Hays leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Hays typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Hays, ~32% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Hays compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Hays leans more Republican than 18 of 42 neighbors.
Politically, Hays sits close to the rest of Texas.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Hays. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the south side runs the most Republican (R+28), a spread of about 29 points.
Why Hays leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Hays, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Hays votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 25%, modestly below the Texas average of 35%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 77% of households in Hays are family households, above 83% of cities.
High-school completion and voter turnout
Places with high-school-completion-heavy adults tend to turn out at a higher rate; Hays, TX sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Hays looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 97% of adults in Hays have completed high school, about 11 points above the Texas average of 86%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- San Marcos, TX D+20
- Redwood, TX R+8
- Reedville, TX R+9
- Martindale, TX R+25
- Maxwell, TX R+13
- Kyle, TX D+7
- Wimberley, TX R+30
- Staples, TX R+41
- Sattler, TX R+58
- Zorn, TX R+41
Cities with Similar Populations
- Kulpmont, PA R+34
- French Lick, IN R+47
- New York Mills, NY R+17
- Ravensdale, WA R+8
- Rollinsford, NH D+4
- Millbury, OH R+27
- South Whitley, IN R+56
- Veedersburg, IN R+60
- Huddleston, VA R+41
- Cologne, MN R+33
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.