Scores by category

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

Safety62#5,989/15,637
Economy43#8,964/15,631
Housing87#1,911/14,977
Health39#9,519/15,609
Healthcare20#12,494/15,650
Environment82#2,779/15,453
Education26#11,578/15,649
Infrastructure16#13,168/15,650
Community82#2,855/15,651
Leisure & amenities46#8,409/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Elkhart, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Morton 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

Grocery stores · high12.1 /10k
100/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMorton County value
Public libraries · high8.0 /10k
100/100Kansas 1.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesMorton County value
Social associations · high27.1 /10k
100/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMorton County value
Distance to an emergency room · low2.0 mi
100/100Kansas 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMorton County value
Pharmacies · high4.1 /10k
99/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMorton County value
Job growth · high7.7%
99/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataMorton County value

Weaknesses

Dentists · low0 /100k
0/100Kansas 64 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMorton County value
Preventable hospital stays · high6,111 /100k
0/100Kansas 2,534 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMorton County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.0 /10k
1/100Kansas 3.4 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMorton County value
Distance to an airport · high198 mi
1/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauMorton County value
Mammography screening · low27.0%
1/100Kansas 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteMorton County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyMorton County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,533 (2015-2019) → 1,661 (2020-2024)
+8.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
High school diploma or higherWorsening
90.2% (2015-2019) → 77.9% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
23.6% (2015-2019) → 11.9% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.4% (2015-2019) → 83.2% (2020-2024)
+9.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
19.2% (2015-2019) → 28.4% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
10.1% (2015-2019) → 19.2% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Elkhart, Kansas improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Elkhart, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.9 min2015-2019	14.8 min2020-2024	−7.0 min	Within the margin of error	95%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.9%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	−6.1 points	Within the margin of error	5%
Broadband subscriptions	73.4%2015-2019	83.2%2020-2024	+9.8 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Effective property tax rate	1.86%2015-2019	2.06%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	3%
High school diploma or higher	90.2%2015-2019	77.9%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	1.8×2020-2024	−0.5×	Within the margin of error	93%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4172015-2019	0.4492020-2024	+0.031	Within the margin of error	26%
Median household income	$41,6912015-2019	$56,7712020-2024	+36%	Within the margin of error	67%
Poverty rate	10.3%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	+6.6 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	43.9%2015-2019	35.6%2020-2024	−8.4 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	23.6%2015-2019	11.9%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	97%

“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 Elkhart, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Elkhart, 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, Elkhart, Kansas itself moved −3.7 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,661 residents (±187)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 60–69 women (+5.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,661 residents (±187)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

White70%1,170
Black0.1%†1
Hispanic or Latino26%437
Asian2.3%†38
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†1
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races0.8%†14

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,239 residents (±164)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

No high school diploma22%†274
High school or GED39%479
Some college19%†234
Associate degree7.5%†93
Bachelor's degree6.5%†81
Graduate degree6.3%†78

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (+12.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

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

Household income

618 households (±94)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k25%†153
$25k–50k19%†120
$50k–75k13%†82
$75k–100k17%†106
$100k–150k15%†93
$150k–200k1.9%†12
$200k or more8.4%†52

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−18.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

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

Owners and renters

618 households (±94)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

Own87%535
Rent13%†83

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+16.9 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

83 households (±50)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $75093%†77
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

535 homes (±95)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $150k78%419
$150k–250k20%†108
$250k–400k1.5%†8

Age of homes

824 homes (±82)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–20095.7%†47
1980–199912%†96

Size of homes

824 homes (±82)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

Studio0.4%†3
1 bedroom2.3%†19
2 bedrooms34%279

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

577 workers (±125)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone91%523
Carpool2.1%†12
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.0%†6
Bike0.0%0
Work from home6.2%†36
Other0.0%0

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

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

541 workers (±127)

Elkhart, Kansas
Kansas share

Under 15 min52%284
15–29 min26%†138
30–44 min17%†93

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Morton County, the county holding most of Elkhart's residents.

Morton County has 66 employer establishments, 254 for every 10,000 residents (1.02× the US rate of 248; 0.98× Kansas's), with 523 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,084. The Census Bureau also counts 176 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 66; 176 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 254; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 523
Average annual pay: $52,084; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	7	26.9	4.86×Too few to compare	19	$18,105	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	4	15.4	3.51×Too few to compare	14	$53,071	—
Banks and credit unions	3	11.5	3.57×Too few to compare	39	$57,128	—
Legal services	3	11.5	2.15×Too few to compare	12	$24,917	—
Motion picture and video industries	3	11.5	15.2×Too few to compare	78	$10,038	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	8
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Architectural, engineering and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	5

Rank places for an industry Open Morton County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 2,598 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 $71.41 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Elkhart, Kansas: $0.04 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $71.41; −80% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.04; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Forest Service$71.41100%

Top recipients

WCD ENTERPRISES, LLC$71.41100%

Spending by fiscal year

574.9FY2017
48.7FY2018
555.3FY2019
1.3KFY2020
312.7FY2021
2.3KFY2022
3.8KFY2023
657.7FY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$71.41100%

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 Elkhart, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Elkhart, Kansas's figures are part of those of Morton County, KS ($6,297 in FY2026), never added to them: 1.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Morton 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.

Elkhart, 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.

Morton County60100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Morton 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/2020350

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends