Hay Springs, NE Demographics

Population 1,378 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Hay Springs, NE map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Hay Springs

Household size in Hay Springs

Household size, people per household
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–102.072.522.68
2010–142.202.532.73
2015–192.212.512.71
2020–242.232.512.65
Change+0.16−0.01−0.03
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Households in Hay Springs are small: just 2.23 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has climbed from 2.07 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Hay Springs

Median age, years
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–1054.737.437.7
2010–1450.237.938.6
2015–1951.338.339.6
2020–2450.738.340.1
Change−4.0+0.9+2.3
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Hay Springs skews older: half of its residents are older than 50.7, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Hay Springs

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–105.0%10.1%12.3%
2010–145.8%10.6%12.3%
2015–197.3%10.1%11.6%
2020–245.4%10.4%11.6%
Change+0.4 pts+0.3 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 5.4% of households in Hay Springs, well below the national share of 11.6%.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Hay Springs

Renters in Hay Springs

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–1025.8%31.4%33.3%
2010–1427.5%33.5%35.6%
2015–1919.7%33.9%36.0%
2020–2418.5%33.5%34.8%
Change−7.4 pts+2.0 pts+1.5 pts
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Hay Springs is largely a place of homeowners: only 18.5% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Nearly six in ten owners (57.1%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Hay Springs

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–1016.1%10.0%11.4%
2010–1418.8%9.1%11.4%
2015–1919.5%9.4%11.1%
2020–2422.4%7.8%9.6%
Change+6.3 pts−2.2 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacant homes make up 22.4% of the housing in Hay Springs, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Hay Springs

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–10195019691974
2010–14195919701975
2015–19195019721977
2020–24195019751980
Change+0+6+6
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The housing in Hay Springs is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1950, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Hay Springs

Rent, per month
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–10$401$730$965
2010–14$554$805$1,040
2015–19$671$911$1,213
2020–24$907$1,159$1,571
Change+$506+$429+$606
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The median renter in Hay Springs pays $907 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 25.7% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Hay Springs

Bachelor's degrees in Hay Springs

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–1023.5%29.5%28.4%
2010–1426.8%30.4%29.6%
2015–1926.8%32.4%32.1%
2020–2421.0%34.9%35.6%
Change−2.5 pts+5.5 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are relatively uncommon in Hay Springs: 21.0% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Hay Springs

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–1089.3%90.3%84.9%
2010–1491.4%90.6%86.1%
2015–1992.8%91.3%87.7%
2020–2491.5%91.8%89.3%
Change+2.2 pts+1.6 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion in Hay Springs is a bit above the national rate: 91.5% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. That is in line with the rest of Nebraska.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Hay Springs

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodHay SpringsNebraskaU.S.
2006–104.4%5.1%8.1%
2010–140.6%5.5%9.4%
2015–190.8%3.4%5.6%
2020–240.6%3.1%5.4%
Change−3.9 pts−2.1 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Hay Springs has been low: just 0.6% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Hay Springs compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Hay Springs2.2350.75.4%18.5%22.4%1950$90721.0%91.5%0.6%
Rushville2.2544.310.6%32.6%24.7%1953$89326.9%87.1%4.9%
Whiteclay2.2950.22.1%21.9%28.9%1956$99425.6%90.0%0.2%
Chadron2.1436.013.8%44.2%12.9%1962$94439.8%95.7%2.0%
Clinton2.3349.82.2%22.5%29.8%1954$98325.3%89.2%0.0%
Gordon2.3743.87.8%27.7%17.0%1947$71925.1%92.5%1.8%
Pine Ridge4.5429.054.7%32.4%13.8%1987$74612.8%86.6%14.3%
Hemingford2.7738.52.9%19.2%19.4%1961$92324.4%98.4%1.0%
Whitney2.0752.01.1%18.5%14.9%1976$99029.0%99.8%1.7%
Loomer3.1941.829.3%25.3%17.6%1974$85326.5%92.7%7.3%
Berea2.6046.113.4%30.9%21.5%1957$98021.8%96.4%0.2%

All figures 2020–24.

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About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Hay Springs. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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