Hays County leads the way among local rural counties when it comes to home permits.
According to the Rural Capital Headlight newsletter, which covers Bastrop, Blanco, Curnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano and Williamson Counties, the entire area grew by 19.1 percent in 2017 in the number of single-family permits.
Hays Co. By The Numbers
3,493
Single-family permits in Hays County in 2017
$66,500
Median household income in Hays County in 2017
59.4
Percent increase in Hays County population, 2007 to 2017
Overall, the area had 10,827 single-family permits, with Hays County with the largest percentage increase of 43.1 percent. While Williamson County had the largest number of permits (6,044), its percentage increase was only 11.6.
Hays County had 3,493 single-family permits in 2017.
In addition, the median household income rose 22 percent in 10 years, far exceeding the U.S. growth.
The median household income in the Rural Capital Area is $73,000, having increased by $13,000 over 10 years.
The highest median household income in the region in 2017 was in Williamson County at $82,100, followed by Hays at $66,500 and Bastrop at $63,000.
Llano County had the lowest median household income ($51,000), and Caldwell County had the slowest growth rate at 18 percent.
One of the driving forces in home growth and income growth is driven by population increase for ages 25-44.
In the Rural Capital Area, the population aged 25-44 has risen by 32.5 percent to 280,984 in 2017.
That’s an increase of 68,914 from 2007 to 2017.
But Hays County has led that growth in percentages, with an increase of 59.4 percent in ten years up to 59,711 in 2017.
Williamson County, with its larger overall population, grew in the 25-44 age group to 165,120, a 35.6 percent increase.
