Monson Lake State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources · National Register of Historic Places
Hayes Township’s story
Hayes Township in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Hayes TownshipMN
A town of 227.
3 bordering townsMap →
Monson Lake State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources · Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
227
2025 Census estimate · +0.9% since 2020
Median home value
$271K
Census ACS
Household income
$82K
median
Median age
44.8
years
Jobs based here
8
A commuter town
Is Hayes Township a good place to live?
Hayes Township’s January low is 3°F, close to Minnesota’s towns (6°F) and below U.S. towns (22°F). The biggest place to walk is Monson Lake State Park, 156 acres with 1 miles of trail. Hayes Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
227 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Kerkhoven TownshipArctander TownshipKildare TownshipHayes Township
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Hayes Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hayes Township, and how to reach them.
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Hayes Township’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Minnesota you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSwift County AuditorSwift County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes56271, 56252, 5628956271 48% · 56252 36% · 56289 16%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hayes Township.
Work & commute
With only 0.1 jobs per working resident, most people in Hayes Township work out of town
The median commute is under 20 miles. The top destinations are Willmar (13%), Kerkhoven (11%) and Murdock (5%). The share of residents in Hayes Township who live below the poverty line: 7.4%.
0%work in town
| Hayes Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 7.4% | 7% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Hayes Township0%
Willmar13%
Kerkhoven11%
Murdock5%
Torning Township5%
20 mi
median commute distance
8
jobs based in Hayes Township
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Young adults are less common in Hayes Township than in Minnesota
In Hayes Township, 39% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more, above both the Minnesota town median (33%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (38% statewide). Its median age stands at 44.8 years.
44.8median age · MN 38.8
| Hayes Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.8 years | 39.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 33% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 23% | 22% |
Hayes TownshipMinnesotaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school24%
Some college21%
Associate’s14%
Bachelor’s22%
Graduate17%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.4 points. Across Minnesota, 49.9% of residents are women.
| Hayes Township | MN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13.1% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4% | 8.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.7% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.3% | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.7% | 12.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.6% | 6.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.6% | 23.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.3% | 19.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 11.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22% | 25.6% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.3% | 13.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Hayes Township: snowy winters and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 3° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
43″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter7–24°
Spring33–54°
Summer58–80°
Fall36–56°
Oct 6
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Hayes Township is
Nearly three quarters of Hayes Township adults had a checkup this year. Hayes Township: nearly two in five adults have obesity.
| Hayes Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 75% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Minnesota
0 better17 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Hayes Township | MN |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.8% | 7.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.9% | 5.4% |
| More smokers | 16.5% | 13.1% |
Centracare - Benson
14.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Protected land: 5.3% of Hayes Township
Walkers can cover 6.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Hayes Township is 0.2 miles per square mile.
5.3%conserved
| Hayes Township | Minnesota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 4.7% | 4.3% |
5.3%
conserved · 1,201 of 22,827 acres
6.5 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Monson Lake State Park | 1 mi | 156 |
| 2. Monson Wildlife Management Area | — | 148 |
| 3. Hayes-myhre Wildlife Management Area | — | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazards
Moderate risk in Hayes Township, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA puts 44% of Hayes Township’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 21% to cold waves. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 52% of U.S. communities.
48risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingCold wavesHail
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hayes Township
17pages on Hayes Township
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Hayes Township; the nearest are
Ridgewater CollegeCommunity college · Public · Willmar15.5 mi$6,121 in-state tuitionUniversity of Minnesota-MorrisUniversity or college · Public · Morris35.4 mi$14,526 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Hayes Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Minnesota.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Hayes Township for work
Where Hayes Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
8jobs based in Hayes Township
0%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Hayes Township
Township in Minnesota, United States
Hayes Township is a township in Swift County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 221 at the 2000 census. Hayes Township was organized in 1877, and named for Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (1877–1881).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 36 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,158 ft
Questions about Hayes Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hayes Township, MN a good place to live?
Hayes Township has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.