Hays County, Texas
Population 268,638 · San Marcos, Kyle, Buda
- Overall cost of living: −1.9% vs the US average, higher than 88% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 0 in, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−1.9% | higher than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $399,800 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,495 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $148/mo | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $9,516/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.66% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.25% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $6,649 | higher than 98% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $89,097 | higher than 90% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +39.4% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 313.8 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈243 days | higher than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 95°F | higher than 94% of US counties |
| January low | 39°F | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈0 in | the lowest in the US |
| ≈ Weather station: Wimberley 1 NW, TX, 11 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 117 days | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 20 days | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 31.5% of weeks | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈67.8°F | higher than 78% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 35.7 in | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $118/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $89/yr | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.86/yr | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.11/yr | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $9.8/yr | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $2.8/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.7 µg/m³ | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 150.8 mi | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈802 ft | higher than 71% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92% | higher than 65% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 43.2% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 15.5% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 15 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.9:1 | higher than 67% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.67 | lower than 58% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.06 | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 2.7 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 45/100k | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 12 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 3.6★ | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 79.5 yrs | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 14% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 145/100k | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 40/100k | lower than 53% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 82.8% | higher than 80% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 43 min | lower than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 43 min | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 31 min | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 92.9% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.5% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 18.1% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 42 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 43 per sq mi | higher than 72% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.4 per 1k | higher than 58% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 21.5 per 1k | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Population | 268,638 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Median age | 34.1 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +34.8 per 1k/yr | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 52.1% Dem | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 46.5% Rep | lower than 88% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.4% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % White | 50.5% | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 39.4% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Black | 3.8% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % Asian | 2% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.1% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3.2% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 1% | higher than 94% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 213 parks | higher than 77% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 13.7 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.6 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 36 min | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 63 | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 31 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,193 km | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 11 km | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 366 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 384 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 97 | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 25 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 36 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 35 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 83 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 33 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 72 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 36 km | higher than 68% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data