City · Seward County, Kansas

Liberal, Kansas

Liberal is a city in Seward County, Kansas, part of the Liberal, KS metro area. It has 19,316 residents. Liberal, Kansas has a quality-of-life score of 38 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,676 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kansas it ranks #160 of 202 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), rent-burdened households (low) and rent as share of income (low). It ranks worst on math scores (low), voter turnout (low) and mammography screening (low).

38Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,676 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kansas: #160 of 202 in KS
Population: 19,316 (2020-2024)
Land area: 12 mi²
Density: 1,606.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 2039825

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.

Safety41#9,296/15,637
Economy27#11,334/15,631
Housing92#1,204/14,977
Health39#9,479/15,609
Healthcare10#14,072/15,650
Environment85#2,281/15,453
Education3#15,112/15,649
Infrastructure32#10,617/15,650
Community63#5,806/15,651
Leisure & amenities42#9,113/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low14.3 min
98/100Kansas 19.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent-burdened households · low34.3%
97/100Kansas 43.5%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · low22.3%
96/100Kansas 27.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Depression · low18.1%
89/100Kansas 21.3%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Home price to income ratio · low2.2×
89/100Kansas 2.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Kansas 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSeward County value

Weaknesses

Math scores · low2.17
0/100Kansas 2.97United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSeward County value
Voter turnout · low39.7%
1/100Kansas 62.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionSeward County value
Mammography screening · low24.0%
1/100Kansas 50.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSeward County value
Distance to an airport · high196 mi
1/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauSeward County value
Reading scores · low2.38
1/100Kansas 3.00United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSeward County value
Hospital quality rating · low1.0
1/100Kansas 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSeward County value

Trends

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

Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
21.6% (2015-2019) → 14.2% (2020-2024)
−7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.1 /1k (2021) → 0.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−33%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$48,629 (2015-2019) → $63,706 (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.6% (2015-2019) → 88.3% (2020-2024)
+5.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
66.2% (2015-2019) → 71.4% (2020-2024)
+5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Poverty rateImproving
16.6% (2015-2019) → 13.1% (2020-2024)
−3.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Liberal, 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

Uninsured−7.4 points21.6% → 14.2%
Household income+31%$48,629 → $63,706
Broadband+5.7 points82.6% → 88.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Liberal, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.8 min2015-2019	14.3 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	54%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.9%2015-2019	9.8%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Broadband subscriptions	82.6%2015-2019	88.3%2020-2024	+5.7 points	Improved	36%
Child poverty rate	20.2%2015-2019	17.9%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Effective property tax rate	1.87%2015-2019	1.69%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
High school diploma or higher	66.2%2015-2019	71.4%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	81%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4002015-2019	0.4032020-2024	+0.003	Within the margin of error	48%
Median household income	$48,6292015-2019	$63,7062020-2024	+31%	Improved	58%
Poverty rate	16.6%2015-2019	13.1%2020-2024	−3.4 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent as share of income	23.9%2015-2019	22.3%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Rent-burdened households	36.8%2015-2019	34.3%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Unemployment rate	5.0%2015-2019	5.2%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	21.6%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	−7.4 points	Improved	93%

“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 Liberal, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Liberal, 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, Liberal, Kansas itself moved −0.2 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

19,316 residents (±422)

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

6,533 households (±266)

Liberal, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k11%†722
$25k–50k31%2,045
$50k–75k14%923

Homes

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

Owners and renters

6,533 households (±266)

Liberal, Kansas
Kansas share

Own59%3,881
Rent41%2,652

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

8,652 workers (±507)

Liberal, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone80%6,903
Carpool12%†1,076
Public transit0.0%†4

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 Liberal, 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 Seward County, the county holding most of Liberal's residents.

Seward County has 556 employer establishments, 263 for every 10,000 residents (1.06× the US rate of 248; 1.02× Kansas's), with 9,557 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,377. The Census Bureau also counts 1,372 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 556; 1,372 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 263; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 9,557
Average annual pay: $54,377; US $68,342

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

Truck transportation	40	18.9	3.74×More than typical	768	$63,599	235
Restaurants and other eating places	39	18.4	1.00×About typical	724	$18,887	27
Ambulatory health care services	38	18	0.86×About typical	290	$45,269	27
Specialty trade contractors	22	10.4	0.67×Fewer than typical	104	$50,385	83
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	8.5	1.69×More than typical	76	$46,882	39
Religious organizations	18	8.5	1.53×More than typical	75	$24,973	—
Full-service restaurants	17	8	1.05×About typical	329	$17,970	10
Limited-service restaurants	17	8	1.00×About typical	353	$20,008	10
Traveler accommodation	15	7.1	3.93×More than typical	103	$18,184	4
Lessors of real estate	14	6.6	0.54×Fewer than typical	36	$33,667	94
Clothing and accessories stores	13	6.1	1.69×More than typical	124	$16,444	7
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	6.1	1.40×More than typical	39	$42,308	4

Rank places for an industry Open Seward County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 21,155 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 $64.95 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Liberal, Kansas: $0.00 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $64.95; −83% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.00; 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

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$64.95100%

Top recipients

ALVAREZ LLC$64.95100%

Spending by fiscal year

907.1FY2017
4.4KFY2018
979.7FY2019
16KFY2020
45.6KFY2024
389.7FY2025
65FY2026

What was bought

IT & telecom

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$64.95100%

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

Liberal, Kansas's figures are part of those of Seward County, KS ($1,653 in FY2026), never added to them: 3.9% of that total.

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

See federal money in Seward 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.

Liberal, 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.

Seward County51100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Liberal, KS40

Other cities and towns in Seward County

Largest first.

Kismet414

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/2039825

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends