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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 (2022 Population)
25,028
Great Bend MSA Regional Employment
12,823
Great Bend MSA Gross Regional Product
$1.9B
Population & Demographic Data

Population and Job Growth over Time

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

(Updated 05-19-2023 3:48 pm)

Population by Educational Attainment

Barton County

(Updated 05-19-2023 3:54 pm)

Population by Race

Barton County

(Updated 05-19-2023 3:55 pm)

Population by Age

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Age Cohort2022 PopulationChange% Change2022 % of Cohort
Under 5 years
1,505
-151
-9%
6.01%
5 to 9 years
1,628
-168
-9%
6.5%
10 to 14 years
1,803
-1
0%
7.2%
15 to 19 years
1,779
1
0%
7.11%
20 to 24 years
1,400
-176
-11%
5.59%
25 to 29 years
1,389
-111
-7%
5.55%
30 to 34 years
1,464
-166
-10%
5.85%
35 to 39 years
1,535
-32
-2%
6.13%
40 to 44 years
1,525
269
21%
6.09%
45 to 49 years
1,142
-132
-10%
4.56%
50 to 54 years
1,248
-366
-23%
4.99%
55 to 59 years
1,606
-428
-21%
6.42%
60 to 64 years
1,840
-131
-7%
7.35%
65 to 69 years
1,716
186
12%
6.86%
70 to 74 years
1,314
269
26%
5.25%
75 to 79 years
834
-8
-1%
3.33%
80 to 84 years
603
-62
-9%
2.41%
85 years and over
696
-193
-22%
2%
(Updated 05-19-2023 3:51 pm)

Cost of Living Comparison vs. Peer Cities

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Cost of Living IndexesOverall Index: Homeowner, No Child care, Taxes Not ConsideredFood & GroceriesHousing (Homeowner)Median Home CostUtilitiesTransportationHealthMiscellaneous
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.

(Updated 05-23-2023 7:56 pm)
Labor Force, Unemployment, Industry & Occupation Data

Unemployment and Labor Force Participation Rates

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

0%20%40%60%80%
2017
3.6%
69.2%
2018
3.2%
67.2%
2019
3.1%
68%
2020
4.5%
69.4%
2021
2.9%
68.6%
January-September 2022
2.5%
67.6%
October 2022
2.5%
67.7%
November 2022
2.6%
68.4%
December 2022
2.7%
69.1%
January 2023
3%
67.6%
(Updated 05-19-2023 5:22 pm)

Industry Characteristics

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Industry2022 Jobs2021 Average Earnings Per Worker2022 LQ (Industry Concentration)2017-2022 % Change in Jobs
Construction
2,427
$51,998
2.37
33.12%
Retail Trade
2,369
$39,593
1.46
6.42%
Accommodation and Food Services
1,573
$27,083
1.28
9.38%
Finance and Insurance
1,437
$46,072
1.41
30.65%
Health Care and Social Assistance
1,367
$60,548
0.7
10.58%
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
1,251
$50,054
1.42
13.21%
Government
1,117
$59,540
0.55
-0.65%
Other Services (except Public Administration)
1,021
$26,019
1.05
19.21%
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
818
$27,936
0.76
8.47%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
772
$56,958
0.6
28.89%
Manufacturing
703
$67,843
0.62
22.64%
Wholesale Trade
629
$101,773
1.15
55.71%
Transportation and Warehousing
604
$24,487
0.64
28.45%
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
492
$19,457
1.62
1.63%
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
279
$36,414
0.75
19.63%
Educational Services
244
$41,606
0.59
49.4%
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
179
$78,787
2.29
50.37%
Information
140
$66,169
0.45
-17.32%
Utilities
50
$132,620
0.97
24.85%
Management of Companies and Enterprises
31
$66,398
0.13
-53.85%

Source: Lightcast

(Updated 05-19-2023 3:59 pm)

Occupation Concentration

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Occupation2022 Jobs2022 Median Salary2022 Average Hourly Wage2022 LQ (Occupation Concentration)2017-2022 % Change in Jobs
Sales and Related
2,945
$33,389
$34.47
1.43
9.81%
Management
1,957
$54,709
$39.92
1.31
34.07%
Construction and Extraction
1,743
$38,888
$24.72
2.18
25.47%
Office and Administrative Support
1,590
$34,841
$19.67
0.83
13.71%
Business and Financial Operations
1,298
$68,743
$53.11
1
43.99%
Food Preparation and Serving Related
1,288
$24,624
$12.88
1.16
0.98%
Transportation and Material Moving
1,134
$32,884
$19.32
0.79
20.06%
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
785
$29,004
$19.04
1.28
13.65%
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
635
$41,177
$23.39
1.02
23%
Production
631
$39,761
$20.91
0.77
2.83%
Educational Instruction and Library
614
$51,042
$27.18
0.72
-0.47%
Personal Care and Service
605
$27,618
$20.05
1.05
7.89%
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
586
$68,283
$42.64
0.69
14.56%
Healthcare Support
513
$28,109
$17.24
0.74
20.78%
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
351
$46,036
$38.11
0.66
12.72%
Computer and Mathematical
153
$65,243
$38.9
0.32
31.91%
Community and Social Service
144
$49,272
$27.59
0.54
6.76%
Protective Service
140
$42,632
$22.51
0.45
20.37%
Architecture and Engineering
135
$64,770
$41.21
0.55
45.2%
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
119
$23,416
$14.97
0.97
6.94%
Life, Physical, and Social Science
68
$73,688
$51.69
0.43
27.94%
Legal
64
$56,627
$40.4
0.46
1.98%
(Updated 05-19-2023 4:02 pm)
Job Postings, Earnings, & Workforce Commute Data
Avg. Earnings Per Job (2022)
$53,645
Projected 5-Year Job Growth (2022-2027)
2%

Job Postings 5-Year Trend

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

(Updated 05-19-2023 6:04 pm)

Job Postings by Industry

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Industry Sector (2-Digit)Latest 30 Days Unique PostingsLatest 30 Days Unique Postings % Change
Educational Services45
-40%
Health Care and Social Assistance23
-8.7%
Retail Trade22
-95.5%
Unclassified Industry18
38.9%
Finance and Insurance12
50%
Wholesale Trade12
66.7%
Other Services (except Public Administration)11
54.5%
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services8
75%
Transportation and Warehousing7
14.3%
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services5
-140%
Manufacturing3
-200%
Utilities3
Public Administration2
50%
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing2
-200%
Management of Companies and Enterprises1
(Updated 05-19-2023 6:36 pm)

Top 20 Companies Currently Hiring

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

CompanyLatest 30 Days Unique PostingsLatest 30 Days Unique Postings % Change
University of Kansas42
-35.7%
Redbarn Pet Products9
88.9%
Landmark National Bank6
66.7%
Dollar General5
-140%
Foley Equipment5
60%
Kroger5
0%
Old Dominion Freight Line5
0%
Walgreens Boots Alliance4
25%
AMR3
-133.3%
Barton Community College3
-100%
Medicalodges3
33.3%
Qs Nurses3
Saint Francis Community Services3
-66.7%
SmartStyle3
66.7%
Sunflower Electric Power Corporation3
Acosta2
Dollar Tree2
0%
Driveline2
0%
Equity Bank Limited2
-50%
Kanequip2
50%
(Updated 05-19-2023 6:38 pm)

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

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

$0$50,000$100,000
Business and Financial Operations
$40,193
$123,468
Life, Physical, and Social Science
$48,064
$113,379
Legal
$35,543
$100,489
Architecture and Engineering
$45,903
$99,675
Computer and Mathematical
$45,640
$95,498
Management
$22,339
$95,326
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
$51,486
$93,047
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
$26,534
$89,861
Sales and Related
$23,366
$71,152
Educational Instruction and Library
$32,112
$64,986
Community and Social Service
$38,521
$63,537
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
$30,984
$57,625
Construction and Extraction
$28,809
$56,370
Production
$30,629
$53,092
Protective Service
$38,856
$53,003
Military-only
$19,334
$52,146
Office and Administrative Support
$27,623
$45,203
Transportation and Material Moving
$24,481
$42,828
Personal Care and Service
$19,200
$41,536
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
$23,287
$38,753
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry
$15,219
$35,672
Healthcare Support
$24,838
$35,075
Food Preparation and Serving Related
$19,672
$29,658
(Updated 05-19-2023 4:10 pm)

Job Postings by Educational Attainment

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

(Updated 05-19-2023 4:19 pm)

Job Postings by Experience Level

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

(Updated 05-19-2023 4:23 pm)

Postings vs. Hires by Occupation (Trailing 12-Months)

Great Bend MSA (Barton County)

Total Postings
Total Hires
(Updated 05-19-2023 6:45 pm)

Commuting Patterns by Zip Code within Great Bend MSA

Hover to display values

2022 Jobs
2022 Resident Workers
2022 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.

(Updated 05-19-2023 5:27 pm)
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

Program Completions by Institution

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

Description2021 Completions2008-2021 Trend
Fort Hays State University
4,297
1.2K
4.3K
Barton County Community College
989
0.9K
1K
Sterling College
135
0.1K
0.1K
Hays Academy of Hair Design
46
0K
0K
(Updated 05-19-2023 6:52 pm)
Housing Data

Regional Home Value Comparison by County

Hover to isolate/display values

(Updated 05-19-2023 5:36 pm)
Lightcast, Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Community Survey, Zillow
Data