New businesses in Karnes County, Texas
From Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, the Texas Comptroller issued 68 new sales-tax permits to business locations in Karnes County. That ranks #150 of 254 Texas counties and is 0.0% of all new permits statewide.
- New permits rose 79% compared with the 12 months before (38 then).
- The busiest month was Apr 2026 (13); the slowest was May 2026 (2).
- Mining & oil/gas is over-represented: 23.2x its share statewide.
- Other services (repair, personal care) is under-represented at 0.7x the state share, which can mean less local competition.
- 51% of new permits went to LLCs.
- The single most common new business type in Karnes County was Mobile Food Services (7 permits).
New permits by industry
| Industry | Permits | Share in Karnes County | Share in Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 21 | 31% | 42% |
| Food & lodging | 15 | 22% | 14% |
| Manufacturing | 10 | 15% | 6% |
| Other services (repair, personal care) | 4 | 6% | 8% |
| Mining & oil/gas | 4 | 6% | 0% |
| Wholesale | 3 | 4% | 5% |
| Arts & recreation | 2 | 3% | 3% |
| Admin & support services | 2 | 3% | 4% |
Most common new business types
| Business type (NAICS) | Code | New permits |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Food Services | 722330 | 7 |
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses | 454110 | 4 |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 722511 | 3 |
| Support Activities for Oil and Gas Operations | 213112 | 3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores | 448150 | 3 |
| Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 333132 | 2 |
| Retail Bakeries | 311811 | 2 |
| Other Direct Selling Establishments | 454390 | 2 |
| Tobacco Stores | 453991 | 2 |
| All Other Consumer Goods Rental | 532289 | 2 |
Cities and towns with the most new permits
| City (mailing address) | New permits |
|---|---|
| Kenedy | 36 |
| Karnes City | 16 |
| Falls City | 6 |
| Runge | 3 |
| Gillett | 2 |
| Hobson | 2 |
| Nordheim | 1 |
| Kennedy | 1 |
Entity types
| Entity | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| LLC | 35 | 51% |
| Sole proprietor | 24 | 35% |
| Corporation | 6 | 9% |
| Nonprofit | 2 | 3% |
| Other | 1 | 1% |
Monthly new permits
| Month | New permits | |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 3 | |
| Nov 2025 | 4 | |
| Dec 2025 | 4 | |
| Jan 2026 | 6 | |
| Feb 2026 | 9 | |
| Mar 2026 | 5 | |
| Apr 2026 | 13 | |
| May 2026 | 2 | |
| Jun 2026 | 5 | |
| Jul 2026 | 4 | |
| Aug 2026 | 6 | |
| Sep 2026 | 7 |
Household income in Karnes 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78119 | Kennedy | 2,070 | $84,081 | 1 |
| 78118 | Karnes City | 1,890 | $154,838 | 17 |
| 78113 | Falls City | 1,190 | $144,519 | 11 |
| 78151 | Runge | 560 | $144,912 | 3 |
| 78141 | Nordheim | 300 | $99,460 | 7 |
| 78117 | Hobson | 290 | $256,552 | 2 |
| 78116 | Gillet | 150 | $444,767 | 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
- McCulloch County: 77 new permits (#147)
- Tyler County: 72 new permits (#148)
- Live Oak County: 69 new permits (#149)
- Hamilton County: 67 new permits (#151)
- Terry County: 67 new permits (#152)
- Nolan County: 67 new permits (#153)
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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.