Hayes County, Nebraska

Hayes County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 856, and was estimated to be 821 in 2025.

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

Hayes County was created on February 19, 1877 and was organized in 1884. It was named for Rutherford B. Hayes, the U.S. President at the time of the county's creation.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.03%) is water. It is the 37th-largest county in Nebraska by total area.

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.

Major highways

20px U.S. Highway 6
20px Nebraska Highway 25
20px Nebraska Highway 25A

Adjacent counties

Frontier County – east
Hitchcock County – south
Dundy County – southwest
Chase County – west
Perkins County – northwest
Lincoln County – north

Demographics

2020 census

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.

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.

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.