# Hays, Texas — #1,556 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 6.29 of 10. FIPS 48209. Population 280,486. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 280,500 people live in Hays, Texas. It ranks #1,556 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #178 of 254 in Texas. The combined sales tax is 6.75%, higher than in 48% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.4% of a home's value each year, more than in 90% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 55% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 55% of counties. Life expectancy is about 79.5 years, longer than in 87% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 88% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 48), and flood and hurricane risk is higher than in 89% of counties. On this site's state scores, Texas gets 8.15 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 8.15 |  |
| 2A | state | 10.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.18 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 4.72 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 8.29 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 3.86 |  |
| Property tax | county | 3.00 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 0.68 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 9.50 |  |
| Government employees | county | 5.44 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 7.53 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #359 Blanco, Texas — https://libertymoving.org/counties/48031.md
- #731 Comal, Texas — https://libertymoving.org/counties/48091.md
- #1564 Caldwell, Texas — https://libertymoving.org/counties/48055.md
- #1371 Guadalupe, Texas — https://libertymoving.org/counties/48187.md
- #1721 Travis, Texas — https://libertymoving.org/counties/48453.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/48209
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=48209
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy