Waco, Texas

"Waco" redirects here. For other uses, see Waco (disambiguation).

Waco, Texas
City
From left to right, top to bottom: Downtown, McLennan County Courthouse, Waco Suspension Bridge, Dr. Pepper Museum, Waco Mammoth National Monument, Baylor University, Waco Hippodrome, Cameron Park, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, and Austin Avenue in Downtown
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  "Heart of Texas" "Buckle of the Bible Belt"
Location within McLennan County and Texas
Waco, Texas Location of Waco in the state of Texas Waco, Texas Location of Waco in the United States Waco, Texas Location of Waco in North America
Coordinates: 31°32′57″N 97°08′50″W
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	McLennan
Established	1856
Named after	The Waco people
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• City	101.15 sq mi (261.98 km2)
• Land	88.73 sq mi (229.82 km2)
• Water	12.42 sq mi (32.16 km2)  11.85%
Elevation	522 ft (159 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	138,486
• Estimate  (2025)	147,788
• Density	1,569.2/sq mi (605.86/km2)
• Urban	192,844 (US: 201st)
• Urban density	2,145.6/sq mi (828.4/km2)
• Metro	308,807 (US: 168th)
Demonym	Wacoan
GDP
• Metro	$27.539 billion (2022)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Codes	76701–76708, 76710–76712, 76714–76716, 76797–76799
Area code	254
FIPS code	48-76000
GNIS feature ID	2412162
Website	www.waco-texas.com

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Waco (/ˈweɪkoʊ/ WAY-koh) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2025 population of 147,788, making it the 24th-most populous city in the state. The Waco metropolitan area consists of McLennan, Falls, and Bosque counties, which had a 2020 population of 295,782. Bosque County was added to the Waco metropolitan area in 2023. The 2025 U.S. census population estimate for the Waco metropolitan area was 308,807 residents.