New businesses in Hardin County, Texas
From Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, the Texas Comptroller issued 272 new sales-tax permits to business locations in Hardin County. That ranks #69 of 254 Texas counties and is 0.2% of all new permits statewide.
- New permits rose 39% compared with the 12 months before (195 then).
- The busiest month was Jul 2026 (34); the slowest was Nov 2025 (10).
- Agriculture is over-represented: 4.6x its share statewide.
- Wholesale is under-represented at 0.6x the state share, which can mean less local competition.
- 48% of new permits went to LLCs.
- The single most common new business type in Hardin County was Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (45 permits).
New permits by industry
| Industry | Permits | Share in Hardin County | Share in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 134 | 49% | 42% |
| Other services (repair, personal care) | 27 | 10% | 8% |
| Food & lodging | 27 | 10% | 14% |
| Manufacturing | 23 | 8% | 6% |
| Professional services | 12 | 4% | 5% |
| Agriculture | 8 | 3% | 1% |
| Wholesale | 8 | 3% | 5% |
| Construction | 8 | 3% | 4% |
Most common new business types
| Business type (NAICS) | Code | New permits |
|---|---|---|
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses | 454110 | 45 |
| Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores | 447110 | 15 |
| Other Direct Selling Establishments | 454390 | 14 |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 722511 | 9 |
| Used Merchandise Stores | 453310 | 7 |
| All Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers (except Tobacco Stores) | 453998 | 7 |
| Mobile Food Services | 722330 | 6 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 722513 | 6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait | 541921 | 6 |
| Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance | 811310 | 5 |
Cities and towns with the most new permits
| City (mailing address) | New permits |
|---|---|
| Lumberton | 101 |
| Silsbee | 80 |
| Kountze | 50 |
| Sour Lake | 29 |
| Batson | 4 |
| Village Mills | 2 |
| Hull | 2 |
| Kountz | 1 |
Entity types
| Entity | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| LLC | 131 | 48% |
| Sole proprietor | 120 | 44% |
| Corporation | 15 | 6% |
| Nonprofit | 3 | 1% |
| Partnership | 2 | 1% |
| Other | 1 | 0% |
Monthly new permits
| Month | New permits | |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 15 | |
| Nov 2025 | 10 | |
| Dec 2025 | 16 | |
| Jan 2026 | 19 | |
| Feb 2026 | 21 | |
| Mar 2026 | 26 | |
| Apr 2026 | 23 | |
| May 2026 | 32 | |
| Jun 2026 | 26 | |
| Jul 2026 | 34 | |
| Aug 2026 | 21 | |
| Sep 2026 | 29 |
Household income in Hardin County ZIP codes
Average adjusted gross income per tax return from IRS Statistics of Income (tax year 2022), for the ZIP codes where this county's new permits were mailed.
| ZIP | Town | Tax returns | Avg. income per return | New permits (12 mo) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77657 | Lumberton | 9,960 | $95,877 | 103 |
| 77656 | Silsbee | 7,130 | $64,673 | 81 |
| 77625 | Kountze | 4,000 | $72,839 | 55 |
| 77659 | Sour Lake | 2,410 | $97,286 | 32 |
| 77564 | Hull | 760 | $64,745 | 7 |
| 77519 | Batson | 470 | $61,664 | 4 |
| 77585 | Saratoga | 360 | $67,436 | 1 |
Get the names and addresses
The weekly paid list has every new business with its address, industry and entity type. Texas New Business Weekly · free sample.
Counties with similar volume
- Caldwell County: 290 new permits (#66)
- Cooke County: 281 new permits (#67)
- Erath County: 276 new permits (#68)
- Wood County: 271 new permits (#70)
- Rusk County: 271 new permits (#71)
- Hill County: 259 new permits (#72)
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Notes on the data
Counts are new outlet sales-tax permits issued by the Texas Comptroller from Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, from the public Active Sales Tax Permit Holders dataset. A permit can be a brand-new business, a new location of an existing one, or a re-permit. Because the source lists only permits that are still active, the prior-year count leaves out businesses that have since closed, so year-over-year growth reads somewhat high. Businesses that don't sell taxable goods or services (many professional firms) don't need a permit and aren't counted. Updated 2026-10-15.
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Data from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (public domain). Independent compilation, not affiliated with the State of Texas. Check the original source before relying on it. Not legal advice. Numbers are illustrative; your lender's statements control.