Buda
The City of Buda is strategically located along I-35 and State Highway 45 just 15 minutes south of downtown Austin. Buda, originally known as Du Pre, was formally established in 1881 when land was donated by Cornelia Trimble for the town site next to the rail depot. In 1887, the name was changed to Buda. Most historians attribute the name to the Spanish word for widow, viuda, out of respect for the widows who served at the Carrington Hotel during the time period. The Carrington Hotel is still located in historic old town and is now home to several retail and service businesses.
Buda is the “Outdoor Capital of Texas,” with more park land per capita than any other city in the state. Buda City Park is home to several world-famous festivals and events, including the wiener dog races. Buda residents send their children to Hays Consolidated Independent School District, which provides excellent education services to students.
Buda is home to numerous growing businesses and has worked to diversify the local economy with a mix of business and industry types. US Foods, Capital City Steel, Texas Lehigh Cement Company, Comal Tackle, Night Hawk Frozen Foods, Cabela’s, CentexMaterials, Deep Eddy Vodka, and Chip Semiconductor are all proud to call Buda home. Buda is home to a highly-educated workforce and residents have an average household income of $96,314. Buda is a business-friendly city devoted to planned growth to meet the needs of residents and visitors.
BUDA | HAYS COUNTY | AUSTIN MSA | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Population 2018 | 16,449 | 222,631 | 2,168,316 | |
Population growth 2008-2018 | 150.7% | 50.8% | 32.7% | |
Land area (sq. mi.) 2018 | 5.8 | 678.0 | 4,221.6 | |
Median age 2019 | 33.7 | 32.1 | 34.3 | |
Households 2019 | 5,191 | 81,878 | 842,329 | |
Home ownership rate 2019 | 81.2% | 65.2% | 59.6% | |
Median household income 2019 | $84,084 | $65,679 | $75,946 | |
Per capita income 2019 | $34,859 | $31,058 | $38,963 | |
High school grads 2019 | 94.7% | 89.9% | 90.3% | |
College grads 2019 | 44.3% | 38.1% | 44.3% | |
Labor force 2018 | — | 114,386 | 1,197,091 | |
Unemployment rate 2018 | — | 3.0% | 2.9% | |
Public school enrollment 2018-2019 | — | 37,396 | 330,708 | |
High school graduates 2017 | — | 2,206 | 19,985 | |
Retail sales 2018 | $517 mil. | $3,937 mil. | $36,556 mil. | |
Business 2018 | Establishments | — | 4,416 | 59,844 |
Employment | — | 70,130 | 1,020,498 | |
Average salary | — | $40,394 | $62,331 | |
Mfg.business 2018 | Establishments | — | 189 | 1,773 |
Employment | — | 4,699 | 60,133 | |
Average salary | — | $57,614 | $99,563 |
Sources: Texas Comptroller for retail sales; Texas Workforce Commission for labor force, unemployment, businesses, employees, and salaries; Texas Education Agency for public school enrollment and graduates; ESRI for 2019 demographic estimates; and U.S. Census Bureau for all other data.

Contact
Buda Economic Development Corporation
Traci Anderson
Executive Director
405 E Loop St., Bldg. 100-EDC
Buda, TX 78610
Phone: 512.295.2022