Population
Waco
141,925
Lancaster
40,902
Median Income
Waco
$51,468
Lancaster
$54,901
Home Value
Waco
$199,600
Lancaster
$180,200
Rent
Waco
$1,098
Lancaster
$999
Crime Rate
Waco
4.26
Lancaster
4.05
Cost of Living
Waco
97.5
Lancaster
93.5
Avg Temp
Waco
N/A
Lancaster
N/A
Unemployment
Waco
4.4%
Lancaster
5.0%
How Similar Are Waco & Lancaster?
Lancaster is Waco's #5 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Waco
141,925
Lancaster
40,902
Waco (141,925) is about 3.5x larger than Lancaster (40,902).
Violent Crime
Waco
4.26
Lancaster
4.05
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 5% difference.
Property Crime
Waco
21.26
Lancaster
21.25
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 0% difference.
Political Leaning
Waco
64.9%
Lancaster
61.6%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 5% difference.
Unemployment
Waco
4.4%
Lancaster
5.0%
Lancaster has a 13% higher unemployment than Waco.
Median Income
Waco
$51,468
Lancaster
$54,901
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Waco
$199,600
Lancaster
$180,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 10% difference.
Education
Waco
16.3%
Lancaster
14.4%
Waco has a 12% higher education than Lancaster.
Demographics
Waco
54.0%
Lancaster
91.5%
Lancaster has a 41% higher demographics than Waco.
Cost of Living
Waco
97.5
Lancaster
93.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Waco and Lancaster share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Waco
0
Lancaster
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLancaster scores 101.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 119.8 in Waco. Waco has a fair market rent (1br) of $996 vs $1,194 in Lancaster (17% lower). Waco has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,240 vs $1,430 in Lancaster (13% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Lancaster leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLancaster has a median property tax of $1,736 vs $3,318 in Waco (91% lower). Lancaster has a vacancy rate of 7.7% compared to 12.1% in Waco. Lancaster has a single-family homes of 72.8% compared to 61.6% in Waco.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lancaster leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaco: 69,099 vs Lancaster: 19,458 for labor force. Lancaster has a poverty rate of 14.8% compared to 24.0% in Waco. Waco has a unemployment rate of 4.4% compared to 5.0% in Lancaster.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waco leads
Source: FBI UCRLancaster has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.17 compared to 0.57 in Waco. Waco has a property crime clearance of 21.7% compared to 7.4% in Lancaster. Waco has a violent crime clearance of 46.5% compared to 27.8% in Lancaster.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLancaster has a high school diploma or higher of 42.5% compared to 31.7% in Waco. Waco has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.3% compared to 14.4% in Lancaster.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaco has a population of 141,925, about 3.5x the size of Lancaster (40,902). Waco skews younger with a median age of 29.2 vs 36.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Waco
Lancaster
Healthcare — Waco leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareWaco: 3.0 vs Lancaster: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaco has a public transit of 0.7% compared to 0.1% in Lancaster. Lancaster has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.4% in Waco. Waco has a work from home of 8.5% compared to 7.7% in Lancaster.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Waco, TX
Compare Waco against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.