This article is part of an ongoing, county-by-county, industry overview of the Rural Capital Area. This article covers establishments, employment, and earnings in Hays County.
Establishments
As of 2023, Hays County has an estimated population of 269,000. The County seat is San Marcos and in 2017, it was listed as one of the fastest growing counties nationwide with a population of at least 10,000 people. Like many areas, the largest industry in Hays County by number of establishments is Restaurants and Other Eating Places (369 establishments) followed by Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (31 establishments).
Figure 1: Number of Establishments in Hays County, 2021 to 2023
Source: Data Tactical Group, DTG 2024.Q2
Of the industries with the most establishments, Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers saw the most growth in Hays County, growing 32% from 2021 to 2023. Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services also saw significant growth in the same period, increasing 20.5%. The industries with the most establishments all grew between 2021 and 2023.
Figure 2: Percent Change in Top Establishments, Hay County (Random Order), 2021 to 2023
Source: Data Tactical Group, DTG 2024.Q2
Employment
Restaurants and Other Eating Places are also the largest industry group by number of employees in Hays County. Warehouse and Storage are the second-largest industry by number of employees. All of the top three industries by employment in Hays have seen increases in employment since 2021.
Figure 3: Number of Employees by Industry, Hays County, 2021 to 2023
Source: Data Tactical Group, DTG 2024.Q2
By growth in employment, Building Foundation and Exterior Contractors saw some of the greatest changes from 2021 to 2023. Warehousing and Storage also saw substantial growth in employment from 2021 to 2023 while Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction have had a major decline in employment.
Figure 4: Growth in Employment, Hays County, 2021 to 2023
Source: Data Tactical Group, DTG 2024.Q2
Employment in Building Foundation and Exterior Contractors and Warehousing and Storage saw significant growth in Hays County. This is aligns with trends in those industries seen in the state and nation as a whole. Grocery and Convenience Retailers has seen a significant increase in employment overall. However, its employment increase is substantially greater in Hays County than its growth in the state and nation.
Figure 5: Decline in Employment, Hays County, 2021 to 2023
Source: Data Tactical Group, DTG 2024.Q2
Earnings
Warehousing and Storage tops the list in Hays County as the industry with the most earnings ($60.8 million). Restaurants and Other Eating Places appear in the second position ($54.4 million).
Figure 6: Earnings, Hays County, 2021 to 2023
Source: Data Tactical Group, DTG 2024.Q2
One way to visualize industry earnings in Hays County is imagining all earnings from all industries as a hundred dollars. Of that hundred dollars, the top three industries comprise $36. The top eight industries produce about $76 altogether. The remaining $24 is produced by all other industries, meaning that earnings in Hays County are spread across a wide range of industries.
Figure 7: Earnings Visualized, Hays County, 2023
Source: Data Tactical Group, DTG 2024.Q2