Home›Property Tax›Texas›Hays County
County tax profile · 2026 · Census ACS + IRS data

Property Tax & Income in Hays County, Texas

Hays County has an effective property tax rate of 1.66%. On the median home value of $399,800, that's roughly $6,649 per year. Median household income is $89,097.

Effective Property Tax Rate1
1.66%
median tax $6,649 ÷ median home $399,800
Median Home Value1
$399,800
owner-occupied
Median Household Income1
$89,097
per-capita $44,565
Est. Annual Tax on Median Home1
$6,649
at 1.66% effective rate

What you'll pay, at a glance

Property taxes are the largest local tax most homeowners pay. The effective rate measures the real tax bill as a share of home value — a more useful number than the nominal “mill rate,” because assessment practices vary county to county.

MetricHays CountyTexas (state context)
Effective property tax rate11.66%1.18%
Median home value1$399,800—
State income tax3No state income taxNo state income tax
State sales tax38.20% combined8.20% combined

How this is calculated

The effective property tax rate is the median real-estate tax bill divided by the median home value — both for owner-occupied homes, from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-year estimates)1. Median income is also from the ACS1. Federal and state income-tax figures use IRS2 and Tax Foundation3 data.

About Hays County, TX

Buying in Hays County means weighing a median home value of $399,800 against an effective property tax rate of 1.663%, which works out to a median annual bill near $6,649. That rate sits well above Texas's statewide median of 1.183%, and the county ranks 18th of 250 statewide on this measure, so taxes take a bigger bite here than in most of Texas. Nationally, the gap is wider still, since the U.S. median effective rate is just 0.794%. Income offers some cushion: median household earnings of $89,097 and per-capita income of $44,565 help offset the higher tax load. Communities like Austin, Driftwood, and Manchaca fall within the county, and Austin is the largest of them. Anyone weighing a move here should factor the elevated rate into their budget alongside the home price itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is the property tax rate in Hays County, TX?
The effective rate is 1.66% — meaning the median tax bill equals about 1.66% of the median home value.
How much are property taxes on a median home?
On the median home ($399,800), the estimated annual bill is about $6,649.
Is Hays County's rate high or low?
Compare it to the state median of 1.18% and the national average near 1.1%.
How does the effective rate differ from my mill rate?
A mill rate is the nominal levy per $1,000 of assessed value. The effective rate reflects what you actually pay after exemptions and assessments — it's the median tax bill as a share of median home value, so it better predicts your real cost.
Will a reassessment raise my tax bill?
Not necessarily. If your home's assessed value rises, your bill can go up, but only if the mill rate and exemptions stay flat. Contact the Hays County assessor's office to review your current assessment.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment?
Yes. Most counties allow an appeal when you believe the assessed value exceeds the market value. File with the Hays County assessor within the local deadline, typically with comparable sales as evidence.
Sources
[1] U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year (2023) — Median home value (B25077), median real-estate taxes (B25103), median household income (B19013), per-capita income (B19301).
[2] IRS — Statistics of Income — County income, AGI, and real-estate taxes paid.
[3] Tax Foundation — State income, sales, corporate, and estate/inheritance tax rates.