Hays County
Hays County's unemployment rate was 4.1% in June 2026, 0.0 percentage points level with the Austin metro rate of 4.1% for the same month, across a civilian labor force of 170K. Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED.
- Population
Population is not published in the data this page was built from.
Reference period not carried in this data feed — U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, via FRED (series Census county population series).
- Civilian labor force
Civilian labor force: 170,346 (June 2026)
As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series). Not seasonally adjusted.
- Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate: 4.1% (June 2026)
As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series). Not seasonally adjusted.
- Unemployment rate
- 4.1%0.0 pp vs the Austin metro, June 2026June 2026 · BLS LAUS
- Civilian labor force
- 170K+1.0% year over yearJune 2026 · BLS LAUS
- Active TDLR projects
- 1,243137 registered in the last 6 monthsNon-closed filings on record
- Declared project value
- $6.37BAverage $5.1MCost declared on the filing, not market value
Employment trend
Every published observation we hold for this county
Hays County unemployment rate
County unemployment rate ran 3.4% in June 2025 and 4.1% in June 2026 — up 0.7 percentage points across 12 observations. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series).
The vertical axis starts at 3.1%, not zero, so the variation is visible. Read the axis labels before reading the slope.
Show the 12 observations behind this chart
| Period | Percent of labor force |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | 3.4% |
| July 2025 | 3.6% |
| August 2025 | 3.8% |
| September 2025 | 3.7% |
| November 2025 | 3.6% |
| December 2025 | 3.2% |
| January 2026 | 3.8% |
| February 2026 | 3.8% |
| March 2026 | 3.4% |
| April 2026 | 3.3% |
| May 2026 | 3.6% |
| June 2026 | 4.1% |
As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series). Not seasonally adjusted.
Hays County civilian labor force
County civilian labor force ran 168,723 in June 2025 and 170,346 in June 2026 — up 1.0% across 12 observations. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series).
Show the 12 observations behind this chart
| Period | Count |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | 168,723 |
| July 2025 | 168,827 |
| August 2025 | 168,871 |
| September 2025 | 169,833 |
| November 2025 | 169,807 |
| December 2025 | 169,592 |
| January 2026 | 168,763 |
| February 2026 | 169,361 |
| March 2026 | 168,838 |
| April 2026 | 169,111 |
| May 2026 | 169,702 |
| June 2026 | 170,346 |
As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series). Not seasonally adjusted.
Hays sits above the metro rate
At 4.1% in June 2026, Hays County is 0.0 percentage points level with the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown metro rate of 4.1% for the same month. Hays accounts for 10.9% of the metro's civilian labor force.
As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series). Not seasonally adjusted.
Construction pipeline
Non-closed TDLR project filings in Hays County
- 1,243
- Total projects
- 766
- New construction
- 477
- Renovations
- 137
- Registered in 6 months
Counts and values come from Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project filings held in our database. “Value” is the cost declared on the filing, not an appraisal or a market figure, and this feed does not publish an as-of date, so we do not state one.
Search all Hays County projects at TDLRRecent projects
The 5 most recently registered TDLR filings we hold for this county.
- Sally Beauty4015 I 35 S, San Marcos, TX 78666$283KRenovationtdlr.texas.gov ↗
- SH 123 (CSJ: 0366-01-084)N of FM 110 to S of Redwood Road, San Marcos, TX 78666$3.4MNew buildtdlr.texas.gov ↗
- Christus Health - I35 South2430 S IH-35, San Marcos, TX 78666$672KRenovationtdlr.texas.gov ↗
- Local Infusion 260260 - Kyle, TX5167 Kyle Center Dr Suite 104, Kyle, TX 78640$315KRenovationtdlr.texas.gov ↗
- Wimberly ISD - Baseball / Softball Complex & Transportation290 BALLPARK ROAD 951 FM 2325, Wimberley, TX 78676$3.7MNew buildtdlr.texas.gov ↗
Austin 311 requests at Hays County addresses
These are service requests filed with City of Austin 311 at addresses this dataset places in Hays County — not Hays County’s own service record. Most of Hays County is served by other cities' own systems, so this is a partial view: only the part of the county inside Austin's service area appears at all. The requests below come from 6 ZIP codes in the county.
