Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Waco vs Bellmead

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (95.7× in Waco) and size (13.6× in Waco).

×
Waco, TXAn outdoors townTexas · 143,570 people
×
Bellmead, TXHomes around $158KTexas · 10,566 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $330 more a month in Waco

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Waco$1,300/mo
Typical home $198K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.60% · or rent about $1,165/mo · Housing →
Bellmead$970/mo
Typical home $158K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.10% · or rent about $1,107/mo · Housing →

The difference: $330 a month, about $3,900 a year, between Waco and Bellmead.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Waco places higher on 16 of 21 TX lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Texas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Waco and Bellmead share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

WacoBellmeadWacoBellmead
Waco ↔ Bellmead6.6 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,742 Bellmead residents work in Waco (39.9% of its workers)
756 Waco residents work in Bellmead (1.4% of its workers)
Work & commute in Bellmead →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
WacoBellmead
Snow a year0″1″
January low—36°F
July high—97°F
Growing season (days)—245d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)12th4th
Outdoors & history
WacoBellmead
Trails57 mi1 mi
Conserved land24.1%0.5%
National Register places23—
Community
WacoBellmead
Library hours a week58 hrs—
Colleges in town3—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

WacoBellmead
People
Population 143,570Highest 10,566Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11%Highest TX: +15.9% +6%Lowest TX: +15.9%
Median age 29.7±0.6Lowest 17% below TX 36.1±4.7Highest about the TX average
Kids under 18 22.8%±1Lowest TX: 25% 33%±5.8Highest TX: 25%
Age 65+ 13.4%±0.7Lowest TX: 13.4% 14.1%±3.8Highest TX: 13.4%
Bellmead and Waco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.7%Highest TX: 33.8% 13.4%Lowest TX: 33.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 14.7%±1.1Highest TX: 6.2% 0.9%±0.9Lowest TX: 6.2%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $54,365±$2kHighest 31% below TX $52,075±$10kLowest 34% below TX
Waco and Bellmead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $221,700±$8kHighest 22% below TX $155,100±$12kLowest 45% below TX
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,165±$28Highest 17% below TX $1,107±$77Lowest 21% below TX
Waco and Bellmead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,537Highest 16% below TX $1,710Lowest 60% below TX
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58.3%±3.5Lowest TX: 51.7% 77.4%±10.2Highest TX: 51.7%
Below poverty line 23.1%Lowest TX: 13.8% 24.9%Highest TX: 13.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 49.4%Lowest TX: 62.6% 59.8%Highest TX: 62.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest 13 yrs older than TX 1984Highest 8 yrs older than TX
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 30% below TX 23 minHighest 14% below TX
Work from home 9.7%±1.1Highest TX: 14.4% 3.3%±2.6Lowest TX: 14.4%
Work in townworking residents 48.8%Highest 4.8%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miLowest 10.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.49Highest 0.75Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Austin (4%)Waco (40%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 1% work in Bellmead40% work in Waco
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 24.1%Highest 0.5%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 57.4 miHighest 0.6 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 48Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 53.4Lowest 68.4Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #421 of 583 in TX#483 of 583 in TX
School district RAPOPORT ACADEMY PUBLIC SCHOOL · PREMIER HIGH SCHOOLSLA VEGA ISD
High school in town Midway H SLa Vega H S
Students per teacherat that high school 16.2Highest 13.7Lowest
Texas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Waco neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Waco’s Town Square.

Bellmead neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bellmead’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Waco and Bellmead

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Waco

Towns like Waco

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Post to Waco

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in