Hayes County, Nebraska
Hayes County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 856,[1] and was estimated to be 821 in 2025.[2] The county seat is Hayes Center and the largest village is Palisade.[3]
In the Nebraska license plate system, Hayes County was represented by the prefix "79" (as it had the 79th-largest number of vehicles registered in the state when the license plate system was established in 1922).
History
[edit | edit source]Hayes County was created on February 19, 1877 and was organized in 1884.[4][5][6][7] It was named for Rutherford B. Hayes, the U.S. President at the time of the county's creation.[8]
Geography
[edit | edit source]According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 713.282 square miles (1,847.39 km2), of which 713.065 square miles (1,846.83 km2) is land and 0.217 square miles (0.56 km2) (0.03%) is water.[9] It is the 37th-largest county in Nebraska by total area.[10]
The terrain of Hayes County is hilly. The flattened hilltops are largely used for center pivot irrigation. Small creeks and streams drain the upper elevations; the largest is Red Willow Creek, which drains to Hugh Butler Lake just east of the SE corner of Hayes County, in Frontier County.[11]
Major highways
[edit | edit source]
Adjacent counties
[edit | edit source]- Frontier County – east
- Hitchcock County – south
- Dundy County – southwest
- Chase County – west
- Perkins County – northwest
- Lincoln County – north
Demographics
[edit | edit source]2020 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 856. The median age was 46.0 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 111.2 males age 18 and over.[12][13]
The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% White, 0.0% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.2% from some other race, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.4% of the population.[13]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 354 households in the county, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 14.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 442 housing units, of which 19.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.2% were owner-occupied and 30.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.9%.[12]
2000 census
[edit | edit source]As of the 2000 census, there were 1,068 people, 430 households, and 312 families in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (0.77 people/km2). There were 526 housing units at an average density of 0.7 units per square mile (0.27/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.19% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.28% Asian, 1.78% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. 2.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 430 households, out of which 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.00% were married couples living together, 2.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.
The county population contains 26.60% under the age of 18, 5.50% from 18 to 24, 21.50% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,667, and the median income for a family was $31,125. Males had a median income of $19,211 versus $16,806 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,099. About 14.60% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.20% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
[edit | edit source]Villages
[edit | edit source]- Hamlet
- Hayes Center (county seat)
- Palisade (partial)
Unincorporated community
[edit | edit source]Townships
[edit | edit source]Hayes County has not been subdivided into townships, unlike most other Nebraska counties.
Former communities
[edit | edit source]- Carrico
- Eddy
- Elmer
- Estel
- Galena
- Highland
- Hope
- Hudson
- Marengo
- Norris
- Robert
- Strickland
- Sullivan
- Thornburgh
- White
Politics
[edit | edit source]Hayes County voters have long been strongly Republican. In no national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate. In 2024, Donald Trump received 95.55% of the vote, the highest percentage ever for a Republican.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1900 | 308 | 49.20% | 284 | 45.37% | 34 | 5.43% |
| 1904 | 335 | 62.97% | 110 | 20.68% | 87 | 16.35% |
| 1908 | 359 | 52.10% | 277 | 40.20% | 53 | 7.69% |
| 1912 | 106 | 17.94% | 189 | 31.98% | 296 | 50.08% |
| 1916 | 219 | 33.33% | 382 | 58.14% | 56 | 8.52% |
| 1920 | 512 | 66.41% | 207 | 26.85% | 52 | 6.74% |
| 1924 | 475 | 42.60% | 288 | 25.83% | 352 | 31.57% |
| 1928 | 917 | 65.83% | 440 | 31.59% | 36 | 2.58% |
| 1932 | 506 | 33.55% | 962 | 63.79% | 40 | 2.65% |
| 1936 | 654 | 44.13% | 818 | 55.20% | 10 | 0.67% |
| 1940 | 759 | 55.93% | 598 | 44.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 782 | 66.89% | 387 | 33.11% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 529 | 55.86% | 418 | 44.14% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 932 | 80.90% | 220 | 19.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 726 | 70.01% | 311 | 29.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 699 | 71.33% | 281 | 28.67% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 503 | 58.15% | 362 | 41.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 496 | 71.26% | 127 | 18.25% | 73 | 10.49% |
| 1972 | 486 | 79.80% | 123 | 20.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1976 | 411 | 59.14% | 267 | 38.42% | 17 | 2.45% |
| 1980 | 617 | 84.52% | 82 | 11.23% | 31 | 4.25% |
| 1984 | 593 | 85.45% | 101 | 14.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1988 | 512 | 75.07% | 160 | 23.46% | 10 | 1.47% |
| 1992 | 362 | 55.35% | 85 | 13.00% | 207 | 31.65% |
| 1996 | 439 | 77.02% | 87 | 15.26% | 44 | 7.72% |
| 2000 | 486 | 85.11% | 66 | 11.56% | 19 | 3.33% |
| 2004 | 524 | 87.63% | 66 | 11.04% | 8 | 1.34% |
| 2008 | 461 | 83.36% | 85 | 15.37% | 7 | 1.27% |
| 2012 | 476 | 88.31% | 51 | 9.46% | 12 | 2.23% |
| 2016 | 472 | 91.83% | 30 | 5.84% | 12 | 2.33% |
| 2020 | 494 | 92.16% | 34 | 6.34% | 8 | 1.49% |
| 2024 | 472 | 95.55% | 19 | 3.85% | 3 | 0.61% |
| 2016 | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% | 1 | 33.33% |
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedQF - ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Nebraska: Individual County Chronologies". publications.newberry.org. The Newberry Library. 2008. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ Fitzpatrick, Lilian Linder (1925). Nebraska Place-Names. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Studies in Language, Literature, and Criticism. p. 72. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ↑ "Nebraska Historic Buildings Survey Reconnaissance Survey Final Report of Hayes County, Nebraska" (PDF). Nebraska State Historical Society. March 1, 1991. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2014.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
- ↑ "Hayes County". nebraskacounties.org. Nebraska Association of County Officials. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 153.
- ↑ "2025 County Gazetteer Files – Nebraska". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Hayes County, Nebraska". www.census.gov. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Hayes County, NE". Google Maps. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
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