City · Dickinson County, Kansas

Abilene, Kansas

Abilene is a city in Dickinson County, Kansas. It has 6,449 residents. Abilene, Kansas has a quality-of-life score of 59 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,384 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kansas it ranks #92 of 202 cities and towns. It ranks best on job growth (high), child care cost burden (low) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), pharmacies (low) and dentists (low).

59Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,384 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kansas: #92 of 202 in KS
Population: 6,449 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,335.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 2000125

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety63#5,804/15,637
Economy64#5,573/15,631
Housing78#3,237/14,977
Health35#10,157/15,609
Healthcare15#13,369/15,650
Environment33#10,283/15,453
Education73#4,227/15,649
Infrastructure54#7,132/15,650
Community81#2,938/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,490/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Abilene, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Dickinson County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Job growth · high8.2%
99/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataDickinson County value
Child care cost burden · low17.5%
99/100Kansas 18.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Social associations · high19.0 /10k
97/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Public libraries · high3.2 /10k
96/100Kansas 1.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesDickinson County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Kansas 4.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataDickinson County value
Drought exposure · low1%
93/100Kansas 28%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAADickinson County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$875
4/100Kansas $1,216United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickinson County value
Pharmacies · low0.5 /10k
4/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickinson County value
Dentists · low22 /100k
5/100Kansas 64 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Kansas 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDickinson County value
Mental health providers · low70 /100k
9/100Kansas 266 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Flu vaccinations · low33.0%
13/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedImproving
0.2 /1k (2021) → 0.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+203%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
14.4 min (2015-2019) → 20.2 min (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.3% (2015-2019) → 85.7% (2020-2024)
+7.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
88.6% (2015-2019) → 95.3% (2020-2024)
+6.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
52.1% (2015-2019) → 58.2% (2020-2024)
+6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
26.3% (2015-2019) → 22.3% (2020-2024)
−4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Abilene, Kansas improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Inequality−0.0750.475 → 0.400
Broadband+7.5 points78.3% → 85.7%

Declined1

Commute+5.8 min14.4 min → 20.2 min

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Abilene, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.4 min2015-2019	20.2 min2020-2024	+5.8 min	Declined	8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	26.3%2015-2019	22.3%2020-2024	−4 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Broadband subscriptions	78.3%2015-2019	85.7%2020-2024	+7.5 points	Improved	46%
Effective property tax rate	1.50%2015-2019	1.56%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	9%
High school diploma or higher	88.6%2015-2019	95.3%2020-2024	+6.7 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	82%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4752015-2019	0.4002020-2024	−0.075	Improved	91%
Median household income	$50,1832015-2019	$57,9242020-2024	+15%	Within the margin of error	24%
Poverty rate	9.4%2015-2019	6.8%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Rent as share of income	31.9%2015-2019	33.8%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	52.1%2015-2019	58.2%2020-2024	+6.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.1%2015-2019	9.1%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	46%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Abilene, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Abilene, Kansas in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Abilene, Kansas itself moved +0.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

6,449 residents (±21)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,152 households (±167)

Abilene, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k13%†408
$25k–50k28%†883
$50k–75k20%

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,152 households (±167)

Abilene, Kansas
Kansas share

Own74%2,329
Rent26%823

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,285 workers (±327)

Abilene, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone81%2,645
Carpool6.8%†224
Public transit0.6%†19

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Dickinson County, the county holding most of Abilene's residents.

Dickinson County has 461 employer establishments, 250 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 0.97× Kansas's), with 4,966 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,539. The Census Bureau also counts 1,277 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 461; 1,277 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 250; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 4,966
Average annual pay: $47,539; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Dickinson County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	39	21.1	1.37×More than typical	137	$46,321	124
Religious organizations	27	14.6	2.64×More than typical	108	$19,741	—
Restaurants and other eating places	26	14.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	355	$16,361	7
Building equipment contractors	17	9.2	1.53×More than typical	64	$51,781	14
Truck transportation	16	8.7	1.71×More than typical	97	$66,237	49
Ambulatory health care services	15	8.1	0.39×Fewer than typical	52	$41,827	44
Banks and credit unions	15	8.1	2.52×More than typical	130	$54,231	—
Gasoline stations	14	7.6	2.34×More than typical	163	$32,190	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	13	7	1.04×About typical	31	$35,419	89
Full-service restaurants	12	6.5	0.85×About typical	170	$16,524	—
Lessors of real estate	11	6	0.48×Fewer than typical	17	$22,059	119
Personal care services	10	5.4	1.14×About typical	24	$9,833	56

Rank places for an industry Open Dickinson County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 18,453 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $42.8K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Abilene, Kansas: $6.64 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $42.8K; −35% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6.64; US $1,994
Sole-source: 17%; US 30%
Single offer: 2.2%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

National Archives and Records Administration$42.8K100%

Top recipients

RAVEN SERVICES CORP$19.2K45%
ADC LTD NM$10.8K25%
STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES INC.$4,87011%
EVERGY KANSAS CENTRAL INC$4,54511%
ONE GAS, INC$2,3645.5%
CITY OF ABILENE$4421.0%
JACOBS PROJECT MANAGEMENT CO$3810.9%
BAHFED CORP$2400.6%

Spending by fiscal year

85.3KFY2017
107.2KFY2018
45.9KFY2019
41.6KFY2020
53KFY2021
83.6KFY2022
133.8KFY2023
62.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Facilities support services · 5612$19.2K45%
Investigation and security services · 5616$10.8K25%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$4,87011%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$4,54511%
Natural gas distribution · 2212$2,3645.5%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$442

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Abilene, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Abilene, Kansas's figures are part of those of Dickinson County, KS ($2.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 1.5% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Abilene is mostly in Dickinson County.

See federal money in Dickinson County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Abilene, Kansas is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Tracey MannR-KS-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Dickinson County71100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Dickinson County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2000125

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends