DashBoard
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Barton County
Great Bend, Kansas - Economic Prosperity Dashboard
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Great Bend MSA/Barton County (2024 Population)
24,835
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Great Bend MSA Regional Employment
13,289
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Great Bend MSA Gross Regional Product
$2.1B
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Population & Demographic Data
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Population and Job Growth over Time
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
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Population by Educational Attainment
Barton County
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Occupation Demographics
Barton County
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Population by Age Cohort
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
Age Cohort | 2019 Population | 2024 Population | Change | % Change | 2024 % of Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | 1,575 | 1,477 | -98 | -6% | 5.95% |
| 5 to 9 years | 1,742 | 1,597 | -145 | -8% | 6.43% |
| 10 to 14 years | 1,793 | 1,732 | -61 | -3% | 6.97% |
| 15 to 19 years | 1,770 | 1,707 | -63 | -4% | 6.87% |
| 20 to 24 years | 1,498 | 1,423 | -75 | -5% | 5.73% |
| 25 to 29 years | 1,499 | 1,352 | -147 | -10% | 5.44% |
| 30 to 34 years | 1,523 | 1,459 | -64 | -4% | 5.87% |
| 35 to 39 years | 1,600 | 1,476 | -124 | -8% | 5.94% |
| 40 to 44 years | 1,289 | 1,541 | 252 | 20% | 6.2% |
| 45 to 49 years | 1,228 | 1,250 | 22 | 2% | 5.03% |
| 50 to 54 years | 1,406 | 1,178 | -228 | -16% | 4.74% |
| 55 to 59 years | 1,923 | 1,361 | -562 | -29% | 5.48% |
| 60 to 64 years | 1,955 | 1,817 | -138 | -7% | 7.32% |
| 65 to 69 years | 1,623 | 1,725 | 102 | 6% | 6.95% |
| 70 to 74 years | 1,139 | 1,425 | 286 | 25% | 5.74% |
| 75 to 79 years | 859 | 958 | 99 | 12% | 3.86% |
| 80 to 84 years | 654 | 635 | -19 | -3% | 2.56% |
| 85 years and over | 862 | 722 | -140 | -16% | 2.91% |
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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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Labor Force, Unemployment, Industry & Occupation Data
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Unemployment and Labor Force Participation Rates
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
Label Unemployment Rate, colour chocolate
Unemployment Rate
Label Labor Force Participation Rate, colour mediumseagreen
Labor Force Participation Rate
2020
4.8%
66.5%
2021
3.2%
65%
2022
2.7%
64.6%
2023
2.9%
63.5%
2024
3.5%
64%
January-August 2025
3.9%
64.1%
September 2025
3.6%
64%
October 2025
3.6%
64%
November 2025
3.4%
64.3%
December 2025
3.7%
64.9%
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Industry Characteristics
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
Industry | 2025 Jobs | 2025 Average Earnings Per Worker | 2025 LQ (Industry Concentration) | 2020-2025 % Change in Jobs | 2025 GRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 2,109 | $49,957 | 1.85 | 19.94% | |
| Construction | 1,779 | $67,767 | 2.47 | 16.81% | |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 1,439 | $89,366 | 0.86 | 10.56% | |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 1,383 | $29,832 | 1.35 | 11.69% | |
| Government | 1,318 | $63,433 | 0.73 | 8.47% | |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 669 | $35,598 | 1.09 | 13.05% | |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 603 | $82,098 | 0.7 | 15.71% | |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 565 | $44,911 | 0.79 | 6.15% | |
| Manufacturing | 500 | $68,040 | 0.54 | -24.53% | |
| Wholesale Trade | 482 | $107,060 | 1.1 | 34.39% | |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 247 | $71,904 | 1.15 | 20.37% | |
| Finance and Insurance | 228 | $93,502 | 0.46 | -2.84% | |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 211 | $100,733 | 5 | 56.38% | |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 198 | $68,984 | 0.37 | 80.38% | |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 186 | $47,972 | 0.82 | 3.46% | |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 155 | $43,563 | 1.1 | 70.33% | |
| Educational Services | 143 | $29,059 | 0.44 | 10.14% | |
| Information | 94 | $81,028 | 0.43 | 9.97% | |
| Utilities | 30 | $242,008 | 0.69 | -62.66% | |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1 | $86,644 | 0.01 | -83.8% |
