The McLennan County sales tax rate runs from 6.75% in unincorporated areas to 8.25% in most incorporated cities, including Waco, Hewitt, Robinson, and Woodway. Where you shop inside the county decides what you actually pay, because Texas builds the final rate in layers: a statewide base, a county add-on, and an optional city levy.
How the Rate Is Built
Every taxable purchase in the county starts with the Texas state sales tax of 6.25%, set by Texas Tax Code Section 151.051 and collected by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.1State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Section 151.051 – Sales Tax Imposed That piece is the same everywhere in Texas.
McLennan County then adds its own 0.5% sales tax. Chapter 323 of the Tax Code lets counties adopt a rate of 0.5%, 1%, or 1.5% with voter approval, and McLennan County chose the lowest tier.2State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Chapter 323 – County Sales and Use Tax Act3Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. County Sales and Use Tax Add the state and county pieces together and you get a 6.75% floor that applies anywhere inside the county line.
From there, each city can tack on its own sales tax. Texas caps the combined total of all local taxes (county, city, and any special-purpose districts) at 2%, which means the ceiling on the total rate at any address is 8.25%.2State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Chapter 323 – County Sales and Use Tax Act In most of the county’s incorporated cities, that ceiling is already reached, which is why so many jurisdictions share the same 8.25% top rate.
What You Pay in Each City
As of early 2026, these are the combined sales tax rates in commonly visited McLennan County cities:
- Waco — 8.25% (6.25% state + 0.5% county + 1.5% city)
- Hewitt — 8.25%
- Robinson — 8.25%
- Woodway — 8.25%
- Bellmead — 8.25%
- Lorena — 8.25%
- McGregor — 8.25%
- Mart — 7.75%
- Ross — 7.75%
Waco, Hewitt, Robinson, Woodway, and most other incorporated cities in the county collect a 1.5% city sales tax. Paired with the county’s 0.5%, that fills the 2% local cap, and the total lands at 8.25%.4Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. City Sales and Use Tax A handful of smaller cities, including Mart and Ross, collect a lower city rate, which drops the total to 7.75%.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Sales and Use Tax Rates
Because the 2% cap covers city, county, and any special-purpose districts together, shoppers in the 8.25% cities almost never see a separate special-district line on a receipt. There is no room left under the cap. Special-district taxes tend to appear only in areas where city rates are lower or absent.
Unincorporated Areas
Communities outside any city’s limits, including China Spring, Bosqueville, and Axtell, have no municipal sales tax at all. Shoppers there pay only the 6.75% state-and-county combination.5Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Texas Sales and Use Tax Rates On a routine grocery run the difference is small, but on big-ticket purchases it adds up. A $25,000 vehicle bought in an unincorporated area owes roughly $375 less in sales tax than the same vehicle purchased in Waco.
Looking Up the Rate for a Specific Address
City boundaries in McLennan County do not always follow the lines you would expect, and two houses on the same street can carry different rates. The Texas Comptroller publishes a free Sales Tax Rate Locator that returns the exact combined rate for any address.6Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Sales and Use Tax If you are near a city edge or shopping somewhere unfamiliar, that lookup is the quickest way to confirm what you should actually be charged.
Which rate applies also depends on how you buy. Texas generally sources sales tax to where the seller is located, so walking into a Waco store means paying Waco’s 8.25% rate no matter where you live. When an order is not received by sales personnel at the seller’s physical location, the rate instead follows the destination. An online order shipped from a Dallas warehouse to an unincorporated McLennan County address carries 6.75%, while the same order shipped to a Waco address carries 8.25%.7Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Local Sales and Use Tax Collection – A Guide for Sellers
When the Rate Doesn’t Apply
Plenty of ordinary purchases in McLennan County are not taxed at all. Texas exempts most unprepared food, including bread, milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, flour, and sugar. Snack foods are generally exempt as well, unless sold in individual-sized portions under 2.5 ounces or from a vending machine.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Grocery and Convenience Stores
Prescription medications are exempt, as are over-the-counter drugs that carry an FDA-required “Drug Facts” panel. On the beverage aisle, plain water (including sparkling), drinks with more than 50% fruit or vegetable juice, and anything containing milk or a milk substitute are nontaxable.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Grocery and Convenience Stores
Prepared food is where shoppers get caught. A cheese tray that was simply cut and repackaged in the deli stays exempt, but a hot sandwich from the same counter is taxable. A bottled unsweetened tea is exempt; add sweetener and it becomes taxable. The split between taxable and exempt can shift from one shelf to the next inside the same store, so the rate on your receipt may not match what you expected from the sticker price.
Rates and city boundaries can change, so for any purchase that turns on an exact figure, the Comptroller’s locator and the current city rate schedule are the authoritative sources.