Hays, KS housing market
The typical Hays home is worth about $257,000, up 3.5% in a year, close to the Kansas typical home. Homes typically sell in 84 days.
Home values, sales, trends and how Hays compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
Hays at a glance
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2.9 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Typical home value, 2016–2026
Show as a table
| January | Hays | Kansas |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $172,000 | $138,000 |
| 2018 | $169,000 | $144,000 |
| 2019 | $171,000 | $151,000 |
| 2020 | $179,000 | $160,000 |
| 2021 | $190,000 | $176,000 |
| 2022 | $209,000 | $198,000 |
| 2023 | $221,000 | $216,000 |
| 2024 | $225,000 | $225,000 |
| 2025 | $239,000 | $240,000 |
| 2026 | $255,000 | $246,000 |
| August 2026 | $257,000 | $250,000 |
83 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 83 new homes in Hays in 2025: 27 single-family houses and 56 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $18.5 million to build. That's 3.9 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Kansas as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Hays has permitted 509 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Hays gained 606 residents while 540 new homes were permitted: about 1.1 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Kansas: 1.1 new residents per new home.
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 16 | 12 | 4 | $4.9 million |
| 2025 | 83 | 27 | 56 | $18.5 million |
| 2024 | 21 | 15 | 6 | $6.6 million |
| 2023 | 71 | 33 | 38 | $14.8 million |
| 2022 | 43 | 41 | 2 | $11.3 million |
| 2021 | 79 | 37 | 42 | $22.3 million |
| 2020 | 40 | 32 | 8 | $9.2 million |
| 2019 | 37 | 19 | 18 | $7.7 million |
| 2018 | 23 | 21 | 2 | $5.4 million |
| 2017 | 51 | 22 | 29 | $9.2 million |
| 2016 | 61 | 37 | 24 | $12.5 million |
| 2015 | 50 | 30 | 20 | $10.4 million |
| 2014 | 66 | 42 | 24 | $13.5 million |
| 2013 | 74 | 40 | 34 | $15.7 million |
| 2012 | 52 | 28 | 24 | $10 million |
| 2011 | 82 | 25 | 57 | $13.1 million |
| 2010 | 44 | 18 | 26 | $7.9 million |
| 2009 | 49 | 35 | 14 | $8.8 million |
| 2008 | 48 | 24 | 24 | $8.2 million |
| 2007 | 54 | 40 | 14 | $9.9 million |
| 2006 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $4 million |
| 2005 | 28 | 20 | 8 | $4.3 million |
| 2004 | 33 | 23 | 10 | $4.4 million |
| 2003 | 111 | 62 | 49 | $8.3 million |
| 2002 | 100 | 58 | 42 | $7.6 million |
| 2001 | 54 | 42 | 12 | $4.8 million |
| 2000 | 23 | 21 | 2 | $2.3 million |
How Hays ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, through August 2026.
Hays and its neighbors
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hays | $257K | +3.5% | $940 | 83 | $58,459 |
| Big Creek | — | +5.3%† | $940 | — | $90,333 |
† FHFA price index change, where Zillow has no home value for the town.
4.4 years of income
The typical Hays home costs about 4.4 years of the town's median household income, more than across Kansas (3.4 years).
How Hays ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $940
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Hays is $940 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in Hays pay a median of $922. A two-bedroom takes about 19% of the town's median household income.
Studio $650 · 4 bedrooms $1,580
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (67601; Ellis County, KS), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers.