McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 260,579. Its county seat and largest city is Waco. The U.S. census 2025 county population estimate is 272,020.Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties in Texas: April 1, 2020, to July 1, 2025 (CO-EST2024-POP-48) Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division Release Date: March 2026 The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early Scottish settler in frontier Texas. McLennan County is included in the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
McLennan County was created by the Texas Legislature in 1850 out of Milam County. The county seat, Waco, had been founded as an outpost of the Texas Rangers. It was laid out by George B. Erath, and was known by 1850 as Waco Village.
In the 1880s, pharmacist Charles Alderton developed the carbonated beverage that became known as Dr Pepper. The Dr Pepper business was headquartered in Waco, until it moved to Dallas, Texas. Waco is also home to the Dr Pepper Museum, housed in the 1906 building that was the first stand-alone facility used to bottle Dr Pepper.
According to local lore, the first sustained flight did not occur in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, but just outside Tokio (a small community in McLennan County) by a man flying a gyrocopter. During World War I, McLennan County was home to at least one military airfield, Rich Field. In the aftermath of World War I, when social tensions were high as veterans returned, white racial violence broke out against blacks. The county had 15 lynchings, the second-highest number of any county in the state.
McLennan County's contributions to World War II include the reopening of Rich Field for use by the Air Force, and the opening of James Connally Air Force Base. The latter is now used as the TSTC Waco Airport and Texas State Technical College. County resident Doris Miller was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism at Pearl Harbor; he was the first African American to earn such distinction. Local man James Connally became known as a World War II fighter pilot.
County Courthouse The current County Courthouse, the fourth to be built, is located in Waco. Completed in 1902 in the Beaux-Arts style, it is the next-to-last example of architect James Riely Gordon's Texas courthouses. The building contractor was Tom Lovell. The first county courthouse was completed in 1851 for $500, and was a two-story log cabin that was 30' x 30'. McLennan's second courthouse was a two-story brick building completed in 1857 for $11,000. The third courthouse was styled after Second Empire by architect W.C. Dodson, and completed in 1877 at a cost of $24,894.50.
Institutions of higher education In 1886, Baylor University relocated from Independence, Texas, to Waco and absorbed Waco University. During the early 20th century, McLennan County was home to as many as five colleges. In addition to Baylor, the other colleges included the predecessor to what is now known as Texas Christian University (now in Fort Worth), Paul Quinn College (relocated since to Dallas), and two other short-lived colleges.
In the 1960s, the Texas Legislature authorized McLennan Community College, the first community college to use those words in the name. Around the same time, what is now the flagship institution of Texas State Technical College was founded as James Connally Technical Institute, as a member of the Texas A&M University System. Today, Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College continue to operate in McLennan County. They educate a large portion of the college-bound high-school graduates from the county and the surrounding areas. McLennan Community College has also partnered with Tarleton State University, Texas Tech University, University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and Midwestern State University to offer more than 50 bachelor's or master's degrees.
1896 Crash at Crush Crush, Texas, was a temporary "city" in McLennan County, about north of Waco. It was established to stage a publicity stunt concocted by William George Crush and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The stunt involved the collision of two 35-ton steam locomotives in front of spectators, whom the railway transported to the event for $2 each. After strong promotion, on September 15, 1896, the event was delayed by an hour as the police maneuvered the crowd of more than 40,000 back to what was thought to be a safe distance.
The crews of the two engines tied the throttles open and jumped off. The two engines, pulling wagons filled with railroad ties, traveled a track and thunderously crashed into each other at a combined speed up to . The boilers exploded and sent steam and flying debris into the crowd. Three people were killed and about six were injured, including event photographer Jarvis "Joe" Deane, who lost an eye because of a flying bolt.
Ragtime composer Scott Joplin commemorated the event with "The Great Crush Collision March"; Joplin dedicated the composition to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway.Scott Joplin, "The Great Crush Collision" sheet music (Temple, TX: John R. Fuller, 1896). See Bill Edwards, Rags and Pieces by Scott Joplin. Texas composer and singer Brian Burns wrote and recorded a song about the collision, "The Crash at Crush" (2001).
West fertilizer plant explosion
Waco siege
Twin Peaks biker shootout
On May 17, 2015, motorcycle clubs gathered at the Twin Peaks Restaurant in Waco for a Confederation of Clubs meeting. Upon arrival of a large contingent of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, mass violence erupted in the parking lot of Twin Peaks between members of the Bandidos and members of the Cossasks Motorcycle Club. This resulted in nine dead and 18 wounded in the melee between the rival outlaw motorcycle gangs. In 2019, all remaining charges were dropped by the new District Attorney, Barry Johnson.
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (2.2%) are covered by water.
