Best PlacesWest Waco, Woodway, TX Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around West Waco, Woodway, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
West Waco, Woodway ranks 1,644th 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 West Waco, Woodway
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.
West Waco, Woodway's strengths and weaknesses
Where West Waco, Woodway ranks high
- Cheap childcare$619 a month, better than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 89% of neighborhoods
Where West Waco, Woodway ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in West Waco, Woodway
A household needs to earn about $113,000 a year to comfortably buy the median West Waco, Woodway home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $67,689, 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 West Waco, Woodway's effective rate of 1.66%, 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 West Waco, Woodway
West Waco, Woodway'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 West Waco, Woodway.
Who works in West Waco, Woodway, and how
Work in West Waco, Woodway centers on health care & social and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in West Waco, Woodway
West Waco, Woodway has more restaurants and bars per resident than 82% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of West Waco, Woodway and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in West Waco, Woodway, month by month
West Waco, Woodway 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 West Waco, Woodway
The nearest airport, Waco Regional, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Austin-Bergstrom International, about 93 miles away.
The best schools in and around West Waco, Woodway
Schools across West Waco, Woodway average an A−, better than 89% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- South Bosque ElA+ · 76% proficient
- Woodway ElB+ · 55% proficient
- Castleman Creek ElB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Midway MiddleA · 61% proficient
Top high schools
- Midway H SA · 70% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every West Waco, Woodway school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
West Waco, Woodway 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 West Waco, Woodway against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in West Waco, Woodway
Is West Waco, Woodway a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, West Waco, Woodway ranks 1,644th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, quiet, and low crime, 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 West Waco, Woodway expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $386,858. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $67,689 median income, cost of living beats 54% of neighborhoods.
Is West Waco, Woodway safe?
Yes, West Waco, Woodway is safer than 91% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $293 per resident a year.
Compare West Waco, Woodway with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to West Waco, Woodway. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in West Waco, Woodway 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.
West Waco, Woodway detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for West Waco, Woodway: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in West Waco, Woodway: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of West Waco, Woodway: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in West Waco, Woodway: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
West Waco, Woodway 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.