City · Ness County, Kansas

Ness City, Kansas

Ness City is a city in Ness County, Kansas. It has 1,162 residents. Ness City, Kansas has a quality-of-life score of 75 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,907 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kansas it ranks #35 of 202 cities and towns. It ranks best on violent crime rate (low), social associations (high) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on dentists (low), injury deaths (high) and access to exercise opportunities (low).

75High

Quality-of-life score: #3,907 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kansas: #35 of 202 in KS
Population: 1,162 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 798.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 2049925

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety95#758/15,637
Economy61#6,169/15,631
Housing84#2,460/14,977
Health43#8,844/15,609
Healthcare25#11,676/15,650
Environment83#2,660/15,453
Education85#2,410/15,649
Infrastructure43#8,897/15,650
Community76#3,825/15,651
Leisure & amenities45#8,613/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Violent crime rate · low0 /100k
100/100Kansas 457 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationNess County value
Social associations · high34.4 /10k
100/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNess County value
Public libraries · high7.6 /10k
100/100Kansas 1.3 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesNess County value
Job growth · high10.9%
100/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataNess County value
Students per teacher · low8.8×
100/100Kansas 13.3×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsNess County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Kansas 18.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataNess County value

Weaknesses

Dentists · low0 /100k
0/100Kansas 64 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNess County value
Injury deaths · high201 /100k
1/100Kansas 88 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNess County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low11.1%
1/100Kansas 80.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNess County value
Distance to an airport · high146 mi
3/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauNess County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyNess County value
Premature death · high14,713 /100k
4/100Kansas 8,407 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHigh uncertaintyNess County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,571 (2015-2019) → 1,162 (2020-2024)
−26%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
11.8% (2015-2019) → 25.3% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.4% (2015-2019) → 89.5% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
15.7% (2015-2019) → 26.6% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
2.6% (2015-2019) → 10.5% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
5.2% (2015-2019) → 11.5% (2020-2024)
+6.3 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, Ness City, Kansas improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+11 points78.4% → 89.5%

Declined2

Rent / income+14 points11.8% → 25.3%
Poverty+6.3 points5.2% → 11.5%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Ness City, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.8 min2015-2019	13.6 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.2%2015-2019	29.6%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Broadband subscriptions	78.4%2015-2019	89.5%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	65%
Effective property tax rate	2.00%2015-2019	1.77%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	64%
High school diploma or higher	90.6%2015-2019	91.6%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Home price to income ratio	1.4×2015-2019	1.8×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	54%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4232015-2019	0.5092020-2024	+0.086	Within the margin of error	7%
Median household income	$61,6812015-2019	$64,5832020-2024	+4.7%	Within the margin of error	11%
Poverty rate	5.2%2015-2019	11.5%2020-2024	+6.3 points	Declined	9%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	11.8%2015-2019	25.3%2020-2024	+14 points	Declined	6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.7%2015-2019	7.8%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	76%

“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 Ness City, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ness 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, Ness City, Kansas itself moved −10 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

1,162 residents (±193)

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: Under 10 men (−4.5 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

1,162 residents (±193)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

White81%940
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino15%†171

Education

807 residents (±119)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

No high school diploma8.4%†68
High school or GED31%247
Some college23%184

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

504 households (±87)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k16%†82
$25k–50k20%†103
$50k–75k18%†93
$75k–100k11%†56
$100k–150k21%107
$150k–200k5.0%†25
$200k or more7.5%†38

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 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

504 households (±87)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

Own82%413
Rent18%†91

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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

64 households (±27)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $75055%†35
$750–1,00030%†19
$1,000–1,50016%†10

Home values

413 homes (±76)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $150k66%272
$150k–250k24%†98
$250k–400k6.1%†25

Age of homes

588 homes (±84)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

2010 or later3.4%†20
2000–20094.1%†24
1980–19998.0%†47

Size of homes

588 homes (±84)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

Studio1.4%†8
1 bedroom8.3%†49
2 bedrooms22%131

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

647 workers (±118)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone82%530
Carpool10%†67
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.8%†5
Bike0.0%0
Work from home7.0%†45
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−2.1 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

602 workers (±114)

Ness City, Kansas
Kansas share

Under 15 min73%441
15–29 min18%†111
30–44 min0.5%†3

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

Ness County has 122 employer establishments, 464 for every 10,000 residents (1.87× the US rate of 248; 1.80× Kansas's), with 807 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,756. The Census Bureau also counts 268 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 122; 268 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 464; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 807
Average annual pay: $47,756; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	9	34.2	6.17×Too few to compare	26	$12,115	—
Specialty trade contractors	7	26.6	1.72×Too few to compare	10	$25,800	17
Truck transportation	7	26.6	5.27×Too few to compare	62	$51,194	3
Banks and credit unions	6	22.8	7.06×Too few to compare	35	$60,086	—
Commercial and industrial machinery repair	5	19	28.0×Too few to compare	30	$54,600	—
Ambulatory health care services	4	15.2	0.73×Too few to compare	12	$17,333	4
Building equipment contractors	4	15.2	2.53×Too few to compare	6	$23,167	4
Offices of other health practitioners	4	15.2	2.50×Too few to compare	12	$17,333	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	3	11.4	6.53×Too few to compare	7	$26,143	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	3	11.4	2.60×Too few to compare	9	$36,111	4
Veterinary services	3	11.4	11.2×Too few to compare	24	$22,542	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	6

Rank places for an industry Open Ness County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 2,629 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Ness 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.

Ness 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.

Ness County81100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Ness 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

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