Housing data for Hays, MT
Hays, MT has an estimated 1,009 residents and 295 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Blaine County.
50.8% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $625 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,009 (±200)
- Housing units
- 295 (±47)
- Households that rent
- 50.8%
- Median gross rent
- $625
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +8.5%
What stands out in Hays
Median home value: $59,200 (±$21,243) in Hays, lower than in Blaine County ($155,500).
Households that moved in since 2020: 5.4% (±4.5 points) in Hays, lower than in Blaine County (19.7%).
Households that rent: 50.8% (±11.8 points) in Hays, higher than in Blaine County (34.3%).
Homes built before 1980: 45.7% (±16.5 points) in Hays, lower than in Blaine County (70.8%).
Housing in Hays at a glance
- Median rent: $625 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $331 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 9.2% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 50.8% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $52,250 median household income
- Home values: $59,200 median home value
- Types of homes: 2.7% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 71.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 45.7% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 7.7% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 68.5% heat with propane
- Commute and cars: 15.7 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +8.5% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 5.4% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 16.9% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Hays against Blaine County, its state and the nation
| Hays | Blaine County | Montana | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,009 (±200) | 6,949 (exact) | 1,116,875 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 295 (±47) | 2,823 (±22) | 528,419 (±3,257) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 50.8% (±11.8 points) | 34.3% (±4.0 points) | 30.8% (±0.5 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $625 (±$135) | $660 (±$75) | $1,081 (±$14) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $52,250 (±$23,930) | $64,813 (±$5,933) | $72,509 (±$761) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $59,200 (±$21,243) | $155,500 (±$14,647) | $375,800 (±$3,433) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | — | $2,080 (±$209) | $2,693 (±$19) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 45.7% (±16.5 points) | 70.8% (±6.8 points) | 49.0% (±0.7 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 15.7 minutes (±4.1) | 15.4 minutes (±1.4) | 19.1 minutes (±0.2) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 83.1% (±8.8 points) | 83.7% (±3.5 points) | 89.4% (±0.3 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 37.3 years (±5.8) | 35.6 years (±0.8) | 40.4 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Hays covers 27.1 square miles of land, about 37 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Hays has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 930 (±130) | 1,009 (±200) | +8.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 304 (±35) | 295 (±47) | −3.0% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $429 (±$33) | $625 (±$135) | +45.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $46,700 (±$14,542) | $59,200 (±$21,243) | +26.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $31,875 (±$10,001) | $52,250 (±$23,930) | +63.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 48.3% (±9.3 points) | 50.8% (±11.8 points) | +2.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 5.3% (±5.8 points) | 7.7% (±9.2 points) | +2.4 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Blaine County
Hays has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Blaine County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Blaine County recorded 15 violent and 205 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.
ZIP codes in Hays
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59527 | 13% | 1,345 | $625 | $80,800 | $54,500 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Hays
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Belknap Agency | 29 mi | $368 | $72,700 | 46.9% |
| Dodson | 33 mi | — | $45,200 | 7.6% |
| Harlem | 36 mi | $824 | $100,800 | 37.7% |
| Malta | 44 mi | $631 | $160,800 | 38.2% |
| Winifred | 45 mi | $529 | $120,000 | 22.0% |
| Chinook | 48 mi | $763 | $214,700 | 20.3% |
| Havre | 59 mi | $844 | $211,700 | 32.5% |
| Rocky Boy West | 64 mi | $415 | $103,600 | 83.0% |
Places in Montana most like Hays
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crow Agency | $474 | $58,800 | $52,339 | 26.5% |
| Fort Belknap Agency | $368 | $72,700 | $46,071 | 46.9% |
| Jordan | $811 | $76,100 | $55,391 | 28.6% |
| Wolf Point | $734 | $118,600 | $52,868 | 47.5% |
| North Browning | $475 | $187,500 | $37,155 | 56.4% |
| Malta | $631 | $160,800 | $54,483 | 38.2% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Montana.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Hays, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $907 | $932 | $1,187 | $1,433 | $1,950 |
HUD income limits for Hays, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $19,150 | $31,850 | $51,000 |
| 2 people | $21,850 | $36,400 | $58,250 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $40,950 | $65,550 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $45,500 | $72,800 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $49,150 | $78,650 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $52,800 | $84,450 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $56,450 | $90,300 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $60,100 | $96,100 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Blaine County, MT, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $87,800.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Hays is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Hays
What is the average rent in Hays, MT?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Hays is $625 (±$135) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How many renters are there in Hays?
Hays has an estimated 132 (±39) renting households, 50.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Hays?
The median household income in Hays is $52,250 (±$23,930) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Hays, MT?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $59,200 (±$21,243) for owner-occupied homes in Hays (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Hays?
Hays, MT has an estimated 295 (±47) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common home size in Hays?
The most common size is 3 bedrooms, 54.2% of homes in Hays, MT.
Is Hays growing?
In Hays, the number of residents went from 930 in 2015–2019 to 1,009 in 2020–2024 (+8.5%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Hays?
The ZIP code that covers Hays is 59527.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 59527?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 59527 is $625 (±$135) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, Montana
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, Montana
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, Montana
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, Montana
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, Montana
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, Montana
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, Montana
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Blaine County, MT
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Blaine County, MT
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Hays CDP, Montana (place:35275, in state:30).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .