Barton County
Great Bend, Kansas - Economic Prosperity Dashboard

Great Bend is a vibrant community of around 16,000 people located in the heart of America; near the geographical center of Kansas. The central location of the city allows for short travel to anywhere in the state, including Wichita and Kansas City. Denver is also just a mere six hours drive away.

The people of Great Bend enjoy conveniences of a larger city, like first rate educational, medical and recreation facilities. For all of the large city conveniences the community still retains its small-town sensibilities and values. Those sensibilities and values have given rise to innovators and entrepreneurs who have shaped the modern world. Noble Laureate Jack Kilby, inventor of the integrated circuit and pocket calculator spent his formative years in Great Bend. Adventurer and co-founder of JanSport, Skip Yowell, is an alumnus of Great Bend High School.

Incentives available through the City of Great Bend, Barton County, and the State of Kansas make relocation or expansion in the community competitive. Companies in Great Bend enjoy an adaptable and hard working regional labor pool of close to 30,000. Through partnerships with Barton Community College and the State of Kansas, the community has the ability to rapidly train or retain the existing workforce to meet the needs of business.

Great Bend MSA/Barton County (2023 Population)
25,000
Great Bend MSA Regional Employment
13,248
Great Bend MSA Gross Regional Product
$2.6B
Population & Demographic Data

Population and Job Growth over Time

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Population by Educational Attainment

Barton County

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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Occupation Demographics

Barton County

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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Population by Age Cohort

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Age Cohort
2018 Population
2023 Population
Change
% Change
2023 % of Cohort
Under 5 years1,612
1,540
-72
-4%
6.18%
5 to 9 years1,767
1,636
-131
-7%
6.57%
10 to 14 years1,760
1,758
-2
-0%
7.06%
15 to 19 years1,773
1,699
-74
-4%
6.82%
20 to 24 years1,537
1,419
-118
-8%
5.7%
25 to 29 years1,544
1,327
-217
-14%
5.33%
30 to 34 years1,540
1,480
-60
-4%
5.94%
35 to 39 years1,580
1,502
-78
-5%
6.03%
40 to 44 years1,248
1,510
262
21%
6.06%
45 to 49 years1,252
1,185
-67
-5%
4.76%
50 to 54 years1,500
1,208
-292
-19%
4.85%
55 to 59 years1,996
1,468
-528
-26%
5.9%
60 to 64 years1,990
1,869
-121
-6%
7.51%
65 to 69 years1,551
1,755
204
13%
7.05%
70 to 74 years1,097
1,360
263
24%
5.46%
75 to 79 years847
46
3.59%
80 to 84 years659
-35
-5%
2.51%
85 years and over867
-201
-23%
2.67%
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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Cost of Living Comparison vs. Peer Cities

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Cost of Living Indexes
Overall Index: Homeowner, No Child care, Taxes Not Considered
Food & Groceries
Housing (Homeowner)
Median Home Cost
Utilities
Transportation
Health
Miscellaneous
Great Bend, KS
70.4
92.4
36.7
99,000
99.8
65.5
103.2
98.1
Wichita, KS
81.6
95
55.9
172,400
103.5
80.4
102.9
97.3
Kansas City, KS
82.8
93.9
43.8
163,900
100.3
91.2
102.3
101.5
Denver, CO
127.8
101.9
184.3
576,000
96.2
116.1
83.9
102.8
Oklahoma City, OK
84.4
94.7
56.2
187,700
97.1
95.5
106.2
93.8

The Cost of Living Index published by the Council for Community and Economic Research is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the President’s Council of Economic Advisors and Brookings Institution. The index contains a cost comparison for six primary categories: food, housing, utilities, transportation, healthcare, and miscellaneous goods and services. It uses over 60 goods and services collected at the local level from over 300 independent researchers. The average for all participating places is 100. A ranking of less than 100 is increasing in affordability, while incremental increases above 100 reflect a higher cost of living comparably.

