Forsgard Homestead · Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0Waco spent more per resident in 2022 than 88% of similar cities
Waco’s city government spent $284.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,976 per resident. Water and other utilities ($39.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Waco is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,598 per resident in 2022: more than 88% of them
Waco’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,598 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Texas cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,118, and the middle half spent $905–$1,346. Waco spent more than 88% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($41.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Texas cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Waco itself left out).
About $1,976 per resident a year, or $5.41 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Waco reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,598 · 2023: $1,831 · 2024: $1,976.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,451 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,537 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.60% of the home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Waco’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Waco’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Waco →
Who’s in charge in Waco
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 92 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (143,984).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Waco Independent School District
Waco’s K–12 school district, shared with Beverly Hills. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,400 per pupil, $8,055 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Texas districts overall: 51% local, 36% state, 13% federal.
Midway Independent School District · $10,856 per pupil
Bosqueville Independent School District · $14,243 per pupil
China Spring Independent School District · $11,033 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Waco’s votes are counted by county
Texas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waco alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are McLennan County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican64.8%64,606 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat34.0%33,863 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,203 votes).
Most votes in McLennan County: Donald J Trump
Texas: Trump 56.1%, Harris 42.5%
100% of Waco lies in McLennan County. Every 2024 race in McLennan County is on the county’s page.
McLennan County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Waco.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Texas HouseWaco is split between 2 districts
- 3Texas SenateState senatorDistrict 22
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Texas
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Waco compares with the towns next door
No neighbor is close in size, so the comparison above uses Texas cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Waco’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Waco’s government
How much does Waco spend per resident?
About $1,976 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,598 was more than 88% of 16 Texas cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Waco?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,537 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.60% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.49% across Texas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.
Who runs Waco’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Waco yet.
How did Waco vote in 2024?
Texas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Waco alone. McLennan County, where 100% of Waco lies, voted Trump 64.8%, Harris 34.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Waco?
1,569 full-time and 78 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $10.9M (about $130.2M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Waco in the state legislature?
Waco is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Texas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 22. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Waco’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →