City · Hays County, Texas

Buda, Texas

Buda is a city in Hays County, Texas, part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area. It has 15,859 residents. Buda, Texas has a quality-of-life score of 63 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,774 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Texas it ranks #73 of 1,016 cities and towns. It ranks best on broadband subscriptions (high), rent as share of income (low) and injury deaths (low). It ranks worst on public libraries (low), hot days (high) and drought exposure (high).

63High

Quality-of-life score: #5,774 of 15,651 cities and towns
Texas: #73 of 1,016 in TX
Population: 15,859 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 1,622.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 4811080

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety63#5,793/15,637
Economy87#2,034/15,631
Housing77#3,509/14,977
Health85#2,351/15,609
Healthcare60#6,250/15,650
Environment23#11,841/15,453
Education46#8,464/15,649
Infrastructure79#3,235/15,650
Community18#12,831/15,651
Leisure & amenities32#10,617/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Buda, Texas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hays County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Broadband subscriptions · high98.7%
97/100Texas 91.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Rent as share of income · low23.4%
94/100Texas 30.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Injury deaths · low54 /100k
93/100Texas 69 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHays County value
Job growth · high2.4%
91/100Texas 0.6%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataHays County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100Texas 14.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHays County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Texas 5.5United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHays County value

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
3/100Texas 0.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHays County value
Hot days · high114 days
6/100Texas 111 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationHays County value
Drought exposure · high91%
6/100Texas 57%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAHays County value
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
7/100Texas 1.1 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHays County value
Social associations · low5.8 /10k
10/100Texas 7.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHays County value
High school diploma or higher · low95.5%
14/100Texas 86.0%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
39.3% (2015-2019) → 27.4% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$89,688 (2015-2019) → $123,766 (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
91.4% (2015-2019) → 98.7% (2020-2024)
+7.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.9× (2015-2019) → 3.6× (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
New homes permittedWorsening
12.8 /1k (2021) → 10.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−20%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
9.3% (2015-2019) → 5.8% (2020-2024)
−3.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Buda, Texas improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+38%$89,688 → $123,766
Broadband+7.3 points91.4% → 98.7%

Declined1

Price / income+0.7×2.9× → 3.6×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Buda, Texas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	35.0 min2015-2019	29.0 min2020-2024	−6.0 min	Within the margin of error	93%
Bachelor's degree or higher	49.3%2015-2019	50.1%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Broadband subscriptions	91.4%2015-2019	98.7%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Improved	45%
Effective property tax rate	2.14%2015-2019	1.65%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	90%
High school diploma or higher	98.3%2015-2019	95.5%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	34%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3222015-2019	0.3502020-2024	+0.028	Within the margin of error	28%
Median household income	$89,6882015-2019	$123,7662020-2024	+38%	Improved	71%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.4%2015-2019	23.4%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Rent-burdened households	39.3%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.3%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	79%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Buda, Texas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Buda, Texas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Buda, Texas itself moved +2.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

15,859 residents (±32)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

6,058 households (±320)

Buda, Texas
Texas share

Under $25k6.4%†389
$25k–50k8.2%†494
$50k–75k13%

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

6,058 households (±320)

Buda, Texas
Texas share

Own77%4,640
Rent23%1,418

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

8,861 workers (±790)

Buda, Texas
Texas share

Drive alone74%6,552
Carpool4.1%†363
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Hays County, the county holding most of Buda's residents.

Hays County has 5,891 employer establishments, 209 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Texas's), with 76,995 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,511. The Census Bureau also counts 27,784 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 5,891; 27,784 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 209; US 248 · Texas 218
Paid employees: 76,995
Average annual pay: $46,511; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Hays County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	484	17.2	1.11×About typical	4,852	$66,396	2,374
Ambulatory health care services	414	14.7	0.70×Fewer than typical	3,828	$72,644	1,099
Restaurants and other eating places	414	14.7	0.80×Fewer than typical	10,609	$22,962	129
Lessors of real estate	381	13.5	1.10×About typical	1,192	$47,999	2,467
Construction of buildings	225	8	1.06×About typical	1,042	$80,128	989
Management, scientific and technical consulting	216	7.7	1.14×About typical	641	$76,019	1,461
Building equipment contractors	202	7.2	1.19×About typical	1,368	$62,477	498
Limited-service restaurants	198	7	0.88×About typical	5,211	$20,962	40
Clothing and accessories stores	176	6.2	1.72×More than typical	3,131	$21,318	279
Real estate agents and brokers	166	5.9	1.21×About typical	234	$54,957	972
Services to buildings and dwellings	154	5.5	0.81×About typical	2,018	$42,081	1,472
Full-service restaurants	145	5.1	0.67×Fewer than typical	4,615	$25,326	61

Rank places for an industry Open Hays County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 281,883 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $463.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Buda, Texas: $29.24 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $463.8K; +394% vs FY2025
Per resident: $29.24; US $1,994
Sole-source: 24%; US 30%
Single offer: 4.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Office of the Secretary$334.2K72%
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Acquisition and Property Management Division$60.4K13%
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement$30.2K6.5%
Department of the Navy$14.3K3.1%
U.S. Secret Service$13.4K2.9%
U.S. Marshals Service$4,8521.0%
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$3,7650.8%
Office of the Inspector General$2,1470.5%

Top recipients

IMPRES TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INC$334.2K72%
WHOOSTER INC$115.3K25%
SANTANA SOLUTIONS & INNOVATIONS LLC$14.3K3.1%

Spending by fiscal year

3.9KFY2017
-52.5KFY2018
48.4KFY2019
24.5KFY2020
79.4KFY2021
76KFY2022
88.7KFY2023
115.1KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$352.5K76%
Investigation and security services · 5616$91.1K20%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$14.3K3.1%
Software publishers · 5132$5,9121.3%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Buda, Texas, so they do not add up across cities.

Buda, Texas's figures are part of those of Hays County, TX ($74.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.6% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Buda is mostly in Hays County.

See federal money in Hays County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Buda, Texas is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Hays County62100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX68

Other cities and towns in Hays County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4811080

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends