Hays County, Texas

Hays County
County
Hays County Courthouse, built in 1908 using the eclectic style of architecture
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°04′N 98°02′W / 30.06°N 98.03°W / 30.06; -98.03
Country	United States
State	Texas
Founded	1848
Named for	John Coffee Hays
Seat	San Marcos
Largest city	San Marcos
Area
• Total	680 sq mi (1,800 km2)
• Land	678 sq mi (1,760 km2)
• Water	1.9 sq mi (5 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	241,067
• Density	350/sq mi (140/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	21st, 35th
Website	hayscountytx.com

Hays County is a county in the central portion of the U.S. state of Texas.^[1] It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its official population had reached 241,067.^[2] The county seat is San Marcos.^[3] Hays, along with Comal and Kendall Counties, was listed in 2017 as one of the nation's fastest-growing counties with a population of at least 10,000. From 2015 to 2016, Hays County, third on the national list, had nearly 10,000 new residents during the year.^[4]

The county is named for John Coffee Hays, a Texas Ranger and Mexican–American War officer who fought the Texas- Comanche wars of the 1800s.