City · Finney County, Kansas

Garden City, Kansas

Garden City is a city in Finney County, Kansas, part of the Garden City, KS metro area. It has 27,819 residents. Garden City, Kansas has a quality-of-life score of 45 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,640 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kansas it ranks #144 of 202 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), child care cost burden (low) and rent-burdened households (low). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), voter turnout (low) and high school diploma or higher (low).

45Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,640 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kansas: #144 of 202 in KS
Population: 27,819 (2020-2024)
Land area: 11 mi²
Density: 2,482.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 2025325

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.

Safety25#11,727/15,637
Economy51#7,591/15,631
Housing98#327/14,977
Health47#8,272/15,609
Healthcare28#11,225/15,650
Environment77#3,560/15,453
Education6#14,638/15,649
Infrastructure61#6,182/15,650
Community35#10,183/15,651
Leisure & amenities42#9,035/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Distance to an Amtrak station · low2 mi
100/100Kansas 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFinney County value
Child care cost burden · low16.5%
99/100Kansas 18.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFinney County value
Rent-burdened households · low31.1%
99/100Kansas 43.5%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low19.7%
99/100Kansas 27.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Average commute time · low14.0 min
99/100Kansas 19.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100Kansas 8.8United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationFinney County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high189 mi
1/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauFinney County value
Voter turnout · low49.3%
4/100Kansas 62.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionFinney County value
High school diploma or higher · low68.9%
4/100Kansas 91.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Pharmacies · low0.8 /10k
8/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFinney County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Kansas 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFinney County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.8 /10k
10/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyFinney County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
2.0 /1k (2021) → 8.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+301%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.3% (2015-2019) → 91.6% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
37.7% (2015-2019) → 31.1% (2020-2024)
−6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$55,987 (2015-2019) → $72,865 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
24.0% (2015-2019) → 19.7% (2020-2024)
−4.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
14.1% (2015-2019) → 15.7% (2020-2024)
+1.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Garden City, Kansas improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved3

Rent / income−4.3 points24.0% → 19.7%
Broadband+12 points79.3% → 91.6%
Household income+30%$55,987 → $72,865

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Garden City, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.5 min2015-2019	14.0 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	42%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.6%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Broadband subscriptions	79.3%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	70%
Child poverty rate	16.2%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Effective property tax rate	1.50%2015-2019	1.41%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	35%
High school diploma or higher	69.9%2015-2019	68.9%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3882015-2019	0.3942020-2024	+0.007	Within the margin of error	45%
Median household income	$55,9872015-2019	$72,8652020-2024	+30%	Improved	56%
Poverty rate	12.4%2015-2019	11.0%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Rent as share of income	24.0%2015-2019	19.7%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Improved	80%
Rent-burdened households	37.7%2015-2019	31.1%2020-2024	−6.6 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Unemployment rate	3.9%2015-2019	2.7%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.1%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	28%

“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 Garden City, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Garden City, 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, Garden City, Kansas itself moved +3.4 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

27,819 residents (±52)

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

9,941 households (±295)

Garden City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k13%1,257
$25k–50k17%1,667
$50k–75k23%2,289

Homes

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

Owners and renters

9,941 households (±295)

Garden City, Kansas
Kansas share

Own60%5,985
Rent40%3,956

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

13,815 workers (±540)

Garden City, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone80%11,094
Carpool15%2,062
Public transit0.2%†26

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Garden City, KS

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 Finney County, the county holding most of Garden City's residents.

Finney County has 1,044 employer establishments, 276 for every 10,000 residents (1.11× the US rate of 248; 1.07× Kansas's), with 15,181 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,097. The Census Bureau also counts 2,723 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,044; 2,723 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 276; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 15,181
Average annual pay: $48,097; US $68,342

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

Truck transportation	81	21.4	4.23×More than typical	250	$58,472	357
Restaurants and other eating places	72	19	1.04×About typical	1,389	$18,892	18
Specialty trade contractors	64	16.9	1.09×About typical	548	$61,339	210
Ambulatory health care services	59	15.6	0.75×Fewer than typical	742	$60,880	70
Lessors of real estate	38	10	0.81×About typical	126	$34,730	202
Automotive repair and maintenance	36	9.5	1.89×More than typical	147	$43,517	69
Full-service restaurants	31	8.2	1.07×About typical	562	$21,171	9
Limited-service restaurants	27	7.1	0.89×About typical	633	$17,850	8
Building equipment contractors	26	6.9	1.14×About typical	279	$66,419	27
Construction of buildings	26	6.9	0.91×About typical	151	$53,265	102
Services to buildings and dwellings	26	6.9	1.02×About typical	426	$24,624	170
Religious organizations	23	6.1	1.10×About typical	155	$22,471	—

Rank places for an industry Open Finney County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 37,863 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 $15.34 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Garden City, Kansas: $0.00 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $15.34; −99% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.00; US $1,995
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

Drug Enforcement Administration$15.34100%

Top recipients

ATT MOBILITY LLC$15.34100%

Spending by fiscal year

676.8FY2017
5.2KFY2018
4.5KFY2019
6.2KFY2020
1.7KFY2021
4.3KFY2022
5.8KFY2023
4.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Wired and wireless telecommunications carriers · 5173$15.34100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Garden City, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Garden City, Kansas's figures are part of those of Finney County, KS ($1,058 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: Garden City is mostly in Finney County.

See federal money in Finney 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.

Garden City, 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.

Finney County56100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Garden City, KS49

Other cities and towns in Finney 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/2025325

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends