Work & commute · Waco

Work & commute in Waco, TX

49% of Waco’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Austin (4%), Dallas (4%) and Woodway (3%). Half commute less than 8 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

49%

27,168 of 55,711 working residents

Typical commute

8 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

19 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

10%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 28,543 Waco residents head out of town to work, 27,168 work right here, and 56,006 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Waco.

28,543live here, work elsewhere

27,168live and work here

56,006work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Waco goes to work

Waco (in town)right here

49%27,168

Austin93.2 mi away

4%2,135

Dallas88.9 mi away

4%1,974

Woodway4.8 mi away

3%1,570

Houston162.6 mi away

2%1,238

Fort Worth85.1 mi away

2%1,133

Temple33.4 mi away

2%1,048

Hewitt7.4 mi away

1%819

Bellmead6.6 mi away

1%756

San Antonio165.1 mi away

1%636

Everywhere elseother towns and states

31%17,234

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Waco commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

56%

34%

56%Under 10 mi

5%10–24 mi

4%25–50 mi

34%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Waco is balanced between jobs and homes

1.49jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.49 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Waco are

83,174 jobs are based in Waco. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Waco’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Waco

83,174 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)18%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)67%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month27%

Over $3,333 a month57%

Jobs Waco residents hold

55,711 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)18%

Trade, transport & utilities20%

Services (health, schools, offices…)63%

$1,250 a month or less16%

$1,251–$3,333 a month33%

Over $3,333 a month50%

+23%

Jobs based in Waco, 2013 → 2023: 67,375 → 83,174. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.