Scores by category

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

Safety28#11,316/15,637
Economy22#12,252/15,631
Housing84#2,381/14,977
Health32#10,666/15,609
Healthcare37#9,891/15,650
Environment72#4,327/15,453
Education36#10,037/15,649
Infrastructure29#11,181/15,650
Community69#4,872/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,309/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Kansas 15.3 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBarton County value
Average commute time · low14.0 min
99/100Kansas 19.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Child care cost burden · low19.0%
97/100Kansas 18.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBarton County value
Social associations · high18.1 /10k
96/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBarton County value
Rent-burdened households · low41.8%
92/100Kansas 43.5%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.0 /10k
91/100Kansas 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBarton County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low30.0%
8/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBarton County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high17.6%
10/100Kansas 10.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Average weekly wage · low$960
12/100Kansas $1,216United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBarton County value
Distance to an airport · high89 mi
13/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBarton County value
Broadband subscriptions · low85.6%
14/100Kansas 90.7%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Suicide rate · high22.0 /100k
14/100Kansas 18.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataBarton County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
15,358 (2015-2019) → 14,479 (2020-2024)
−5.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.3% (2015-2019) → 85.6% (2020-2024)
+7.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
29.7% (2015-2019) → 23.0% (2020-2024)
−6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.0× (2015-2019) → 2.5× (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
14.8% (2015-2019) → 17.6% (2020-2024)
+2.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$47,574 (2015-2019) → $54,139 (2020-2024)
+14%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Great Bend, Kansas improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 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.

Improved1

Broadband+7.3 points78.3% → 85.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Great Bend, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.7 min2015-2019	14.0 min2020-2024	−1.7 min	Within the margin of error	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.6%2015-2019	19.9%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Broadband subscriptions	78.3%2015-2019	85.6%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Improved	45%
Child poverty rate	29.7%2015-2019	23.0%2020-2024	−6.6 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Effective property tax rate	1.85%2015-2019	1.53%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	77%
High school diploma or higher	87.9%2015-2019	86.5%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	+0.5×	Within the margin of error	50%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4292015-2019	0.4672020-2024	+0.038	Within the margin of error	22%
Median household income	$47,5742015-2019	$54,1392020-2024	+14%	Within the margin of error	22%
Poverty rate	19.4%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Rent as share of income	25.3%2015-2019	26.8%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Rent-burdened households	39.5%2015-2019	41.8%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Unemployment rate	3.6%2015-2019	4.7%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.8%2015-2019	17.6%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	20%

“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 Great Bend, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Great Bend, 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, Great Bend, Kansas itself moved −8.3 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

14,479 residents (±31)

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: 30–39 men (+2.0 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

14,479 residents (±31)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

White70%10,159
Black0.5%†78
Hispanic or Latino25%3,600

Education

9,721 residents (±284)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

No high school diploma14%1,314
High school or GED27%2,667
Some college26%2,494

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

6,043 households (±268)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k19%1,174
$25k–50k28%1,665
$50k–75k17%1,049
$75k–100k15%912
$100k–150k13%785
$150k–200k5.1%†310
$200k or more2.4%†148

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−6.2 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

6,043 households (±268)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

Own56%3,378
Rent44%2,665

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−7.4 points).

Table view

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

Rent paid

2,420 households (±312)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $75049%1,175
$750–1,00026%624
$1,000–1,50023%558

Home values

3,378 homes (±254)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $150k54%1,840
$150k–250k27%924
$250k–400k14%†485

Age of homes

7,185 homes (±206)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

2010 or later5.7%†410
2000–20092.9%†205
1980–199912%885

Size of homes

7,185 homes (±206)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

Studio0.5%†36
1 bedroom11%759
2 bedrooms39%2,799

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

6,644 workers (±423)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone84%5,574
Carpool6.2%†412
Public transit0.1%†8
Walk2.4%†161
Bike0.8%†54
Work from home5.9%†394
Other0.6%†41

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Carpool (−4.2 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

6,250 workers (±411)

Great Bend, Kansas
Kansas share

Under 15 min70%4,348
15–29 min20%1,223
30–44 min5.6%†352

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

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 Great Bend, 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 Barton County, the county holding most of Great Bend's residents.

Barton County has 866 employer establishments, 347 for every 10,000 residents (1.40× the US rate of 248; 1.35× Kansas's), with 9,604 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,409. The Census Bureau also counts 2,183 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 866; 2,183 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 347; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 9,604
Average annual pay: $48,409; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	50	20.1	1.30×More than typical	331	$72,166	130
Ambulatory health care services	46	18.4	0.89×About typical	420	$58,655	51
Restaurants and other eating places	42	16.8	0.92×About typical	677	$18,718	9
Religious organizations	35	14	2.53×More than typical	212	$21,887	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	27	10.8	2.15×More than typical	90	$43,833	43
Building equipment contractors	26	10.4	1.73×More than typical	172	$56,767	8
Lessors of real estate	26	10.4	0.85×About typical	97	$32,443	232
Banks and credit unions	22	8.8	2.73×More than typical	156	$68,115	—
Construction of buildings	22	8.8	1.17×About typical	91	$42,703	59
Full-service restaurants	20	8	1.04×About typical	310	$18,313	—
Truck transportation	20	8	1.59×More than typical	131	$69,038	58
Insurance agencies and brokerages	19	7.6	1.73×More than typical	206	$59,083	41

Rank places for an industry Open Barton County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 24,935 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 $796 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Great Bend, Kansas: $0.05 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $796
Per resident: $0.05; 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

Department of the Army$796100%

Top recipients

SHIELD SERVICES LLC$796100%

Spending by fiscal year

4.4KFY2017
1.9KFY2018
1.6KFY2019
1.1KFY2020
2.1KFY2021
3.1KFY2022
154.6KFY2023
40.5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$796100%

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 Great Bend, Kansas, so they do not add up across cities.

Great Bend, Kansas's figures are part of those of Barton County, KS ($16.4K in FY2026), never added to them: 4.9% of that total.

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

See federal money in Barton 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.

Great Bend, 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.

Barton County71100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Great Bend, KS65

Other cities and towns in Barton 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/2028300

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends