Because there are quite a few people attending college in Hays, it is thought of as a college town. To the benefit of the many students in the area, Hays provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards their needs and activities.
Hays, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.
One of the benefits of Hays is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 12.39 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.
As is often the case in a small city, Hays doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
Hays is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 43.01% of adults in Hays have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.
The per capita income in Hays in 2022 was $32,508, which is middle income relative to Kansas and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $130,032 for a family of four. However, Hays contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Hays home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Hays residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Hays include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Russian.
The most common language spoken in Hays is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.
