Jobs, pay and daily life in San Marcos, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
San Marcos is a city in Texas with 70,897 residents. The median household earns $51,281 a year and the median rent is $1,322 a month, which is 30.9% of the median household income. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metropolitan area, where BLS counts 1,293,690 jobs.
How San Marcos compares. Among the 120 largest places in Texas, San Marcos is #59 by population, #120 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #115 for household income (#1 = highest), #45 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Hays County, is #124 of 254 counties for average pay ($54,838).
San Marcos has 70,897 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of Texas. It covers 40 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 1,776 people per square mile. The median age is 25.5, 28% younger than the state median (25.5 against 35.6).
The median gross rent is $1,322 a month (rent plus utilities), 6% below the state median ($1,322 against $1,403). Over a year that is 30.9% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so rent here is above that line for the typical household. The median home value is $310,400, which is 6.1 times the median household income ($51,281); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 30.8% of households own their home, 51% below the state average (30.8% against 62.6%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metropolitan area has 1,293,690 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $56,950 a year, 12% above the national median ($56,950 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (159,340 jobs, median $47,770); management (133,950 jobs, median $129,060); food preparation and serving related (120,570 jobs, median $33,280). The area is most specialised in computer and mathematical (1.9 times) and architecture and engineering (1.5 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($129,060) and computer and mathematical ($114,350). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Hays County was 3.7%. 66.9% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Hays County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 68.4% drive alone, 1.3% use public transit, 4.5% walk, 11.1% work from home. 16.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 4% below the state average (16.2% against 16.9%).
38.3% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 13% above the state share (38.3% against 33.8%). 9.1% of residents were born outside the United States, 48% below the state share (9.1% against 17.6%). The poverty rate is 26.9%, 95% above the state rate (26.9% against 13.8%).
The warmest month is Aug, averaging 85°F (29.6°C), and the coolest is Jan at 49°F (9.5°C). About 834 mm (33 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (111 mm) and Feb the driest (38 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Kyle (9 miles, rent 33% higher); New Braunfels (16 miles, rent 25% higher); Canyon Lake (19 miles, similar rent); Seguin (20 miles, rent 10% lower). Rent differences are against San Marcos; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Texas (1,541) →State guide: TexasCountry guideHays CountyTexas rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,541 federal postings open in Texas (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 42,190 | 1.45 | $117,850 | $48,890 | $296,440 | +11% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 35,000 | 1.09 | $29,310 | $22,480 | $36,880 | -6% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 32,690 | 1.51 | $43,720 | $30,520 | $61,610 | -2% |
| Software Developers | 31,960 | 2.28 | $134,120 | $96,110 | $209,890 | -1% |
| Retail Salespersons | 29,660 | 0.91 | $33,860 | $25,380 | $46,100 | -4% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 27,430 | 1.16 | $37,720 | $30,090 | $47,280 | +1% |
| Cashiers | 20,490 | 0.80 | $33,940 | $24,640 | $43,480 | +3% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 19,170 | 1.01 | $27,260 | $18,100 | $57,750 | -23% |
| Registered Nurses | 18,920 | 0.67 | $97,890 | $73,440 | $127,510 | +0% |
| Project Management Specialists | 17,470 | 1.97 | $102,390 | $63,300 | $169,050 | +0% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 17,400 | 1.46 | $76,240 | $48,090 | $111,490 | +10% |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 16,700 | 1.60 | $62,900 | $36,010 | $134,830 | -10% |
| Office Clerks, General | 16,400 | 0.80 | $44,870 | $28,140 | $63,300 | -0% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 15,470 | 0.84 | $36,930 | $25,970 | $48,250 | +0% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 13,900 | 0.57 | $38,530 | $30,040 | $51,030 | -4% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 13,870 | 0.98 | $48,470 | $32,930 | $64,650 | +2% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 13,000 | 1.11 | $36,810 | $27,540 | $44,490 | -2% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 12,490 | 0.35 | $28,370 | $22,880 | $36,910 | -21% |
| Accountants and Auditors | 12,480 | 1.03 | $83,120 | $57,660 | $130,130 | -1% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 12,430 | 0.98 | $48,730 | $35,290 | $74,380 | -2% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | 950 | 0.56 | $288,150 | $126,800 | $647,020 | +35% |
| Physicians, All Other | 1,550 | 0.54 | $276,600 | $118,520 | $483,640 | +4% |
| Dentists, General | 820 | 0.79 | $188,190 | $129,650 | $337,660 | +10% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 11,050 | 1.98 | $176,990 | $115,580 | $291,790 | +1% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 3,130 | 1.71 | $176,540 | $123,440 | $288,330 | +3% |
| Financial Managers | 7,210 | 1.03 | $167,180 | $100,630 | $318,720 | +0% |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 3,850 | 6.03 | $165,530 | $103,080 | $254,180 | +2% |
