Best Places76655, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 76655, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
76655 ranks 2,480th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 76655
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
76655's strengths and weaknesses
Where 76655 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 154 pleasant days a year, better than 90% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$619 a month, better than 84% of zip codes
Where 76655 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 76655
A household needs to earn about $85,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 76655 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $104,089, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 76655's effective rate of 1.32%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 76655
76655's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 76655.
Who works in 76655, and how
Work in 76655 centers on education and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 76655
76655 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 76655 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 76655, month by month
76655 sees roughly 154 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 60, with lows near 37. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 48° | 37° |
| April | 78° | 66° | 56° |
| July | 98° | 86° | 75° |
| October | 84° | 70° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 76655
The nearest airport, Waco Regional, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Austin-Bergstrom International, about 89 miles away.
The best schools in and around 76655
Schools across 76655 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lorena ElB+ · 55% proficient
- Castleman Creek ElB · 48% proficient
- Bruceville-eddy IntC− · 27% proficient
Top middle schools
- Midway MiddleA · 61% proficient
- Lorena MiddleA · 60% proficient
- Robinson IntB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Lorena HighA · 73% proficient
- Midway H SA · 70% proficient
- Robinson H SB− · 43% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 76655 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
76655 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 76655 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 76655
Is 76655 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 76655 ranks 2,480th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, the weather, and what local pay buys, and lowest on summer heat and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 76655 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $304,490. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $104,089 median income, cost of living beats 90% of zip codes.
Is 76655 safe?
Yes, 76655 is safer than 79% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $268 per resident a year.
Compare 76655 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 76655. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 76655 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
76655 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 76655: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 76655: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 76655: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 76655: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
76655 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.