Source: Lightcast
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Occupation Concentration
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
Profession | 2025 Jobs | 2024 Median Earnings | 2024 Average Hourly Wage | 2025 LQ (Occupation Concentration) | 2020-2025 % Change in Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Related | 3,222 | $40,546 | $40.44 | 1.38 | 19.53% |
| Management | 2,510 | $64,173 | $44.54 | 1.3 | 35.86% |
| Construction and Extraction | 1,985 | $44,138 | $28.01 | 2.19 | 14.24% |
| Business and Financial Operations | 1,810 | $77,421 | $63.93 | 1.09 | 49.51% |
| Office and Administrative Support | 1,664 | $39,639 | $21.75 | 0.8 | 13.77% |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | 1,489 | $28,255 | $15.84 | 1.12 | 19.17% |
| Transportation and Material Moving | 1,369 | $38,949 | $23.19 | 0.81 | 38.01% |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | 922 | $33,279 | $21.66 | 1.33 | 14.29% |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | 808 | $46,392 | $26.39 | 1.11 | 19.13% |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | 779 | $84,233 | $48.4 | 0.76 | 23.43% |
| Personal Care and Service | 687 | $33,576 | $24.56 | 0.97 | 19.06% |
| Educational Instruction and Library | 674 | $54,846 | $30.55 | 0.68 | 7.67% |
| Production | 599 | $42,544 | $23.91 | 0.67 | -15.47% |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | 586 | $47,143 | $39.47 | 0.9 | 27.52% |
| Healthcare Support | 518 | $34,082 | $19.37 | 0.6 | 4.71% |
| Computer and Mathematical | 191 | $71,987 | $42.56 | 0.34 | 31.39% |
| Community and Social Service | 173 | $57,614 | $32.6 | 0.52 | 10.75% |
| Protective Service | 160 | $53,881 | $27.31 | 0.43 | 14.31% |
| Architecture and Engineering | 154 | $72,777 | $45.09 | 0.55 | 26.35% |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | 144 | $28,658 | $18.91 | 1.08 | 34.83% |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | 76 | $78,185 | $53.35 | 0.38 | 23.82% |
| Legal | 64 | $75,988 | $59.44 | 0.4 | -14.87% |
| Military-only | 33 | $41,521 | $25.88 | 0.39 | 15.08% |
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Job Postings, Earnings, & Workforce Commute Data
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Avg. Earnings Per Job (2024)
$57,952
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Projected 5-Year Job Growth (2023-2028)
0%
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Job Postings 5-Year Trend
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
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Job Postings by Industry
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
Industry Sector | Latest 30 Days Unique Postings | Latest 30 Days Unique Postings % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Trade | 94 | 12.8% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 81 | 16% |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 51 | -35.3% |
| Wholesale Trade | 39 | 0% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 36 | 30.6% |
| Manufacturing | 28 | 7.1% |
| Information | 26 | 11.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 20 | -75% |
| Finance and Insurance | 16 | -18.8% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 15 | -20% |
| Educational Services | 12 | 8.3% |
| Utilities | 10 | 40% |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 9 | -55.6% |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 5 | 60% |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 4 | 50% |
| Construction | 4 | -25% |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 3 | 0% |
| Public Administration | 3 | 33.3% |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 1 |
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Top 20 Companies
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
Company | Latest 30 Days Unique Postings | Latest 30 Days Unique Postings % Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dillons | 23 | 4.3% |
| Kroger | 21 | 23.8% |
| Great Bend Tribune | 20 | 10% |
| Dollar General | 17 | 5.9% |
| Sanford Health | 16 | |
| Walgreens Boots Alliance | 13 | -15.4% |
| Barton Community College | 11 | 9.1% |
| The University of Kansas Health System | 9 | 11.1% |
| Domino's Pizza | 8 | 50% |
| Medicalodges | 8 | -12.5% |
| Sunflower Diversified Services | 8 | -37.5% |
| First American Financial | 7 | -42.9% |
| Redbarn Pet Products | 7 | 14.3% |
| Walmart | 7 | 57.1% |
