Living in Niederwald, Texas: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.9% below the U.S. average in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area.
More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Niederwald to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Niederwald itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town2 public schools. No public high school in town: the nearest is Lehman H S, about 4 miles away.
A hospital close byAscension Seton Hays in Kyle, about 5 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityAustin is about 21 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Niederwald meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Boom town. The population is up 73% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $286,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Down 5.1%Hays County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,716 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes built before 1940: 4%U.S.: 12%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 98.1U.S. average = 100 (the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved down 5.1% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area, not Niederwald alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,1682020: 674
Median age: 36.2 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 8%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 24%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 20%U.S.: 36%
College students: 12%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Retail (14%); construction (14%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 6%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Ascension Seton Hays, Kyle, TX, about 5 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Niederwald, run by Hays Cisd. The nearest public high school is Lehman H S, about 4 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Texas's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 98%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 39°F
July average high: 96°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 117 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 20 a year
Rain and melted snow: 34.1 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 562 feet

Weather stations: San Marcos (13 miles away) and Lockhart 2SW (11 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Ascension Seton HaysEmergency room5

Kyle, TXCity of 70,0006

Austin, TXMetro of 2.6 million21

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Ascension Seton Hays, Kyle, Austin.

Hays County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park43 miles
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park60 miles

Read about Niederwald's history on Wikipedia.

Know Niederwald?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Uhland, TX2,000 people, 2 miles
Mustang Ridge, TX1,000 people, 6 miles
Buda, TX16,200 people, 7 miles
Lockhart, TX18,200 people, 10 miles
Martindale, TX1,300 people, 11 miles
Shady Hollow, TX5,700 people, 13 miles

Smaller places

Creedmoor, TX402 people, 6 miles
Mountain City, TX675 people, 8 miles
Manchaca, TX (unincorporated)2,171 people, 10 miles
Hays, TX271 people, 11 miles
San Leanna, TX530 people, 11 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.