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(Updated 04-22-2025)
Labor Force, Unemployment, Industry & Occupation Data

Unemployment and Labor Force Participation Rates

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Unemployment Rate
Labor Force Participation Rate
0%20%40%60%80%
2019
3.1%
68.2%
2020
4.6%
69.9%
2021
3.1%
68.5%
2022
2.7%
68.1%
2023
2.9%
67.1%
November 2024
3.4%
66.6%
December 2024
3.3%
66.6%
January 2025
3.9%
64.4%
February 2025
4.1%
64.7%
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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Industry Characteristics

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Industry
2024 Jobs
2024 Average Earnings Per Worker
2024 LQ (Industry Concentration)
2019-2024 % Change in Jobs
2024 GRP
Construction
2,884
$60,335
2.56
43.37%
Retail Trade
2,629
$41,799
1.47
24.73%
Finance and Insurance
1,790
$43,897
1.41
76.06%
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
1,708
$58,523
1.45
63.68%
Health Care and Social Assistance
1,598
$79,145
11.88%
Accommodation and Food Services
1,569
$30,376
3.68%
Government
$63,039
7.58%
Other Services (except Public Administration)
$30,788
15.7%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$64,418
26.28%
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$30,757
2.55%
Transportation and Warehousing
$30,781
37.56%
Manufacturing
$60,342
-4.01%
Wholesale Trade
$103,781
31.79%
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
$22,901
1.7
6.27%
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$28,546
6.37%
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
$94,572
2.35
42.42%
Educational Services
$25,916
5.34%
Information
$52,268
14.04%
Utilities
$164,139
-34.78%
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$50,940
-80.44%

Source: Lightcast

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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Occupation Concentration

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Profession
2024 Jobs
2023 Median Salary
2023 Average Hourly Wage
2024 LQ (Occupation Concentration)
2019-2024 % Change in Jobs
Sales and Related
3,238
$38,939
$38.76
1.38
Management
2,463
$60,455
$43.54
1.32
47.27%
Construction and Extraction
2,010
$44,290
$27.54
2.3
Office and Administrative Support
1,667
$36,836
$20.31
Business and Financial Operations
1,652
$72,045
$55.27
74.62%
Food Preparation and Serving Related
$27,587
$15.15
Transportation and Material Moving
$37,205
$21.23
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
$31,551
$20.14
1.26
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
$44,353
$24.98
1.16
38.18%
Educational Instruction and Library
$56,173
$31.73
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
$79,884
$47.2
Personal Care and Service
$32,365
$23.73
Production
$40,283
$22.26
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
$40,902
$32.65
Healthcare Support
$31,478
$18.56
Community and Social Service
$49,371
$27.52
Computer and Mathematical
$64,879
$39.98
Protective Service
$51,087
$25.45
Architecture and Engineering
$67,022
$43.11
42.36%
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
$27,299
$18.53
Life, Physical, and Social Science
$78,723
$55.18
42.39%
Legal
$67,826
$54.76
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(Updated 04-22-2025)
Job Postings, Earnings, & Workforce Commute Data
Avg. Earnings Per Job (2024)
$55,790
Projected 5-Year Job Growth (2023-2028)
0%

Job Postings 5-Year Trend

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Job Postings by Industry

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Industry Sector (2-Digit)
Latest 30 Days Unique Postings
Latest 30 Days Unique Postings % Change
Health Care and Social Assistance62
6.5%
Retail Trade42
26.2%
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services35
-8.6%
Wholesale Trade31
6.5%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services18
-11.1%
Finance and Insurance17
-35.3%
Transportation and Warehousing15
13.3%
Accommodation and Food Services12
0%
Educational Services12
-100%
Manufacturing7
0%
Other Services (except Public Administration)7
14.3%
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting4
-50%
Utilities4
0%
Construction3
-33.3%
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing3
Information1
0%
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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Top 20 Companies

