Population 1,296 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Hays
Household size in Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.09 | 2.41 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.65 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 3.40 | 2.44 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 4.29 | 2.44 | 2.65 |
| Change | +1.20 | +0.03 | −0.03 |
Hays is a place of big households: 4.29 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Since 2006–10, household size has climbed from 3.09, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
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 Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.1 | 39.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 27.0 | 40.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 28.5 | 41.5 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 33.3 | 41.5 | 40.1 |
| Change | −2.8 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 33.3, Hays is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young families with children.
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 Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 25.1% | 9.4% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 26.6% | 9.8% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 20.1% | 8.7% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 26.0% | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | −0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over a quarter of households in Hays (26.0%), well above 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 Hays
Renters in Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 59.2% | 31.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 42.8% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 42.8% | 31.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 37.5% | 30.8% | 34.8% |
| Change | −21.7 pts | −0.1 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly four in ten households in Hays rent their homes (37.5%), close to the national share of 34.8%. Renters make up a bigger share here than in Montana as a whole (30.8%). Among homeowners, 91.5% have no mortgage at all, 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 Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.7% | 13.2% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.5% | 13.9% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 17.9% | 14.1% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 15.3% | 12.2% | 9.6% |
| Change | −8.3 pts | −0.9 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Hays: 15.3% of homes are empty, 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 Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1974 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1974 | 1977 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1978 | 1978 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1982 | 1982 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +7 | +6 |
The typical home in Hays was built around 1982, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980).
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 Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $275 | $703 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $345 | $775 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $346 | $870 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $640 | $1,189 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$366 | +$487 | +$606 |
Rent in Hays runs $640 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 13.1% 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 Hays
Bachelor's degrees in Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.4% | 28.7% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.4% | 29.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 17.6% | 32.2% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 17.7% | 35.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.3 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Hays: 17.7% 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 Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 81.0% | 91.2% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 91.0% | 92.6% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.9% | 93.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 87.0% | 94.6% | 89.3% |
| Change | +5.9 pts | +3.4 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in eight adults in Hays never finished high school, a bit more than nationally: 87.0% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
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 Hays
| Period | Hays | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 17.3% | 5.7% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 21.3% | 6.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 28.8% | 4.2% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 20.7% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | +3.4 pts | −2.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Hays runs well above the national rate: 20.7% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Hays compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hays | 4.29 | 33.3 | 26.0% | 37.5% | 15.3% | 1982 | $640 | 17.7% | 87.0% | 20.7% |
| Lodge Pole | 3.39 | 32.5 | 24.6% | 37.5% | 9.0% | 1984 | $527 | 10.2% | 83.4% | 20.6% |
| Zortman | 2.13 | 48.6 | 5.5% | 7.8% | 26.4% | 1983 | $529 | 18.0% | 95.9% | 1.3% |
| Landusky | 2.27 | 46.7 | 7.7% | 11.0% | 24.3% | 1983 | $528 | 17.0% | 94.5% | 3.5% |
| Lloyd | 2.82 | 35.6 | 3.5% | 33.2% | 26.6% | 1957 | $1,034 | 32.1% | 95.5% | 0.0% |
| Regina | 2.13 | 48.6 | 5.5% | 7.8% | 26.4% | 1983 | $529 | 18.0% | 95.9% | 1.3% |
| Savoy | 3.02 | 32.3 | 27.0% | 40.7% | 19.0% | 1969 | $580 | 17.0% | 89.2% | 23.4% |
| Dodson | 2.19 | 48.2 | 5.2% | 12.7% | 29.3% | 1981 | $500 | 19.2% | 95.7% | 2.1% |
| Harlem | 3.06 | 31.8 | 28.1% | 41.1% | 18.3% | 1970 | $559 | 16.1% | 89.1% | 25.1% |
| Warrick | 2.85 | 36.2 | 8.8% | 33.1% | 23.7% | 1965 | $902 | 28.2% | 93.8% | 3.1% |
| Winifred | 2.07 | 49.8 | 4.9% | 24.8% | 24.0% | 1980 | $654 | 24.2% | 97.2% | 1.6% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Lore City, OH · Strayhorn, MS · Stratford, IA · Stoutland, MO · Stokes, MS · Stella, MO · South Cle Elum, WA · Silo, OK · Sherwood Shores, TX · Shauck, OH
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 Hays. 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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