| Kansas Behavioral Health | 6 | 0% |
| Barton County | 5 | 40% |
| Burger King | 5 | |
| Clara Barton Hospital | 5 | 20% |
| Old Dominion Freight Line | 5 | 20% |
| Casey's | 4 | -75% |
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Annual Wage Ranges by Occupation (25th-75th Percentile)
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
Life, Physical, and Social Science
$45,032
$116,846
Architecture and Engineering
$52,484
$112,583
Computer and Mathematical
$51,818
$109,485
Business and Financial Operations
$46,764
$107,980
Management
$28,054
$106,561
Legal
$38,984
$98,396
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
$50,099
$79,879
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
$23,981
$66,761
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
$38,032
$66,305
Sales and Related
$26,674
$62,718
Military-only
$25,093
$61,846
Construction and Extraction
$37,676
$60,844
Educational Instruction and Library
$30,878
$60,386
Community and Social Service
$36,650
$60,181
Protective Service
$38,679
$59,700
Transportation and Material Moving
$32,592
$54,049
Office and Administrative Support
$31,128
$51,044
Production
$34,120
$48,732
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
$22,350
$45,750
Personal Care and Service
$20,187
$44,995
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
$24,899
$38,139
Healthcare Support
$25,201
$35,324
Food Preparation and Serving Related
$22,006
$31,471
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Job Postings by Educational Attainment
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
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Job Postings by Experience Level
Great Bend MSA (Barton County)
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Skill Gap in Workforce
Skill | Frequency in Job Postings | Frequency in Candidates | Skill Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merchandising | 11% | 1% | -10% |
| Nursing | 8% | 1% | -7% |
| Lifting Ability | 8% | 0% | -8% |
| General Mathematics | 7% | 0% | -7% |
| Social Work | 7% | 1% | -6% |
| Cash Register | 7% | 0% | -7% |
| Effective Communication | 6% | 0% | -6% |
| Food Safety And Sanitation | 6% | 0% | -6% |
| Mental Health | 6% | 1% | -5% |
| Behavioral Health | 6% | 0% | -6% |
| Caregiving | 6% | 0% | -6% |
| Warehousing | 6% | 0% | -6% |
| Autism Spectrum Disorders | 5% | 0% | -5% |
| Inventory Management | 5% | 2% | -3% |
| Psychology | 5% | 0% | -5% |
| Developmental Psychology | 5% | 0% | -5% |
| Positive Behavior Support | 5% | 0% | -5% |
| Restaurant Operation | 5% | 0% | -5% |
| Auditing | 4% | 1% | -3% |
| Good Driving Record | 4% | 0% | -4% |
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Commuting Patterns by Zip Code within Great Bend MSA
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Label 2025 Jobs, colour black
2025 Jobs
Label 2025 Resident Workers, colour rebeccapurple
2025 Resident Workers
Label 2025 Net Commuters, colour mediumseagreen
2025 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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Data pulled from Higher Ed Institutions within Great Bend and Surrounding 7 Counties
Education Data
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5-Year Change in Education Program Completions (2017-2021)
12%
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Student Enrollment (2021)
60,937
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Degrees by Institution
Institutions by Enrollment in Surrounding Counties (click headers to sort data)
Institution | 2024 Completions | 2011-2024 Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Hays State University | 3,183 | 2.2K 3.2K |
| Barton County Community College | 941 | 0.9K 0.9K |
| Sterling College | 130 | 0.1K 0.1K |
| Hays Academy of Hair Design | 58 | 0K 0.1K |
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Housing Data
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Zillow Home Values Trend
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Label Ellis County, colour black
Ellis County
Label Barton County, colour rebeccapurple
Barton County
Label Rice County, colour mediumseagreen
Rice County
Label Russell County, colour dimgray
Russell County
Label Ellsworth County, colour chocolate
Ellsworth County
Label Stafford County, colour black
Stafford County
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Lightcast, Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Community Survey, Zillow
Data