Waldzell has around 2100 inhabitants and, at 40.25 km², is the second largest municipality in the district of Ried im Innkreis in terms of area.

Around half of the municipal area of Waldzell is forested. The name Waldzell and around 50 field and place names (Brandstatt, Reith, Schwendt, Roderer and numerous names with the suffix -eck and -edt) still bear witness to the once completely wooded area.

The landscape in the Innviertel is hilly (522 m to 750 m above sea level). The village lies at the foothills of the Hausruck and Kobernaußerwald forests, which cover around 220 km². This forest is one of the largest closed forest areas in Central Europe.