Waco 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.