Hays County (rural)

Hays County · tract 48209010919 · pop 8,879

Bucket placement

BucketRankScore (0–100)
Hispanic plants #20 94
Hispanic ministry expansion #10 97
Black plants #12 94

Demographic profile

MetricValue
Total population (2023)8,879
5-year change (2018→2023)+6,286 (242.5%)
Hispanic population5,121 (57.7%)
Hispanic +5yr+3,149 (159.8%)
Black population756 (8.5%)
Black +5yr+735 (3557.5%)
Median household income$77,952
Distance to nearest Hispanic anchor7.9 mi (Manchaca UMC (Manchaca))
Distance to nearest UMC3.4 mi

Reading the rank

Ranks #20 for Hispanic plant priority — Hays County (rural) gained 3,149 Hispanic residents over five years and sits 7.9 mi from the nearest Hispanic anchor (Manchaca UMC (Manchaca)), past the immediate halo of any existing Hispanic-led congregation. Ranks #10 for Hispanic ministry expansion — same Hispanic-growth signal as the plant bucket, but 7.9 mi from Manchaca UMC (Manchaca) means a new plant would compete with a congregation already on the ground. Expansion of the existing ministry is the higher-leverage move. Ranks #12 for Black plant priority — Hays County (rural) gained 735 Black residents over five years. Lens C uses no anchor distance for this bucket because the legacy footprint of the 11 Black UMCs (concentrated in Freedman's-era settlements) doesn't track where the Black population is growing today.

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