Hays County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Hays County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 88% of counties in Texas
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B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 95% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Hays County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 268,638 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 396.0 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 4.74% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 32.6 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 99,848 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Hays County grew by 90.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 268,638 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Hays County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 29.2% of residents. That is 5.7 points above Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 78,444 29.2% +5.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 58,317 21.7% -1.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 48,498 18.1% -1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 32,672 12.2% -1.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.2% of the people living in Hays County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.8% Texas 49.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Hays County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Hays County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Hays County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $89,812 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.08% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Hays County is about 14% higher than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Hays County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $488,757 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,494 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 64.1% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Hays County is about 27.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,494 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Hays County spend about 60 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 250 hours, about 10.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Hays County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 30.0 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 60.0 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 250 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,755 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 18.1% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,553 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,402 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Hays County is 30 minutes, longer than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Hays County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Hays County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.2% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.61 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Hays County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Hays County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.9 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.6% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.3% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Hays County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Hays County, TX is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 268,638 residents against a local median of 183,734. Hays County, TX's median home price, at $488,757, runs 74% above the $280,207 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 30.0 min against a local median of 25.8 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts Hays County, TX at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $279,777 on median home price, so Hays County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Hays County, TX has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hays County, TX | 268,638 | $89,812 #4/5 | $488,757 #1/5 | 30.0 min #4/5 |
| Comal County, TX | 183,826 | $102,069 | $329,353 | 26.5 min |
| Travis County, TX | 1,315,315 | $100,128 | $348,613 | 22.7 min |
| Caldwell County, TX | 48,669 | $70,216 | $68,837 | 31.4 min |
| Guadalupe County, TX | 183,641 | $93,226 | $231,061 | 25.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Hays County, Texas.
How many people live in Hays County, Texas?
About 268,638 people live in Hays County, Texas, in 99,848 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 32.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Hays County, Texas?
Averaged over its land area, Hays County, Texas has 396 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Hays County, Texas?
The median home costs 5.4 times the median household income ($488,757 against $89,812), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,494 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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