Waco, TX has safety grade D, a population of about 137,779, an overall crime rate near 1,406 per 100k as of 2026. For real estate investors, safety is only half the picture: pair these crime statistics with rental demand and returns to judge whether Waco, TX is a sound place to buy. See the investment overview for Waco, TX for median prices, rental yield and Pulse Score, or run the numbers in the ROI analyzer.
Waco, TX crime snapshot: safety grade D, violent crime rate 6.00 per 1,000 residents, property crime rate 7.00 per 1,000 residents. Compare nearby zip codes, hotspots, and safety recommendations below.
High Risk
per 1000 residents
The area has very low safety standards with a D rating. Residents should be aware of their surroundings and take appropriate precautions.
With property crimes being more prevalent (50.0% of total incidents), residents should secure their homes and vehicles, install security systems, and maintain good lighting around their properties.
The high crime volume of 1,937 incidents indicates this is an active urban area. The most common crime type is property crime.
Crime rates in Waco align with national averages, suggesting typical urban safety patterns.
Based on the provided crime data for the area represented by GEOID 16000US4876000, a detailed analysis reveals several key trends. Property crime is the most prevalent category, accounting for 969 of the 1937 total incidents. Within property crime, larceny/theft offenses are the most frequent, with 700 incidents, followed by destruction/damage/vandalism of property at 119 incidents. Burglary/breaking & entering accounts for 83 incidents, while motor vehicle theft is lower at 66 incidents. Stolen property offenses are minimal, with only 1 incident. Assault is the second most common crime category, with 797 incidents. Robbery is significantly lower, with 32 incidents, and sex offenses account for 47 incidents. Homicide is the least frequent, with 9 incidents. The "others" category includes 83 incidents, with fraud offenses at 30, arson at 1, counterfeiting/forgery at 51, and human trafficking at 1. The GEOID 16000US4876000 corresponds to the city of Houston, Texas. Houston has an estimated population of 2,325,502. The median household income in Houston is approximately $60,470. Based on the total crime count of 1937, the crime rate per 100,000 residents is approximately 83.3. To provide a more comprehensive safety assessment, additional data points are needed. The violent crime rate can be calculated by summing the incidents of robbery, sex offenses, homicide, and assault (32 + 47 + 9 + 797 = 885). This results in a violent crime rate of approximately 38.1 per 100,000 residents. The property crime rate, based on 969 incidents, is approximately 41.7 per 100,000 residents. A safety score and grade would typically be derived from a combination of these crime rates, considering both violent and property crimes, and comparing them against national averages or benchmarks. Without specific benchmarks, it's challenging to assign a definitive safety score or grade. Crime map data, which would visually represent the geographic distribution of these incidents, is not provided in this dataset. Similarly, zip code-level data is absent, preventing a more granular analysis of crime patterns within different neighborhoods of Houston. Based on this analysis, the insights suggest that property crime, particularly larceny/theft, is a significant concern in Houston. While violent crime rates are present, they are lower than property crime rates. Further analysis with additional data, such as historical trends, demographic factors, and socioeconomic indicators, would provide a more nuanced understanding of the crime dynamics in Houston.
Explore related real estate, safety, and education data for Waco, TX.
Browse data for nearby cities and zip codes.
Crime rates are normalized per 1,000 residents based on reported incidents in FBI UCR and local agency feeds. We split incidents into violent, property, and other categories so you can see where the risk concentrates.
The “Safest Zip Codes” section above ranks nearby zip codes by safety score, while the “High Crime Zip Codes” section highlights areas with elevated reported crime in Waco, TX.
Crime data is refreshed on a rolling basis as updated reports are published by the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer and partnering agencies.
Combine this crime report with the market overview for Waco, TX and the school report linked in the “Related analysis” section to assess both safety and investment fundamentals.
PulseReal’s analysis is built on top of these public, authoritative datasets.
Official UCR crime statistics by state and agency from the FBI.
Population, demographics, housing, and income data from the US Census Bureau.
Encyclopedic overview of the city, history, and notable landmarks.
Housing affordability, fair-market rents, and market reports from HUD.
Local unemployment and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bureau of Justice Statistics publications on US crime victimization.
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Green markers indicate safer areas, red markers indicate high crime areas. Blue markers show the currently selected zip code.
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