Major highways Interstate 35 U.S. Highway 77 U.S. Highway 84 State Highway 6 State Highway 7 State Highway 31 State Highway 164 State Highway 317 Loop 2 Loop 340 Loop 396 Loop 484 Loop 574 Spur 298 Spur 299 Spur 412
Adjacent counties Hill County (north) Limestone County (east) Falls County (southeast) Bell County (south) Coryell County (southwest) Bosque County (northwest)
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +McLennan County, Texas – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)127,585134,507138,008138,295139,69374.72%71.12%64.64%58.87%53.61%Black or African American alone (NH)27,06829,03632,06533,89236,13015.85%15.35%15.02%14.43%13.87%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3054726667049010.18%0.25%0.31%0.30%0.35%Asian alone (NH)5521,3232,2363,1284,8730.32%0.70%1.05%1.33%1.87%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census7784146xx0.04%0.04%0.06%Other race alone (NH)2571421472351,0650.15%0.08%0.07%0.10%0.41%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,0853,0979,184xx0.98%1.32%3.52%Hispanic or Latino (any race)14,98823,64338,23355,47168,5878.78%12.50%17.91%23.61%26.32%Total170,755189,123213,517234,906260,579 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 260,579 and a median age of 34.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.0 males age 18 and over.
The Census Bureau's QuickFacts reports the population density was 205 per square mile, the median household income was $53,723, the per capita income was $28,421, about 14.7% of residents lived below the poverty line, and the most common ancestries were German (12.8%), American (11.0%), English (8.0%), and Irish (6.9%).
As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the county was 60.0% White, 14.4% Black or African American, 1.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 10.8% from some other race, and 11.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 26.3% of the population.
As of the 2020 census, 76.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 24.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 96,527 households in the county, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.0% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 105,817 housing units, of which 8.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 58.5% were owner-occupied and 41.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%.
The 2020 census heat map showed that an estimated 1.3% of partnered households in the county were in same-sex relationships, though the figure may be undercounted. Communities Cities (multiple counties) Bruceville-Eddy (small part in Falls County) Golinda (mostly in Falls County) Mart (small part in Limestone County) McGregor (small part in Coryell County) Valley Mills (mostly in Bosque County)
Cities
Bellmead Beverly Hills Crawford Gholson Hallsburg Hewitt Lacy Lakeview Leroy Lorena Moody Riesel Robinson Ross Waco (county seat) West Woodway
Census-designated place China Spring Willow Grove
Unincorporated communities Axtell Elm Mott Ocee Speegleville
Economy
According to the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, the top employers in McLennan County are:
# Employer Employees 2015 Employees 2023 1Baylor University2,6753,253 2Waco Independent School District2,5002,373 3Ascension Providence2,3972,300 4HEB1,5002,000 5Baylor Scott & White Health (Hillcrest)1,8001,736 6 TSTC 1,7067 Veterans Affairs1,682 8City of Waco1,5061,518 9Sanderson Farms, Inc.1,0411,200 10Walmart1,6561,174 11 McLennan County 1,157 12Midway Independent School District1,0671,081 13 AbbVie785 14L3 Technologies2,300774 14McLennan Community College719 15 Mars Wrigley 700 16 Aramark 696 17 American Income Life Insurance 693 18 Magnolia Network 675 19 Texas Materials 672 20 Cargill Value Added Meats 646 21 Tractor Supply 640 22 SpaceX 590
Elected leadership Legislative representation Name ServiceUnited States Congress, District 17Pete Sessions2019 – PresentState Senator, District 22Brian Birdwell2010 – PresentState Representative, District 56Charles Doc Anderson2005 – PresentState Representative, District 13Angelia Orr2023 – Present
County Elected Leadership Name ServiceCounty JudgeScott Felton2012 – PresentCounty Commissioner Pct 1Jim Smith2021 – PresentCounty Commissioner Pct 2Donis "D.L." Wilson2024 – PresentCounty Commissioner Pct 3Will Jones2013 – PresentCounty Commissioner Pct 4Ben Perry2011 – PresentDistrict AttorneyJosh Tetens2023 – PresentDistrict ClerkRalph Stratus (Interim)2015 – PresentCounty ClerkAndy Harwell1995 – PresentCounty SheriffParnell McNamara2013 – PresentCounty Tax Assessor-CollectorRandy Riggs2012 – PresentCounty TreasurerBill Helton2012 – Present, 1991 - 2010Constable Pct. 1Walt Strickland2013 - PresentConstable Pct. 2Reggie Jackson2026 - PresentConstable Pct. 3David Maler2011 - PresentConstable Pct. 4Charlie Guerrero2021 - PresentConstable Pct. 5Freddie Cantu2011 - Present