Should I Move To
Roughly 140,545 people live in Waco, Texas. Living here costs affordable relative to the rest of the country, 11% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,038/mo; the typical household pulls in $47,421. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 40/100 — a F, putting it at #815 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Waco sits at 89 — affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,038/mo against $47,421 median household income), housing eats roughly 26% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $174,100.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is hot-summer: roughly 94°F in summer, 37°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 35 inches. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go. Reported crime is somewhat above average, though specific neighborhoods vary widely. AQI runs about 44 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Waco isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 45/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (82/100); the soft spot is walkability (4/100).
For retirees, Waco isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 46/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (82/100); the soft spot is walkability (4/100).
For remote workers, Waco isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 53/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (82/100); the soft spot is walkability (4/100).
For young professionals, Waco isn't the strongest match. The profile-weighted score is 37/100 — a F. Its standout dimension is affordability (82/100); the soft spot is walkability (4/100).
Our overall score for Waco is 40/100 — a F, sitting at #815 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Waco sits at 89 — affordable, 11% below the national average. Median renter pays around $1,038 a month.
Waco runs hot-summer on the weather. Summer's near 94°F, winter's near 37°F; 35 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 4/100. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go.
Roughly 140,545 people live here, with 28% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 29.
Drop Waco into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Waco with other Texas cities scored on UrbRank.
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