Official Federal Data
Hayes County, Nebraska
FIPS 31085 · Population 843
8 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$69,250 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.1% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$95M ▼
GDP
19.8% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 843 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$69,250 ▲
Per Capita
$36,428 ▲
Mean Household
$77,555 ▲
Poverty Rate
12.7% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Hayes County$69,250
Nebraska$76,475
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.5%
18-34 · 16.5%
35-54 · 18.5%
55-64 · 18%
65+ · 25.5%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
95%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.4 pts
19.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 15.9 pts
2.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 11.6 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
843
Population
421
Labor Force
Employed
421
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.1% ▲ +1.0 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 15.9 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 47 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
66
Cluster Employment
2.39x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Animal Production and Aquaculture
127.52x 42
2.39x 66
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 127.52x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$128,100 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$508 ▲
Rent/Mo
67.9% ▼
Owner-Occ
22.6% ▼
Vacancy
1.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$666/mo
1 Bedroom
$732/mo
2 Bedroom
$961/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,187/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,284/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,731/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 1.8x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- Elevated vacancy: 22.6% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,731/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
447 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.7 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
89.1%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
19.8% ▲
HS Diploma+
95% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
20,331/yr
6,113/yr
3,604/yr
3,235/yr
2,955/yr
2,601/yr
1,823/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
34%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
45.8%
Service
10.7%
Sales & Office
17.8%
Construction / Maint.
15.9%
Production / Transport
9.7%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 421 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 34% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 12,952 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 8 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Hayes County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 127.52x concentration and 42 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 34% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Hayes County, Nebraska, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Hayes County, Nebraska?
843 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Hayes County, Nebraska?
$69,250 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hayes County, Nebraska?
3.1% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Hayes County, Nebraska?
$95M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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