Best PlacesCedar Ridge, Waco, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Cedar Ridge, Waco, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Cedar Ridge, Waco ranks 4,780th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Cedar Ridge, Waco
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.
Cedar Ridge, Waco's strengths and weaknesses
Where Cedar Ridge, Waco ranks high
- Cheap childcare$619 a month, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Short commute17.7 minutes each way, better than 91% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Cedar Ridge, Waco ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Household income$44,408 median, better than only 10% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Cedar Ridge, Waco
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Cedar Ridge, Waco home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $44,408, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Cedar Ridge, Waco's effective rate of 1.38%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Cedar Ridge, Waco
Cedar Ridge, Waco runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Cedar Ridge, Waco.
Who works in Cedar Ridge, Waco, and how
Work in Cedar Ridge, Waco centers on hospitality & food and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Cedar Ridge, Waco
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Cedar Ridge, Waco.
What the weather is like in Cedar Ridge, Waco, month by month
Cedar Ridge, Waco sees roughly 128 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 98 degrees. January highs sit near 63, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 63° | 47° | 35° |
| April | 80° | 66° | 53° |
| July | 98° | 86° | 75° |
| October | 85° | 69° | 56° |
Flying in and out of Cedar Ridge, Waco
The nearest airport, Waco Regional, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Dallas Love Field, about 89 miles away.
The best schools in and around Cedar Ridge, Waco
Schools across Cedar Ridge, Waco average a D, better than 12% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Bosqueville ElB · 45% proficient
- Cedar Ridge ElD · 17% proficient
- Mountainview ElD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bosqueville MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Tennyson MiddleC · 34% proficient
- G W Carver MiddleF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Bosqueville H SA− · 60% proficient
- Waco H SD+ · 25% proficient
- Premier H S Of WacoD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Cedar Ridge, Waco school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Cedar Ridge, Waco 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 Cedar Ridge, Waco against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Cedar Ridge, Waco
Is Cedar Ridge, Waco a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Cedar Ridge, Waco ranks 4,780th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, quiet, and short commutes, and lowest on biking and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Cedar Ridge, Waco expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $253,120. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $44,408 median income, cost of living beats 19% of neighborhoods.
Is Cedar Ridge, Waco safe?
Yes, Cedar Ridge, Waco is safer than 68% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $426 per resident a year.
Compare Cedar Ridge, Waco with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Cedar Ridge, Waco. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Cedar Ridge, Waco 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.
Cedar Ridge, Waco detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Cedar Ridge, Waco: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Cedar Ridge, Waco: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Cedar Ridge, Waco: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Cedar Ridge, Waco: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Cedar Ridge, Waco 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.