Waco, TX
Across all occupations in the Waco, TX metropolitan area, the median wage is $46,020 a year ($22.13 an hour) and the mean $58,190, May 2025. That median is −10% against the US median of $50,980 and −5% against Texas's $48,620. BLS counts 129,860 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is fast food and counter workers.
All occupations: Waco, TX vs Texas and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Waco, TX | Hourly | $12.99 | $16.37 | $22.13 | $32.24 | $48.70 | $27.97 | 129,860 |
| Annual | $27,020 | $34,050 | $46,020 | $67,060 | $101,300 | $58,190 | ||
| Texas | Hourly | $13.10 | $17.01 | $23.38 | $37.42 | $60.20 | $31.61 | 14,071,160 |
| Annual | $27,250 | $35,370 | $48,620 | $77,840 | $125,220 | $65,750 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
340 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Texas. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Waco, TX
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $312,520 | $150.25 | 220 |
| 2 | Family Medicine Physicians | $235,710 | $113.32 | 60 |
| 3 | Chief Executives | $217,610 | $104.62 | 90 |
| 4 | Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary | $206,810 | * | 60 |
| 5 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $159,620 | $76.74 | 100 |
| 6 | Pharmacists | $150,710 | $72.46 | 180 |
| 7 | Dentists, General | $145,630 | $70.02 | 100 |
| 8 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Texas | $141,810 | $68.18 | 310 |
| 9 | Financial Managers in Texas | $134,010 | $64.43 | 490 |
| 10 | Physician Assistants | $131,000 | $62.98 | 90 |
| 11 | Lawyers in Texas | $130,230 | $62.61 | 280 |
| 12 | Nurse Practitioners | $128,920 | $61.98 | 210 |
| 13 | Marketing Managers | $126,880 | $61.00 | 270 |
| 14 | Human Resources Managers | $125,290 | $60.24 | 160 |
| 15 | Industrial Production Managers | $123,200 | $59.23 | 240 |
| 16 | Software Developers in Texas | $123,080 | $59.17 | 490 |
| 17 | Veterinarians | $122,920 | $59.10 | 50 |
| 18 | Purchasing Managers | $122,250 | $58.77 | 90 |
| 19 | Sales Managers in Texas | $117,820 | $56.64 | 490 |
| 20 | Education Administrators, All Other | $117,810 | $56.64 | 40 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Waco, TX
Most concentrated occupations in Waco, TX
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helpers--Production Workers | 4.69 | 650 | 5.00 | $35,040 |
| 2 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | 4.62 | 430 | 3.31 | $61,150 |
| 3 | Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 3.30 | 170 | 1.27 | $58,400 |
| 4 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 3.04 | 350 | 2.70 | $80,580 |
| 5 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary | 2.85 | 270 | 2.09 | $67,520 |
| 6 | Food Batchmakers | 2.68 | 390 | 3.01 | $40,530 |
| 7 | Food Processing Workers, All Other | 2.35 | 130 | 0.98 | $37,100 |
| 8 | Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School | 2.30 | 500 | 3.86 | $60,580 |
| 9 | Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers | 2.27 | 180 | 1.40 | $34,030 |
| 10 | Correctional Officers and Jailers | 2.22 | 700 | 5.43 | $47,660 |
Occupation groups in Waco, TX
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $99,260 | $117,060 | 10,070 | 77.58 | 1.08 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $86,900 | $94,530 | 2,160 | 16.61 | 0.49 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $85,070 | $92,420 | 1,730 | 13.32 | 0.79 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $81,970 | $96,680 | 7,490 | 57.70 | 0.91 |
| Legal | $81,620 | $105,260 | 670 | 5.15 | 0.61 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $70,060 | $76,040 | 7,800 | 60.08 | 0.89 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $65,120 | $71,940 | 950 | 7.32 | 0.77 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $60,510 | $65,050 | 9,280 | 71.45 | 1.22 |
| Protective Service | $54,020 | $57,700 | 2,780 | 21.44 | 0.88 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $53,280 | $82,410 | 1,160 | 8.93 | 0.68 |
| Community and Social Service | $52,880 | $57,470 | 1,930 | 14.88 | 0.87 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $51,130 | $56,010 | 6,510 | 50.14 | 1.28 |
| Construction and Extraction | $47,380 | $51,180 | 6,630 | 51.04 | 1.24 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $42,700 | $46,190 | 16,070 | 123.76 | 1.08 |
| Production | $42,550 | $46,120 | 9,370 | 72.18 | 1.31 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $38,410 | $42,420 | 11,040 | 85.00 | 0.97 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $35,710 | $37,410 | 270 | 2.09 | 0.75 |
| Healthcare Support | $35,280 | $35,990 | 5,380 | 41.44 | 0.82 |
| Sales and Related | $35,150 | $45,060 | 10,380 | 79.96 | 0.93 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $33,730 | $34,560 | 3,600 | 27.70 | 0.95 |
| Personal Care and Service | $29,740 | $34,680 | 1,660 | 12.80 | 0.61 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $28,440 | $29,840 | 12,910 | 99.46 | 1.13 |
Every occupation in Texas, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 340 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Waco, TX estimates (area 47380).
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Waco, TX area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.