Official Federal Data
Hays County, Texas
FIPS 48209 · Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX · Population 268,638
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$89,097 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4%
Unemployment
4% national
$15.3B ▲
GDP
43.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$89,097 ▲
Per Capita
$44,565 ▲
Mean Household
$117,544 ▲
Poverty Rate
12.1% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Hays County$89,097
Texas$78,476
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.4%
18-34 · 28.9%
35-54 · 26.6%
55-64 · 10%
65+ · 12.2%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +2.4 pts
43.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +7.5 pts
15.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +1.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
268,638
Population
147,653
Labor Force
Employed
140,594
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4%
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
18.1%
Key Takeaways
- Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 7.5 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
- Young population: Median age of 34 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 14,332 workers (20% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $37,770.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $15.3B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $99,126 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $24,796, a 4.0x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
6,327
Cluster Employment
3.97x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
3.97x 2,871
Waste Management and Remediation Services
3.74x 1,226
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
2.69x 705
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
2.36x 1,766
Fishing, Hunting and Trapping
1.69x 8
Food and Beverage Retailers
1.68x 3,456
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
1.66x 345
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries
1.63x 372
Repair and Maintenance
1.59x 1,468
Educational Services
1.58x 3,252
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.24x
Computing Infrastructure Providers and Data Processing
74 employed
0.26x
Machinery Manufacturing
176 employed
0.26x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
149 employed
0.32x
Support Activities for Transportation
166 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers concentrates at 3.97x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$399,800 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,495 ▲
Rent/Mo
64.1% ▲
Owner-Occ
4.6% ▼
Vacancy
4.5x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,474/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,562/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,852/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,347/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,760/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,227/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.5x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,227/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
175,756 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min above national avg
31.3 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
18.1%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
84.9%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
43.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
92% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
79,681/yr
20,117/yr
17,432/yr
11,449/yr
10,913/yr
10,852/yr
8,918/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
15.2%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
43.9%
Service
16.1%
Sales & Office
21.1%
Construction / Maint.
8.2%
Production / Transport
10.8%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 140,594 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 48,998 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Hays County shows meaningful potential for clothing, clothing accessories, shoe, and jewelry retailers attraction, with a 3.97x concentration and 2,871 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across clothing, clothing accessories, shoe, and jewelry retailers, waste management and remediation services, and nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Hays County, Texas, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Hays County, Texas?
268,638 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Hays County, Texas?
$89,097 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hays County, Texas?
3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Hays County, Texas?
$15.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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