 7.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Waxahachie.
| Waxahachie | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 841 to 583 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Texas average. Waxahachie has grown 22% since 2020, to 50,090 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 34% across Texas.
| Waxahachie | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.3 years | 35.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 12% | 14% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 23% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 26% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across Texas, 50.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.3, men 33.4.
| Waxahachie | TX | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.4% | 13.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 11.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.2% | 9.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.4% | 14.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.7% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.5% | 8.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.6% | 5.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.8% | 14% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.1% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.4% | 20.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 7.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.5% | 21.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 12.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Waxahachie beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Waxahachie | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 39% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 74% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Waxahachie | TX |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 15.3% | 19.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.5 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Waxahachie Sports Complex, at 98 acres.
| Waxahachie | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lee Penn Park | 0.6 mi | 17 |
| 2. Getzendaner Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 29 |
| 3. Waxahachie Sports Complex | 0.1 mi | 98 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Waxahachie
About 7 of every 100 Waxahachie residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
29,621 counted in 2010 and 41,140 in 2020; an estimated 50,090 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 21.9% since 2020, after 38.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
75 places in Waxahachie on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Waxahachie.
City in Texas, United States
Waxahachie ( WOK-sə-HATCH-ee) an exurb south of Dallas, is a city in and the county seat of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020. The city was founded in 1850, and incorporated in 1871. Much of the employment is provided by a number of industries and by educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools, a community college and a private university. In the mid-1980s, the city became a filming location for a number of movies and occasional episodes of television series.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Waxahachie.
| Town | TX rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waxahachie | #267 | C+ | D | C+ | B | B− |
| Red Oak | #362 | C− | D | C+ | B− | B− |
| Midlothian | #128 | B | D | B | B+ | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waxahachie grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #267 of 640 in Texas. It grades B− for health, C+ for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
19 notable people were born here, including Frederic Forrest and Morris Kirksey.
