Hays is a city in Ellis County, Kansas, near the intersection of Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 183. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,013. It is the county seat of Ellis County^GR6.

Hays is home to Fort Hays State University and the Hays Larks, champions of the Jayhawk Collegiate League for most of the 21st century. It is the childhood hometown of billionaire Philip Anschutz and current home of 1st District Congressional Representative Jerry Moran.

The city was incorporated in 1885, close to the site of Fort Hays.