270,358 people (2024 Census estimate, +3.5% since 2020)
1,037 square miles of land · 261 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
54 active community water systems list McLennan County in the area they serve, reporting 285,999 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| CITY OF WACO surface water · local government · TX1550008 | 146,241 served |
| CITY OF HEWITT buys surface water · local government · TX1550031 | 16,978 served |
| CITY OF ROBINSON surface water · local government · TX1550010 | 11,900 served |
| CITY OF BELLMEAD groundwater · local government · TX1550001 | 10,664 served |
| CITY OF BRUCEVILLE EDDY buys surface water · local government · TX1550024 | 10,570 served |
| CITY OF WOODWAY buys surface water · local government · TX1550048 | 9,383 served |
| CITY OF LACY LAKEVIEW buys surface water · local government · TX1550033 | 7,275 served |
| CITY OF MCGREGOR buys surface water · local government · TX1550004 | 6,037 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 1,414 people were held in McLennan County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2026). In 2021 it was about 1,280.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
19 school districts have their office in McLennan County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $340.2 million — $197.6 million to run schools, about $14,294 per student, plus $123.2 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $124.5 million local (mostly property tax), $64.5 million state, $56.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $310.7 million.
Spent $126.7 million — $92.1 million to run schools, about $10,539 per student, plus $26.8 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $91.3 million local (mostly property tax), $16.1 million state, $8.6 million federal. Long-term debt: $185 million.
Spent $41.9 million — $38.7 million to run schools, about $12,833 per student, plus $1.4 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $15.9 million local (mostly property tax), $21.1 million state, $9.3 million federal. Long-term debt: $32.5 million.
Spent $54.1 million — $31.3 million to run schools, about $10,399 per student, plus $20 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $19.2 million local (mostly property tax), $15.5 million state, $2.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $78.4 million.
Spent $30.8 million — $26.9 million to run schools, about $11,217 per student, plus $3.1 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $13.5 million local (mostly property tax), $14.5 million state, $3.2 million federal. Long-term debt: $22.8 million.
Spent $32.2 million — $30.1 million to run schools, about $12,913 per student, plus $1.6 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $12.6 million local (mostly property tax), $16 million state, $8.4 million federal. Long-term debt: $9.3 million.
Spent $21.2 million — $19.8 million to run schools, about $10,973 per student, plus $802,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $11.5 million local (mostly property tax), $10.5 million state, $1.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $24.1 million.
Spent $20.7 million — $19.5 million to run schools, about $12,996 per student, plus $226,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $7.3 million local (mostly property tax), $9.8 million state, $3.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $22 million.
And 11 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Moderate compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost McLennan County about $84.5 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Relatively High; social vulnerability: Relatively High.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
718 bridges in McLennan County: 357 in good condition, 347 fair, and 14 poor (1.9%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| LP 2 EB / 18TH ST over UPRR MARY AVE WACO CRK · built 1935 | 8,074 vehicles a day |
| US 84 over WILLIAMS CREEK · built 1931 | 5,085 vehicles a day |
| OLD ROBINSON ROAD over DRAIN · built 1935 | 665 vehicles a day |
| OLD BRUCEVILLE RD over SOUTH FORK COW BAYOU · built 1970 | 433 vehicles a day |
| PRAIRIE CHAPEL RD over TONK CREEK · built 1970 | 358 vehicles a day |
| PRAIRIE CHAPEL RD over BLUFF CREEK · built 1972 | 227 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $148.1 million of work in McLennan County in fiscal 2025, about $568 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
General election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-05. Early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30. Mail ballot application must be received: 2026-10-23. Election Day: 2026-11-03.
Source: Texas Secretary of State, Sept. 28, 2026 · VoteTexas.gov — early voting · VoteTexas.gov
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for McLennan County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have McLennan County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Texas: the state government and every county in Texas.
Nearby counties: Falls County (26 mi) · Hill County (30 mi) · Bosque County (35 mi) · Limestone County (36 mi) · Coryell County (37 mi) · Bell County (39 mi).