Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Hays County index 1978–2025
Hays County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recessionPeak before the latest year value
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Hays County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in San Marcos, Texas, covered 980 housing units (−21.5% year on year); the place lies in Hays County.
575 of those units were single-family houses (59%), 3 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 402 in buildings of five or more units. That is 12.6 units per 1,000 residents, below the county's 15.0 and well above the state's 6.1.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 22,603 units, with the busiest year 2012 (1,999 units). Hays County's FHFA house price index rose +95.4% over the ten years to 2025.
980units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−21.5% on the previous 12 months
575single-family units59% of the total
402units in 5+ unit buildings41% of the total
12.6units per 1,000 residentsHays County 15.0 · Texas 6.1
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in San Marcos by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
San Marcos
Hays County
Texas
United States
All housing units
980
4,562
194,150
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
575 (59%)
3,767 (83%)
135,575 (70%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
4
5,568
34,814
3–4 units
3
3
1,703
17,298
5 or more units
402 (41%)
788 (17%)
51,304 (26%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
12.6
15.0
6.1
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−21.5%
−5.5%
−10.8%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in San Marcos by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
22,603 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2012. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Hays County
FHFA's index for Hays County rose +95.4% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.9% a year) and −0.1% in the latest year, against +88.2% and +0.8% for Texas. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in San Marcos, TX?
980 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 1,249 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in San Marcos?
575 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 3 in three- and four-unit buildings and 402 in buildings of five or more units.
How does San Marcos compare with its county and state?
12.6 units per 1,000 residents in San Marcos, 15.0 in Hays County and 6.1 in Texas.
How have home prices moved in Hays County?
FHFA's index for Hays County rose +95.4% over the ten years to 2025 and −0.1% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 624500); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.