Official Federal Data
Ellis County, Kansas
FIPS 20051 · Hays, KS · Population 28,920
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$63,084 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$2B ▼
GDP
38.9% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$63,084 ▲
Per Capita
$37,483 ▲
Mean Household
$89,365 ▲
Poverty Rate
18.3% ▲
Median Income Comparison
Ellis County$63,084
Kansas$74,275
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20.1%
18-34 · 32.1%
35-54 · 21.5%
55-64 · 10.3%
65+ · 16%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
94.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +5.3 pts
38.9%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +3.2 pts
14.4%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +0.3 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
28,920
Population
17,009
Labor Force
Employed
16,454
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 14 min below national avg
12.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6.2%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 18.3%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Young population: Median age of 33 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 3,269 workers (31.8% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $52,689.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $2B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $77,450 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $19,161, a 4.0x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
1,357
Cluster Employment
2.25x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Support Activities for Mining
11.15x 290
Rental and Leasing Services
3.21x 179
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
2.53x 352
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
2.25x 169
Social Assistance
1.89x 918
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.76x 180
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
1.56x 311
General Merchandise Retailers
1.52x 479
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.51x 218
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.19x
Educational Services
59 employed
0.27x
Administrative and Support Services
226 employed
0.33x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
351 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Support Activities for Mining concentrates at 11.15x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$216,300 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$943 ▲
Rent/Mo
63.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.8% ▼
Vacancy
3.4x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$649/mo
1 Bedroom
$717/mo
2 Bedroom
$941/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,288/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,579/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,577/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.4x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,577/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
18,484 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 14 min below national avg
12.9 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
6.2%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
90.3%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
38.9% ▲
HS Diploma+
94.9% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
26,009/yr
7,733/yr
6,027/yr
3,925/yr
3,714/yr
2,809/yr
1,801/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
16.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
40.5%
Service
19.4%
Sales & Office
19.4%
Construction / Maint.
8.6%
Production / Transport
12.1%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 16,454 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 12.9-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 17,685 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Ellis County shows strong potential for support activities for mining attraction, with a 11.15x concentration and 290 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across support activities for mining, rental and leasing services, and fabricated metal product manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Ellis County, Kansas, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Ellis County, Kansas?
28,920 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Ellis County, Kansas?
$63,084 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Ellis County, Kansas?
3% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Ellis County, Kansas?
$2B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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