Waco, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Waco, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Waco | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 132,142 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1277.4 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.83% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 30.4 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 50,254 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Waco grew by 10.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 132,142 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Waco is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 33.1% of residents. That is 9.6 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 43,677 33.1% +9.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 24,981 18.9% -4.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 19,790 15.0% -4.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 16,703 12.6% -0.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.2% of the people living in Waco and men 47.8%.
- Women 52.2% Texas 50.1%
- Men 47.8% Texas 49.9%
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Economy
Waco has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Waco | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,707 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.25% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Waco is about 34% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Waco | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $214,475 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,153 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 48.8% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Waco is about 15.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,153 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Waco spend about 33 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 139 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Waco | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.6 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.3 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 139 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,295 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.9% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,343 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,319 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Waco is 17 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Waco has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Waco | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.7% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Health
Waco has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Waco | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.9 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.9% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.1% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Waco, Texas.
What is the population of Waco, Texas?
About 132,142 people live in Waco, Texas, in 50,254 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 30.4, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
How densely populated is Waco, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, Waco, Texas has 1,277 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 15 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Waco, Texas?
The median home costs 4.1 times the median household income ($214,475 against $51,707), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,153 a month takes about 27% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Waco, Texas have a college degree?
20.7% of adults in Waco, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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