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Company
Latest 30 Days Unique Postings
Latest 30 Days Unique Postings % Change
The University of Kansas Health System32
-6.3%
Great Bend Tribune21
28.6%
Walmart13
61.5%
Barton Community College12
-100%
Dillons12
-16.7%
First American Financial9
0%
Domino's Pizza8
0%
Walgreens Boots Alliance8
50%
AutoZone5
60%
Buckle5
20%
Saint Francis Community Services5
0%
Universite Tunis Carthage International Center5
40%
Jackson Hewitt4
-75%
Kanequip4
0%
Medicalodges4
-25%
Old Dominion Freight Line4
-25%
Sunflower Diversified Services4
0%
Driveline3
0%
Fuller Industries3
0%
Haysmed3
0%
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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Annual Wage Ranges by Occupation (25th-75th Percentile)

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

$50,000$100,000
Life, Physical, and Social Science
$45,725
$132,906
Legal
$42,889
$120,778
Management
$29,238
$109,969
Architecture and Engineering
$47,700
$106,331
Business and Financial Operations
$45,962
$105,847
Computer and Mathematical
$48,743
$105,071
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
$47,752
$79,349
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
$25,791
$63,918
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
$34,525
$62,241
Sales and Related
$26,201
$61,613
Educational Instruction and Library
$30,834
$59,987
Construction and Extraction
$36,467
$58,833
Military-only
$21,258
$55,616
Protective Service
$36,569
$55,246
Transportation and Material Moving
$32,363
$53,704
Community and Social Service
$34,709
$52,226
Office and Administrative Support
$29,988
$49,119
Production
$32,473
$46,028
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
$21,512
$44,779
Personal Care and Service
$18,591
$40,008
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
$22,621
$36,011
Healthcare Support
$24,983
$33,763
Food Preparation and Serving Related
$21,929
$32,269
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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Job Postings by Educational Attainment

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Job Postings by Experience Level

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Skill Gap in Workforce

Skill
Frequency in Job Postings
Frequency in Candidates
Skill Gap
Nursing
13%
1%
-12%
Merchandising
12%
1%
-11%
Medical Records
6%
1%
-5%
Patient Education And Counseling
6%
0%
-6%
Stocking Merchandise
6%
0%
-6%
Cash Register
6%
0%
-6%
Auditing
5%
1%
-4%
Billing
5%
1%
-4%
Infection Control
5%
0%
-5%
Data Collection
5%
0%
-5%
Firefox
5%
0%
-5%
Microsoft Edge
5%
0%
-100%
Point Of Sale
5%
0%
-5%
Product Knowledge
5%
0%
-5%
Safari (Web Browser)
5%
0%
-100%
Safety Procedures
5%
0%
-100%
Customer Complaint Resolution
4%
0%
-100%
Family Support
4%
0%
-4%
General Mathematics
4%
0%
-4%
Inventory Management
4%
2%
-2%
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(Updated 04-22-2025)

Commuting Patterns by Zip Code within Great Bend MSA

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2024 Jobs
2024 Resident Workers
2024 Net Commuters

Net commuters is the number of people commuting into or out of the area. For negative values, there are more people commuting out for work than in. For positive values, there are more commuters coming in than out.

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(Updated 04-22-2025)
Data pulled from Higher Ed Institutions within Great Bend and Surrounding 7 Counties
Education Data
5-Year Change in Education Program Completions (2017-2021)
12%
Student Enrollment (2021)
60,937

Degrees by Institution

Institutions by Enrollment in Surrounding Counties (click headers to sort data)

Institution
2023 Completions
2010-2023 Trend
Fort Hays State University3,350
1.4K
3.4K
Barton County Community College913
0.9K
0.9K
Sterling College105
0.1K
0.1K
Hays Academy of Hair Design51
0K
0.1K
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(Updated 04-22-2025)
Housing Data

Regional Home Value Comparison by County

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Ellis County
Barton County
Rice County
Russell County
Ellsworth County
Stafford County
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(Updated 04-22-2025)
Lightcast, Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Community Survey, Zillow
Data