Best PlacesNorth Waco, Waco, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around North Waco, 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.
North Waco, Waco ranks 5,116th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in North Waco, 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.
North Waco, Waco's strengths and weaknesses
Where North Waco, Waco ranks high
- Cheap childcare$619 a month, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where North Waco, Waco ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in North Waco, Waco
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median North Waco, Waco home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,308, 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 North Waco, Waco's effective rate of 1.31%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in North Waco, Waco
North Waco, Waco runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for North Waco, Waco.
Who works in North Waco, Waco, and how
Work in North Waco, Waco centers on retail trade and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in North Waco, Waco
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across North Waco, Waco.
What the weather is like in North Waco, Waco, month by month
North Waco, Waco sees roughly 127 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 North Waco, Waco
The nearest airport, Waco Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Dallas Love Field, about 90 miles away.
The best schools in and around North Waco, Waco
Schools across North Waco, Waco average a D, better than 11% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Cedar Ridge ElD · 17% proficient
- Provident Heights ElD · 17% proficient
- Dean Highland ElD− · 13% proficient
Top middle schools
- Indian Spring MiddleD− · 16% proficient
- G W Carver MiddleF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Waco H SD+ · 25% proficient
- Methodist Children's HomeD− · 12% proficient
- Waco Ctr For YouthF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every North Waco, Waco school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
North Waco, 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 North Waco, Waco against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in North Waco, Waco
Is North Waco, Waco a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, North Waco, Waco ranks 5,116th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, quiet, and tree cover, and lowest on civic engagement and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is North Waco, Waco expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $137,804. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $52,308 median income, cost of living beats 26% of neighborhoods.
Is North Waco, Waco safe?
North Waco, Waco is safer than 29% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $724 per resident a year.
Compare North Waco, Waco with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to North Waco, Waco. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in North Waco, 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.
North Waco, Waco detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for North Waco, Waco: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in North Waco, Waco: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of North Waco, Waco: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in North Waco, Waco: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
North Waco, 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.