| Marketing Managers | 7,170 | 2.18 | $164,920 | $92,150 | $274,700 | -1% |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 1,960 | 2.43 | $162,960 | $95,330 | $210,740 | +25% |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 710 | 3.53 | $153,990 | $137,410 | $167,990 | +0% |
| Lawyers | 7,540 | 1.20 | $153,330 | $83,990 | $361,090 | -4% |
| Sales Managers | 9,880 | 1.86 | $151,760 | $74,990 | $290,670 | +2% |
| Pharmacists | 1,800 | 0.67 | $151,290 | $90,810 | $172,490 | +7% |
| Electrical Engineers | 4,070 | 2.46 | $145,360 | $81,960 | $212,900 | +21% |
| Purchasing Managers | 930 | 1.32 | $140,820 | $95,020 | $225,340 | -5% |
| Human Resources Managers | 2,730 | 1.49 | $140,670 | $85,840 | $254,960 | -6% |
| Database Architects | 1,110 | 1.98 | $139,960 | $100,690 | $214,250 | +0% |
| Sales Engineers | 1,230 | 2.86 | $137,960 | $78,550 | $216,770 | +10% |
| Physician Assistants | 680 | 0.50 | $134,550 | $111,830 | $170,450 | -1% |
| Software Developers | 31,960 | 2.28 | $134,120 | $96,110 | $209,890 | -1% |
These figures are for the whole Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $56,950 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.7% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 24.3% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 18.9% |
| Retail trade | 14.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 10.0% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 7.3% |
| Construction | 5.3% |
| Manufacturing | 4.6% |
| Other services | 4.4% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.7% |
| Public administration | 3.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.8% |
| Information | 1.2% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.6% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county (the first of several) where San Marcos lies and cover the whole county, not only the city. The city also extends into Caldwell County, Guadalupe County.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hays County | 268,638 | $15,303 million | $56,967 | 95,598 | 6,330 | $54,838 | +5.5% | 3.7% | 170,553 |
| Caldwell County | 48,669 | $1,559 million | $32,033 | 10,350 | 887 | $52,985 | +3.1% | 3.9% | 26,492 |
| Guadalupe County | 183,642 | $14,546 million | $79,208 | 48,527 | 2,729 | $59,236 | +2.4% | 4.1% | 97,656 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 14,142 | 17.7% | $36,182 | 1.48 |
| Accommodation and food services | 12,387 | 15.5% | $24,576 | 1.43 |
| Health care and social assistance | 8,648 | 10.8% | $51,776 | 0.63 |
| Construction | 7,515 | 9.4% | $73,565 | 1.50 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 7,396 | 9.3% | $50,330 | 1.83 |
| Manufacturing | 5,585 | 7.0% | $74,801 | 0.71 |
| Administrative and waste services | 4,321 | 5.4% | $56,700 | 0.77 |
| Professional and technical services | 3,929 | 4.9% | $92,486 | 0.59 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,446 | 4.3% | $46,104 | 1.20 |
| Educational services | 2,890 | 3.6% | $48,594 | 1.46 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,660 | 3.3% | $104,386 | 0.71 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,925 | 2.4% | $58,465 | 1.30 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,457 | 1.8% | $82,963 | 0.38 |
| Management of companies | 1,186 | 1.5% | $88,169 | 0.74 |
| Information | 982 | 1.2% | $77,253 | 0.55 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 771 | 1.0% | $29,469 | 0.48 |
| Utilities | 232 | 0.3% | $109,243 | 0.64 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 192 | 0.2% | $50,495 | 0.25 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 47 | 0.1% | $83,065 | 0.13 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 68.4% |
| Public transit | 1.3% |
| Walk | 4.5% |
| Work from home | 11.1% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 16.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,281 |
| Income per person | $27,545 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,322 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 30.9% |
| Median home value | $310,400 |
| Homeowners | 30.8% |
| Poverty rate | 26.9% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 98.1 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $56,950 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 25.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 90.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 38.3% |
| Born abroad | 9.1% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 66.9% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.5 | 49 | 54 |
| Feb | 11.7 | 53 | 38 |
| Mar | 16.1 | 61 | 71 |
| Apr | 20.4 | 69 | 69 |
| May | 24.3 | 76 | 111 |
| Jun | 27.9 | 82 | 75 |
| Jul | 28.9 | 84 | 66 |
| Aug | 29.6 | 85 | 70 |
| Sep | 25.8 | 78 | 90 |
| Oct | 20.8 | 69 | 91 |
| Nov | 15.2 | 59 | 53 |
| Dec | 10.5 | 51 | 46 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle | TX | 9 mi | 56,823 | $90,323 | $1,752 |
| New Braunfels | TX | 16 mi | 104,643 | $86,021 | $1,654 |
| Canyon Lake | TX | 19 mi | 33,883 | $97,301 | $1,327 |
| Seguin | TX | 20 mi | 33,754 | $64,861 | $1,187 |
| Cibolo | TX | 27 mi | 35,109 | $122,365 | $2,112 |
| Schertz | TX | 29 mi | 44,050 | $99,948 | $1,659 |
| Austin | TX | 31 mi | 979,539 | $93,658 | $1,729 |
| Timberwood Park | TX | 35 mi | 35,413 | $157,100 | $1,998 |
| Pflugerville | TX | 44 mi | 65,971 | $117,799 | $1,932 |
| Cedar Park | TX | 45 mi | 78,301 | $129,545 | $1,846 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
70,897 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,322 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 30.9% of the median household income.
$51,281 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.7% (BLS county, Hays County (latest month 2026M09)).
Texas. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.