Housing data for Hays, NC
Hays, NC has an estimated 1,053 residents and 562 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is an unincorporated community in Wilkes County.
5.5% of households rent.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 1,053 (±424)
- Housing units
- 562 (±163)
- Households that rent
- 5.5%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −17.5%
What stands out in Hays
Households that rent: 5.5% (±7.1 points) in Hays, lower than in Wilkes County (26.5%).
Housing in Hays at a glance
- Rent burden: 100.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 5.5% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $55,035 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $183,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $953 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $912 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 79.2% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 34.3% of homes were built before 1980 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 86.8% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 25.5 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −17.5% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 17.7% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Hays against Wilkes County, its state and the nation
| Hays | Wilkes County | North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,053 (±424) | 65,935 (exact) | 10,730,404 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 562 (±163) | 31,836 (±43) | 4,895,668 (±642) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 5.5% (±7.1 points) | 26.5% (±2.1 points) | 33.4% (±0.2 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $723 (±$37) | $1,228 (±$5) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $55,035 (±$28,446) | $51,721 (±$2,459) | $72,388 (±$324) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $183,800 (±$72,477) | $168,800 (±$8,937) | $288,900 (±$1,086) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $912 (±$128) | $1,002 (±$53) | $1,896 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 34.3% (±21.6 points) | 50.7% (±3.6 points) | 33.9% (±0.2 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 25.5 minutes (±4.1) | 25.9 minutes (±1.5) | 25.1 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 94.5% (±7.1 points) | 88.1% (±1.6 points) | 90.1% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 48.2 years (±21.1) | 45.7 years (±0.4) | 39.1 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Hays covers 6.2 square miles of land, about 171 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Hays has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1,277 (±267) | 1,053 (±424) | −17.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 707 (±146) | 562 (±163) | −20.5% | Not a measurable change |
| Median home value | $97,400 (±$26,044) | $183,800 (±$72,477) | +88.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $27,031 (±$11,796) | $55,035 (±$28,446) | +103.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $831 (±$272) | $953 (±$116) | +14.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $785 (±$214) | $912 (±$128) | +16.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 24.3% (±13.1 points) | 5.5% (±7.1 points) | −18.8 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±20.9 points) | 0.0% (±66.5 points) | 0.0 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 Wilkes County
Hays has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Wilkes County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Wilkes County recorded 180 violent and 917 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.
Places near Hays
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mulberry | 3.2 mi | $604 | $172,400 | 19.4% |
| Fairplains | 4.3 mi | $653 | $140,200 | 38.2% |
| North Wilkesboro | 5.3 mi | $599 | $212,700 | 48.7% |
| Cricket | 7.0 mi | $773 | $140,600 | 51.3% |
| Millers Creek | 7.8 mi | $695 | $227,200 | 26.3% |
| Wilkesboro | 8.0 mi | $764 | $223,700 | 52.0% |
| Ronda | 9.7 mi | $875 | $109,500 | 22.6% |
| Moravian Falls | 10 mi | $700 | $218,800 | 47.0% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Hays, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $864 | $875 | $1,012 | $1,357 | $1,554 |
HUD income limits for Hays, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $16,450 | $27,450 | $43,900 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $31,350 | $50,150 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $35,250 | $56,400 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $39,150 | $62,650 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $42,300 | $67,700 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $45,450 | $72,700 |
| 7 people | $48,550 | $48,550 | $77,700 |
| 8 people | $51,700 | $51,700 | $82,700 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Wilkes County, NC, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $67,400.
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 home value in Hays, NC?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $183,800 (±$72,477) for owner-occupied homes in Hays (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Hays?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Hays, NC is $953 (±$116) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Hays?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Hays, NC is $912 (±$128) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many homes are in Hays?
Hays, NC has an estimated 562 (±163) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the most common way to heat a home in Hays?
Electricity is the most common heating fuel in Hays, used by 86.8% of occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How long is the average commute in Hays?
Workers who live in Hays, NC take an average of 25.5 minutes each way (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Hays growing?
In Hays, the number of residents went from 1,277 in 2015–2019 to 1,053 in 2020–2024 (−17.5%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, North Carolina
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, North Carolina
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, North Carolina
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, North Carolina
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, North Carolina
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, North Carolina
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Hays CDP, North Carolina
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Wilkes County, NC
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Wilkes County, NC
- 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, North Carolina (place:30340, in state:37).
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 .