Farmland and its buildings in Hayes County averaged $2,196 an acre in the 2022 Census of Agriculture: the 27th cheapest of the 93 counties in Nebraska, 36% below the Nebraska average in the same census ($3,437).
In the 2017 census it was $1,415 an acre, so the average has risen 55% in five years.
| Farmland and buildings, an acre, 2022 | $2,196 |
|---|---|
| The same, 2017 | $1,415 +55% |
| Farms counted, 2022 | 254 (220 in 2017) |
| Average farm | 1,594 acres |
| Share of the county that is farmland | 88.7% |
| Median value of an owner-occupied home | $128,100 ± $50,800 |
The farm figure is land and buildings together, averaged over every farm in the county, from the largest ranch to the smallest holding. It is for comparing one county with another, not a price for any parcel: a few acres with road frontage usually costs more an acre than the average, not less. The home value comes from a survey that reaches few homes here, so its margin of error is wide.
Source: USDA, 2022 Census of Agriculture, Nebraska county data, Table 8; Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B25077
Living here: tax, internet and hazards
Homeowners in Hayes County paid a median $1,294 a year in property tax, about 1% of the median home value. What a particular parcel pays depends on its exemptions and on whether it is taxed as farmland: see how Nebraska taxes farmland, and ask the county assessor what the parcel paid last year.
26% of the 377 households here pay for cable, fiber or DSL internet. That is what people subscribe to, not what reaches a given road: the FCC's broadband map shows what is offered at an address, and it is worth checking before you count on working from home.
| Hazard | FEMA risk rating |
|---|---|
| Inland flooding | Very Low |
| Coastal flooding | Does not occur here |
| Wildfire | Very Low |
| Tornado | Very Low |
| Hail | Relatively Low |
| Drought | Relatively Low |
| Hurricane | Does not occur here |
FEMA rates none of these as a relatively high risk here. Its ratings compare counties across the country and weigh how much property there is to lose, so a thinly settled county can rate low even where the hazard itself is common. For a particular parcel, look it up on FEMA's flood maps before you buy.
Source: Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B25103; Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, table B28002; FEMA, National Risk Index, December 2025
For sale now
Only 4 homes were listed for sale in Hayes County on Realtor.com in September 2026, too few for a typical asking price to mean anything, so this page does not give one. With this little online, look through the channels that never reach a listing site.
Houses listed on one website, at the price asked: not land, and not what anything sold for.
Source: Realtor.com, Residential listings data, monthly inventory by county, September 2026
Next door
The counties that share a border with Hayes County, cheapest farmland first.
| county | Farmland an acre | Median home |
|---|---|---|
| Dundy County | $1,991 | $143,400 |
| Hitchcock County | $2,181 | $96,700 |
| Perkins County | $2,196 | $157,200 |
| Lincoln County | $2,340 | $189,500 |
| Frontier County | $2,370 | $149,800 |
| Chase County | $2,558 | $165,900 |
Buying land here: the Nebraska rules
Tax certificates earn 14 percent, and a treasurer's deed is only for land worth little: anything more has to be foreclosed in court.
Each links to the Nebraska guide, where every fact cites the statute or agency page it came from.