- Most-filed request type, last 12 months: Garbage, with 45 requests.
- Median time from filing to close, last 12 months: 31 hours against 25 hours across every request Austin 311 closed in the same window. These two are computed on the identical predicate, which is why they can be compared at all.
Source: City of Austin Open Data Portal, dataset xwdj-i9he, synced daily. Requests opened Jul 2014 – Aug 2026. A 311 request records that somebody reported something, not that the condition was verified or fixed — and request volume reflects how much an area calls the city as much as what is happening in it.
Hays County on the map
Hays County highlighted among the five metro counties.
Hays County covers approximately 680 square miles, the 4th largest by area of the five metro counties. Calculated from the county's published boundary polygon — an approximation for this map, not a surveyed figure. Boundaries: Texas StratMap county polygons, via the Texas Open Data Portal, simplified for display.
Against the Austin metro
- Metro unemployment rate
- 4.1%
- Metro labor force
- 1.6M
- Hays's share of it
- 10.9%
The metro labor-force figure reaches this page without an observation date, so we cannot show that it describes the same month as the county figure and do not claim it does.
As of — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series AUST448URN). Not seasonally adjusted.
Cities in this sample
From the 10 most recent filings above — a sample, not a county total.
- San Marcos5$5.6M
- Wimberley1$3.7M
- Dripping Springs2$522K
- Austin1$400K
- Kyle1$315K
The other metro counties
Unemployment rate, June 2026 · BLS LAUS via FRED
Explore more Central Texas data
- Central Texas Economy ExplorerAll five counties and the Austin metro, side by side
- Full Austin MSA reportMetro-wide unemployment, wages, GDP and housing
- Employment deep diveJobs, wages and the construction sector
- Housing marketListing prices, inventory and days on market
- Austin neighborhood guidesProfiles of neighborhoods across the metro
- Austin civic data by ZIP code311 requests, code complaints and inspection scores, ZIP by ZIP
Sources and vintages
- Unemployment & labor force: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED (series LAUS county series). Newest observation on this page: June 2026.
- Construction projects: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project filings. This feed carries no as-of date, so none is shown.
- Population: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, via FRED (series Census county population series). No estimate published.
- County boundary map: Texas StratMap county polygons, via the Texas Open Data Portal (dataset m3yf-ffwm), simplified for display. Area figures are calculated from that polygon, not an official survey measurement.
- This page does not claim its own “last updated” date. Federal labor statistics are published weeks after the month they describe, so the date that matters is the reference month above, not when the page was rebuilt.
Hays County economy: frequently asked questions
What is the unemployment rate in Hays County?
Hays County's unemployment rate was 4.1% in June 2026, the most recent month in the data we hold for the county. That is 0.0 percentage points level with the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown metro rate of 4.1%, which describes the same month — we compare the two reference months before comparing the rates, and say nothing if they differ. Both figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics programme, retrieved through FRED, and neither is seasonally adjusted.
What is the population of Hays County?
A population figure for Hays County is not in the data this page was built from.
How large is Hays County by area?
Hays County covers approximately 680 square miles, the 4th largest by area of the five counties in the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown metro. That figure is calculated from the county's published boundary polygon (Texas StratMap county polygons, via the Texas Open Data Portal), which makes it an approximation rather than a surveyed measurement.
How current is Hays County unemployment data?
The newest observation on this page is June 2026. County unemployment comes from the BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics programme, which publishes each month several weeks after the month itself ends — so the most recent figure available is always some weeks behind today's date. We show the reference month rather than the date this page was rebuilt, because the reference month is the one that describes the county.
How large is the Hays County labor force?
Hays County's civilian labor force was 170,346 in June 2026, which is 10.9% of the Austin metro's labor force. The labor force counts everyone employed plus everyone actively looking for work. Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, via FRED.
Where does Hays County economic data come from?
Unemployment and labor-force figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics programme, retrieved through the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis's FRED service. Population estimates come from the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program, also via FRED. Construction activity comes from Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project filings, where the value shown is the cost declared on the filing rather than an appraisal. The county boundary map uses Texas StratMap county polygons from the Texas Open Data Portal. Every figure on this page names the month or period it refers to; where a period is not published, we say so instead of guessing.