Is Waco, TX Safe?
Waco, TX has a Safety Score of 76/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 14% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
Safety Context Score: 76/100 (Grade B)
CrimeContext scores Waco on a 0-100 scale that weights per-capita violent crime against the national average (40%), per-capita property crime (30%), and the 5-year direction of total crime (30%). A grade of B means Waco sits better than the typical U.S. city once population is taken into account. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
We never display raw crime counts. A large city will always log more total incidents than a small town; the only fair comparison is the rate per 100,000 residents, which is what every number on this page uses.
Waco Crime Rates per 100,000 vs National Average
| Crime Type | Waco | National Avg | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 312.8 | 363.8 | -14% |
| Property Crime | 1340.3 | 1832.3 | -27% |
| Murder | 6.3 | 5.7 | +11% |
| Robbery | 68.8 | 73.0 | -6% |
| Aggravated Assault | 193.9 | 246.4 | -21% |
| Burglary | 187.6 | 269.8 | -30% |
| Larceny-Theft | 965.0 | 1401.9 | -31% |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 201.0 | 318.3 | -37% |
| 5-Year Trend | -13.0% | ||
| Population | 138,486 | ||
All values are incidents per 100,000 residents (FBI UCR/NIBRS). Per-capita rates only — never raw counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Waco, TX has a Safety Score of 76/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 14% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
Waco, TX has a violent crime rate of 312.8 per 100,000 residents (14% below the U.S. average of 363.8) and a property crime rate of 1340.3 per 100,000 (27% below the U.S. average of 1832.3). All figures are per-capita rates, never raw counts.
Waco has a murder rate of 6.3 per 100,000 residents, compared with the national average of 5.7. Like every figure here, this is a per-capita rate — raw homicide counts without population context can badly mislead.
Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years. Over the past 5 years, the total crime rate in Waco has changed by -13.0%.
Violent crime in Waco is 14% below the U.S. average and property crime is 27% below average. Waco's overall Safety Context Score is 76/100 (grade B).
More about Waco
Waco, TX has a Safety Score of 76/100 (grade B). Violent crime is 14% below the national average. Crime has been trending downward over the past 5 years.
The data source behind this answer is the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset. Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the FBI UCR/NIBRS dataset record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2026.