Hays County Annex Building across from the courthouse inSan MarcosHays County Veterans Monument in San Marcos
Hays County is acounty in the central portion of the U.S. state ofTexas.[1] It is part of theAustin-Round Rockmetropolitan area. As of the2020 census, its official population had reached 241,067.[2] Thecounty seat isSan Marcos.[3] Hays, along withComal andKendall Counties, was listed in 2017 as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties with a population of at least 10,000. From 2015 to 2016, Hays County, third on the national list, had nearly 10,000 new residents during the year.[4]
On March 1, 1848, the legislature formed Hays County fromTravis County. The county is named for Tennessee native Captain John Coffee Hays[11] of theTexas Rangers.San Marcos was named as the county seat.[12] The legislature establishedBlanco from part of Hays in 1858, but incorporated part ofComal into Hays. Risher and Hall Stage Lines controlled 16 of 31 passenger and mail lines in Texas.[5]
In 1861, voters in the county favoredsecession from the Union.[5] The next year, the state legislature transferred more of Comal County to Hays County.[5] In 1867, the first cattle drive from Hays County toKansas occurred.[5]
Wonder Cave opened to the public in 1900.[15] The current Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos was erected in 1908 in Beaux-Arts style by architect C.H. Page and Bros.[16] TheAquarena Springs tourist site opened in 1928 in San Marcos.[17]
Lyndon Baines Johnson graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1930.[18] In 1942, construction ofSan Marcos Army Air Field began.[19] San Marcos Army Air Field was renamed Gary Air Force Base in 1953 to honor Second Lieutenant Arthur Edward Gary, the first San Marcos resident killed inWorld War II.[19]
The state legislature resurveyed the Hays and Travis County lines, adding 16,000 acres (65 km2) to Hays County, in 1955.[5] In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson announced the establishment of aJob Corps center based at the deactivated Gary Air Force Base.[20]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 680 sq mi (1,800 km2), of which 1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2) (0.3%) are covered by water.[21] The county is predominantly in theEdwards Plateau, with the southeast portion in theTexas Blackland Prairies.[22]
As of 2020, the county has six high schools, 10 middle schools, and 24 elementary schools.[citation needed]
Higher education in Hays County includes one four-year institution,Texas State University, in San Marcos.
Austin Community College is the designated community college for the whole county.[24] It operates three distance-learning centers that offer basic and early college start classes, along with testing centers for online classes.
Hays County, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 241,067 and a median age of 32.3 years. 23.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 12.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.6 males age 18 and over.[30]
70.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 29.7% lived in rural areas.[32]
There were 86,904 households in the county, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.2% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[30]
There were 93,534 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 61.7% were owner-occupied and 38.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.0%.[30]
As of thecensus[34] of 2000, 97,589 people, 51,265 households, and 22,150 families resided in the county. Thepopulation density was 144 people per square mile (56 people/km2). The 55,643 housing units averaged 53 units per square mile (20/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 78.92% White, 3.68% Black or African American, 0.69%Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 13.36% from other races, and 2.49% from two or more races. About 29.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 33,410 households, 34.0% had children under 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were not families; 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.69, and the average family size was 3.21.[34]
The county's population was distributed as 24.5% under 18, 20.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.[34]
The county's median household income was $45,006 and the median family income was $56,287. Males had a median income of $35,209 versus $27,334 for females. The county'sper capita income was $19,931. About 6.40% of families and 14.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 9.70% of those age 65 or over.[34]
Hays County currently leans towards theDemocratic Party in federal elections. The county was strongly Democratic-leaning before the 1970s, then (like some other suburban counties in the state) began trending towards theRepublican Party in the 1970s.
The county began trending Democratic again in the late 2010s and early 2020s. It has backed Democrats in most statewide races since 2018, including for President (in 2020 and 2024), despite Democrats losing all statewide races in Texas.[35][36] In 2024,Kamala Harris became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry Hays County despite losing the presidential election since 1968.
Until 2020, whenJoe Biden won the county with 54.4% of the vote, the last Democrat to carry Hays County in a presidential election wasBill Clinton, with a plurality of 39.8% of the vote in 1992. The last Democrat to win a majority of the vote in the county before 2020 wasJimmy Carter, with 54.4% in 1976.Lloyd Bentsen had been the last Democratic Senate candidate to carry the county, winning 69.2% of the vote in 1988, until 2018, whenBeto O'Rourke carried the county with 57.1% of the vote.[37]
United States presidential election results for Hays County, Texas[38]
Ann Richards in 1990 was the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win the county, when she took 56.6% of the vote that year, until2018, whenLupe Valdez won with a 49.6% plurality.[37]
In the 2022 elections, Democrats won all but one race in Hays County; They flipped several countywide seats previously held by Republicans.[40]
Democratic voters mostly reside along the I-35 Corridor and communities East. Communities West of the I-35 Corridor lean Republican. San Marcos, home ofTexas State University, and the city of Kyle generally vote Democratic. Driftwood, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, and Woodcreek generally vote Republican. Elections within the county are often decided by margins in Bear Creek, Belterra, Buda, and the county's northcentral border along Travis County.[citation needed]
^"Find a County". National Association of Counties. RetrievedJune 7, 2011.
^Zeke MacCormack, "Folks flocking to area counties: Kendall, Comal, and Hays are on the top 10 list",San Antonio Express-News, March 24, 2017, pp. 1, A11.
^abcdefghijCecil, Paul F; Greene, Daniel P."Hays County, Texas".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 1, 2010.
^Foster, William C (1995).Spanish Expeditions into Texas, 1689-1768. University of Texas Press. p. 117.ISBN978-0-292-72489-1.
^Weddle, Robert S (1991).The French Thorn: Rival Explorers in the Spanish Sea, 1682-1762. TAMU Press. p. 200.ISBN978-0-89096-480-4.
^Pietrusza, David (2008).1960--LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign That Forged Three Presidencies. Union Square Press. p. 20.ISBN978-1-4027-6114-0.
^abRatisseau, Shirley."Gary Air Force Base".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 1, 2010.
^"Gary Job Corps Center".Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. RetrievedDecember 1, 2010.
DeCook, K. James (1963).Geology and Ground-water Resources of Hays County, Texas. Texas Board of Water Engineers. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior, Geological Survey.OCLC961366150.
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