New U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released Thursday show Hays County was one of the fastest-growing counties with populations of 10,000 or more in the country from 2016-17. Coming in at No. 4, the county grew from a population of 157,104 to 214,485 in seven years. From 2016-17, Hays County grew from 204,365 to 214,485, a 5 percent year-over-year change. Hays County’s neighbor, Comal County, was named the second fastest-growing county in the U.S., growing from 134,142 to 141,009 residents from 2016-17. Comal and Hays counties are two of three Texas counties that made the top 10 list of fastest-growing counties in the state, with Kendall County falling in fifth place. The number of housing units in Hays County has grown from 55,188 in 2010 to an estimated 70,192 in 2016, a 78.62 percent increase. The county’s median home value in 2016 was $195,800, a $22,300 increase from 2010, when the median home price was $173,500. Meanwhile, the median household income was $60,495 in 2016, compared to $56,353 in 2010. The Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area was ninth in the fastest-growing metropolitan areas, with the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area holding the top spot for largest-gaining metropolitan area populations.