Economic Development

Strategic Location

• Just 90 Minutes to/from Austin & Dallas
• 185 Miles to Houston & San Antonio
• Just 3 Hours to 85% of Texas Population

Workforce Development

• 5 Local Colleges & Universities
• 75,000 Students within 60 Minutes
• Advanced Education High School Programs

Employment Growth

• Over 140,000 Jobs & Growing
• 1.7% Job Growth - Aligned with National Trends

Tourism Friendly

• Top-5 Ranked Texas Travel Destination
• Over 4 Million Tourists Annually
• Over 1 Million Hotel Rooms Booked Annually
• Top-5 Ranked Hotel Occupancy Rate in Texas

We provide many local incentives to attract business and industry and encourage quality development of all kinds - from downtown revitalization and mixed-use projects to retail, commercial, and traditional industrial and manufacturing incentives.

Federal

• Foreign Trade Zones
• Opportunity Zones

State

• Enterprise Fund
• Enterprise Zone
• Industrial Revenue Bonds
• NAFTA Incentive
• Product Development & Small Business Fund
• Skills Development Fund
• Skills Recruit Texas

Local

• Tax Abatement
• Business Grant
• WMCEDC Grant
• Tax Increment Financing (TIF)/ Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ)

We want to hear from you! We are a strong community in the Heart of Texas with prime access to I-35 and connections to Austin, Houston, Dallas, & Fort Worth.

Waco offers room for growth, access to a highly skilled workforce, five local colleges, and our City leadership prioritizes economic development. Come and see why so many businesses love to call Waco home!

Ready to get started?

Contact us for assistance in moving or starting your business to Waco!

• Phone: (254) 750-7005
• ecodev@wacotx.gov

• Economic Development Strategic Plan(PDF, 4MB)
• Strategic Plan Council Presentation(PDF, 1MB)

• At a Glance
• Custom Reports

• Greater Waco Chamber
• Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber
• Cen-Tex African American Chamber

• Tax Increment Financing Zones
• Brazos River Corridor(PDF, 2MB)
• Public Improvement District(PDF, 345KB)
• Texas Central Park (3,000 acres)(PDF, 4MB)
• Waco Economic Development Sectors(PDF, 2MB)
• International Aviation Park (1,053 acres)(PDF, 1MB)
• Airport Industrial Park (200 acres)(PDF, 1MB)
• Designated Areas(PDF, 761KB)
• Imagine Waco(PDF, 3MB)
• Target Area(PDF, 444KB)