Hays, KS

Census Place

2024 Population

21,143

US Senator

Jerry Moran

Republican Party

US Senator

Roger Marshall

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

20.1%

0.983% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$58,459

2.81% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$225,500

2.45% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

Population & Diversity

Hays, KS is home to a population of 21.1k people, from which 98% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.86% of Hays, KS residents were born outside of the country (605 people).

In 2024, there were 28.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (18.2k people) in Hays, KS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 631 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 451 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98% of Hays, KS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Hays, KS was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Hays, KS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Hays, KS

White (Non-Hispanic)
18.2k ± 324
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
631 ± 249
Other (Hispanic)
451 ± 235

7.44%

Hispanic Population

1.57k people

7.44% of the people in Hays, KS are hispanic (1.57k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Hays, KS as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Kansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
84,373 ± 7,029 people
India
14,412 ± 2,940 people
Vietnam
10,201 ± 2,475 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kansas was Mexico, the natal country of 84,373 Kansas residents, followed by India with 14,412 and Vietnam with 10,201.

Foreign-Born Population

2.86%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

605 people

3.24%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

683 people

As of 2024, 2.86% of Hays, KS residents (605 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Hays, KS was 3.24%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Hays, KS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
245 ± 123
Gulf War (1990s)
106 ± 71
Gulf War (2001-)
84 ± 81

Hays, KS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.31 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Hays, KS.

Economy

The economy of Hays, KS employs 12.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Hays, KS were Educational Services (2,196 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,020 people), and Retail Trade (1,677 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($104,722), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($65,643), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($61,432).

Employment

Occupations

12.1k

2024 Value

± 870

0.723%

1 Year growth

± 10.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Hays, KS grew at a rate of 0.723%, from 12k employees to 12.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Hays, KS, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (1,286 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,272 people), and Management Occupations (1,171 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Hays, KS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kansas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kansas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

12.1k

2024 Value

± 870

0.723%

1 Year growth

± 10.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Hays, KS grew at a rate of 0.723%, from 12k employees to 12.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Hays, KS, are Educational Services (2,196 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (2,020 people), and Retail Trade (1,677 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Hays, KS, though some of these residents may live in Hays, KS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$36,657

Median earning men ± $4,131

$30,768

Median earning women ± $2,159

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($73,347), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($61,120), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($54,375).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($55,518), Public Administration ($53,711), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($47,917).

Education

The student population of Hays, KS in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 4,724 male students and 8,237 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Hays, KS are White (1,914 and 59.5%), Unknown (922 and 28.7%), Hispanic or Latino (206 and 6.41%), and Black or African American (70 and 2.18%).

The largest universities in Hays, KS by number of degrees awarded are Fort Hays State University (3,183 and 98.2%) and Hays Academy of Hair Design (58 and 1.79%).

The most popular majors in Hays, KS are General Finance (290 and 8.95%), Liberal Arts & Sciences (191 and 5.89%), and General Education (185 and 5.71%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $4,704 for in-state students and $16,522 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Hays, KS, the percentage of applicants admitted was 90.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 41.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 12,961 (36.4% men and 63.6% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 12,961 students enrolled in Hays, KS, 36.4% men and 63.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 7,309 records, of which 66.6% were women and 33.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Finance
290 degrees awarded
Elementary Education & Teaching
145 degrees awarded
International Economics
143 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Hays, KS was General Finance with 290 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Hays, KS according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Fort Hays State University
3,183 degrees awarded
Hays Academy of Hair Design
58 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Fort Hays State University with 3,183 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,079 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Hays, KS, which is 0.499 times less than the 2,162 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 1,914 degrees mean that there were 2.08 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 922 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($4,704) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,219) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Hays, KS was $225,500 in 2024, which is 0.678 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $220,100 to $225,500, a 2.45% increase. The homeownership rate in Hays, KS is 58.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Hays, KS have an average commute time of 11.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Hays, KS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$225,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,652

$5,266

Median Property Taxes

±$541

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Hays, KS the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Hays, KS compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

58.5%

Homeownership

2024

64.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 58.5% of the housing units in Hays, KS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 58.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Hays, KS compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,459

Median Household Income

± $4,000

Number of Households

± 749

In 2024, the median household income of the 9k households in Hays, KS grew to $58,459 from the previous year's value of $56,861.

The following chart displays the households in Hays, KS distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Hays, KS is from Kansas.

0.459

2024 Wage GINI in Kansas

0.458

2023 Wage GINI in Kansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Kansas was 0.459 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.185% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Kansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kansas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kansas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77.1%)
Walked (9.94%)
Carpooled (6.66%)

In 2024, 77.1% of workers in Hays, KS drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (9.94%) and those who carpooled to work (6.66%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

11.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Hays, KS have a shorter commute time (11.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.893% of the workforce in Hays, KS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Hays, KS compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Hays, KS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Hays, KS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

20.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Hays, KS (3.97k out of 19.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Hays, KS is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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