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Hays

North CarolinaCDP

Photograph of Hays
Featured view

Hays

Total population

1,053

Median home value

$183,800

16.9%

Bachelor's+

Median income

$55,035

Hays$55k
National$74k

Air quality index

52Moderate
Elevation411 m
Land area15.95 km²
Weather47°F · Rain Showers Likely
Coordinates36.25°, -81.11°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Elevation
411 m
Area
15.95 km²

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Hays is a census-designated place (CDP) in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,595 at the 2020 census. North Wilkes High School, one of Wilkes County's four public high schools, is located in Hays.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Demographics & economy

Median age
48.2
Median home value
$183,800
Housing units
562
Poverty rate
4.9%
Unemployment
0%

Race & ethnicity

White
83.2%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
16.7%

Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

Geography

Latitude
36.2469
Longitude
-81.1142
Water area
—
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Current forecast

Tonight
47°F
Rain Showers Likely
Saturday
56°F
Rain Showers then Mostly Sunny
Saturday Night
36°F
Clear
Sunday
59°F
Patchy Frost then Sunny
Sunday Night
37°F
Mostly Clear
Monday
63°F
Sunny

Forecast for Hays, NC from NOAA NWS API.

Air quality

US AQI — Moderate
52
PM2.5 (µg/m³)
11.7
PM10 (µg/m³)
12
Ozone (µg/m³)
94
NO₂ (µg/m³)
6.1

Current readings from Open-Meteo Air Quality API (Copernicus CAMS European reanalysis).

Industrial & pollution facilities

Natural hazard risk

Health (adults)

High blood pressure
31.5%
Diabetes
8.9%
Adult obesity
35.1%
Binge drinking
18.3%
Adult smoking
15.5%
No leisure activity
21.9%

Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Observations (last 5 yrs, 10 mi)
53,839
Distinct species (top 10)
10

Most-observed species

  • Northern Cardinal
    Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    1,991
  • American Crow
    Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
    1,755
  • Carolina Wren
    Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
    1,736
  • Tufted Titmouse
    Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
    1,521
  • Carolina Chickadee
    Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
    1,508
  • Eastern Bluebird
    Sialia sialis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    1,320
  • Blue Jay
    Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    1,314
  • Mourning Dove
    Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    1,284

Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Schools

Total
13
Elementary
8
Middle
2
High
3
Other
0

Largest nearby schools

  • Millers Creek Elementary School
    Elementary · Millers Creek · 734 students · 15.3:1 ratio
  • West Wilkes High School
    High · Millers Creek · 628 students · 16.1:1 ratio
  • North Wilkes High School
    High · Hays · 625 students · 16:1 ratio
  • Mountain View Elementary School
    Elementary · Hays · 484 students · 16.1:1 ratio
  • West Wilkes Middle School
    Middle · Wilkesboro · 468 students · 16.7:1 ratio
  • Mulberry Elementary School
    Elementary · North Wilkesboro · 420 students · 14:1 ratio
  • North Wilkes Middle School
    Middle · North Wilkesboro · 409 students · 15.7:1 ratio
  • Wilkesboro Elementary School
    Elementary · Wilkesboro · 370 students · 16.8:1 ratio

Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).

Earthquake history

Quakes ≥ 2.5 (25 yrs, 62 mi)
20
Largest magnitude
5.1
Largest event
2020-08-09

Most recent

Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
American actor and comedian (born 1969)
Robert Byrd
Robert Byrd
American politician (1917–2010)
Oliver
Oliver
American singer (1945–2000)
Waylon Reavis
Waylon Reavis
American vocalist
Benny Parsons
Benny Parsons
American racecar driver and journalist (1941–2007)
A
Allen Ferdinand Owen
American politician (1816–1865)
D
Dean Combs
American stock car racing driver
George Allen Gilreath
George Allen Gilreath
Confederate Army officer
Tom Dula
Tom Dula
Confederate Army soldier (1846-1868)
J
Jimmy Pardue
American racing driver (1930-1964)
Shirrel Rhoades
Shirrel Rhoades
publisher
William Couch
William Couch
First mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (1850–1890)
J
James Larkin Pearson
American poet, newspaper publisher
J
John Patton Erwin
American politician (1795-1857)
Harry Pearson
Harry Pearson
American critic
S
Shirley B. Randleman
American politician

People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.

Nearby places in North Carolina

Browse all places in North Carolina →

Geography & sun

Elevation
1,391 ft (424 m)
Avg solar (kWh/m²/day)
4.23
Annual solar (kWh/m²)
1,544

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Nearby airports

Public attention

Wikipedia views (last 30 days)
296
Avg daily Wikipedia views
10
Attention level
Obscure

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about Hays

Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens · 2018
Some aspects of consumer credit in North Carolina
William Hays Simpson · 1970
Natural selection and the race problem
Benjamin K. Hays · 2002
The Palmers and Parmers of North Carolina, Alabama & Mississippi
John T. Palmer · 1988
A survey of users and nonusers of the public libraries in region G, North Carolina
Timothy Paul Hays · 1974
Historical sketch of Hay St. Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Historical sketch of Hay St. Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Elizabeth Lamb · 1934
A southern moderate speaks
A southern moderate speaks
Brooks Hays · 1959
Oxford, N.C., March 19, 1879
Oxford, N.C., March 19, 1879
John Willis Hays · 1879

Search results from Open Library.

Recent natural events nearby

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Bluegill
Bluegill
Lepomis macrochirus
Seen 2026-09-18
Hummingbird Clearwing
Hummingbird Clearwing
Hemaris thysbe
Seen 2026-09-16
field goldenrod
field goldenrod
Solidago nemoralis
Seen 2026-09-15
partridge pea
partridge pea
Chamaecrista fasciculata
Seen 2026-09-15
shining sumac
shining sumac
Rhus copallinum
Seen 2026-09-15
Southern Black Widow
Southern Black Widow
Latrodectus mactans
Seen 2026-09-15
Blue-winged Scoliid Wasp
Blue-winged Scoliid Wasp
Scolia dubia
Seen 2026-09-14
White-tailed Deer
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Seen 2026-09-11
box elder
box elder
Acer negundo
Seen 2026-09-11

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).

Nearest stream gauge

Events

Gallery

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
  • • NOAA National Weather Service
  • • Wikidata
  • • Open-Meteo Air Quality (CAMS)
  • • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
  • • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
  • • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • • iNaturalist
  • • CDC PLACES
  • • Open-Elevation
  • • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
  • • Wikipedia Pageviews API
  • • Open Library