Average Salaries in Waco, TX
Explore salaries across 345 occupations in Waco, TX. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $60.7K, -7.6% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 345 occupations and 118,570 total jobs in Waco, TX.
How the metro compares
Waco, TX pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Waco, TX is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Physicians, All Other. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Waco, TX
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Waco, TX
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $312.5K | 220 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $235.7K | 60 |
| Chief Executives | $217.6K | 90 |
| Nursing Instructors And Teachers, Postsecondary | $206.8K | 60 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $159.6K | 100 |
| Pharmacists | $150.7K | 180 |
| Dentists, General | $145.6K | 100 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $141.8K | 310 |
| Financial Managers | $134K | 490 |
| Physician Assistants | $131K | 90 |
Largest occupations in Waco, TX
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 5,100 | $27.8K |
| General And Operations Managers | 3,690 | $93K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 3,540 | $37.5K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 3,260 | $38.8K |
| Retail Salespersons | 3,140 | $29.8K |
| Registered Nurses | 2,570 | $92.9K |
| Cashiers | 2,570 | $28.6K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 2,200 | $23.9K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 1,980 | $35.3K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,890 | $38.3K |
What Waco, TX specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Waco, TX than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Waco, TX
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufactured Building And Mobile Home Installers | 18.23 | $43.2K |
| Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians | 7.19 | $41.3K |
| Plant And System Operators, All Other | 5.19 | $52.5K |
| Helpers--Production Workers | 4.69 | $35K |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | 4.62 | $61.2K |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, And Hearing Officers | 4.10 | $115.9K |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | 3.75 | $60.7K |
| Cooks, All Other | 3.42 | $27.7K |
| Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, And Hard Tiles | 3.41 | $48.6K |
| Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 3.30 | $58.4K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Waco, TX
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.