Profile: Blanco County


Blanco County is a small, rural county in central Texas, with a population of 11,390 people and 3,020 jobs. The county has grown slower than the U.S.: the population grew 27% from 2006-2016 and job base grew 20%.

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Blanco County’s population growth is primarily due to the migration of people into the county. Deaths slightly outpaced births over the period.  Migration into the county has risen in recent years, increasing from 74 new domestic migrants in 2011 to 304 people in 2016.

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Blanco County has a relatively older population with a smaller concentration of families. According to the Census, 31% of Blanco County’s population are residents between 45 and 64 years of age (versus 27% for the U.S.) and 25% of county residents are 65 years or older (versus 15% for the U.S.). As a result, the county has lower concentrations of both children and young adults than the nation. Of the total population, 93% were born in the United States, with 7% born abroad. Of the foreign-born population, 66% are not naturalized US citizens.

Blanco County’s population is 78% White, 19% Hispanic, and 2% Two or More Races. The three largest ancestral groups are German, English, and Irish.

According to the American Community Survey, Blanco County is better educated than the U.S. at the high school level:  90% of residents in 2016 had at least a high school degree (versus 87% for the US).    29% had a Bachelor’s degree or higher (versus 30% for the US).

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Blanco County’s median household income remained above national averages from 2011 to 2015. In 2016 it dropped below the U.S. average, shrinking to 96% of the U.S. level.

The percent of overall population in poverty in Blanco County has remained below the national trends over the past five years. Between 2005 and 2015 overall population in poverty in Blanco County rose slightly from 10.1% to 10.9%. The percentage of children in poverty grew faster than the county as a whole, going from 16.4% in 2005 to 18.2% in 2015.

Blanco County’s economy has performed somewhat well over the past decade, creating new jobs every year except two. Blanco County struggled slightly with the recession, losing jobs in 2010 and 2011. The county added 106 new jobs in 2015 and 62 new jobs in 2016.

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The Blanco County unemployment rate has fallen from its decade-high of 6% in 2010 to 3.1% in 2016. The county rate has been consistently much lower than the U.S. rate.

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The largest industries in Blanco County are:


Employment in several major industries has shrunk over the past 5 years with the greatest decreases in Natural Resources & Mining and Government. Significant growth occurred in Manufacturing (+91%), and Health Services & Private Education (+40%).

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The average salary in Blanco County is 78% of the U.S. average and from 2011-2016 grew 14%, which was faster than the U.S. growth rate of 12%.

The only industries in the county with a larger average salary than the U.S. average is Government. The county’s fastest growing salaries are in Construction; Health Services & Private Education; and Trade, Transportation and Utilities.