City · Trego County, Kansas

WaKeeney, Kansas

WaKeeney is a city in Trego County, Kansas. It has 1,852 residents. WaKeeney, Kansas has a quality-of-life score of 88 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,912 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Kansas it ranks #17 of 202 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an emergency room (low), social associations (high) and suicide rate (low). It ranks worst on dentists (low), distance to an airport (high) and flu vaccinations (low).

88Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,912 of 15,651 cities and towns
Kansas: #17 of 202 in KS
Population: 1,852 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,038.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2074450

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 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.

Safety89#1,696/15,637
Economy58#6,533/15,631
Housing92#1,240/14,977
Health78#3,374/15,609
Healthcare62#5,892/15,650
Environment86#2,238/15,453
Education52#7,567/15,649
Infrastructure68#4,973/15,650
Community99#216/15,651
Leisure & amenities42#9,041/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where WaKeeney, Kansas ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Trego 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 emergency room · low1.5 mi
100/100Kansas 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesTrego County value
Social associations · high29.3 /10k
100/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTrego County value
Suicide rate · low0.0 /100k
100/100Kansas 18.4 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTrego County value
Public EV charging ports · high36.5 /10k
99/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyTrego County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Kansas 16.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataTrego County value
Pharmacies · high3.7 /10k
99/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTrego County value

Weaknesses

Dentists · low0 /100k
0/100Kansas 64 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTrego County value
Distance to an airport · high162 mi
2/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauTrego County value
Flu vaccinations · low25.0%
3/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTrego County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Kansas 1.0 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTrego County value
Average weekly wage · low$894
5/100Kansas $1,216United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTrego County value
Math scores · low2.64
11/100Kansas 2.97United States 3.032018University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTrego County value

Trends

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

Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
19.4% (2015-2019) → 31.4% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
12.6% (2015-2019) → 5.8% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Median household incomeImproving
$51,941 (2015-2019) → $68,438 (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeImproving
17.6 min (2015-2019) → 12.7 min (2020-2024)
−28%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.5% (2015-2019) → 90.7% (2020-2024)
+5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Income inequality (Gini index)Worsening
0.397 (2015-2019) → 0.471 (2020-2024)
+19%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, WaKeeney, Kansas improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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

Bachelor's++12 points19.4% → 31.4%

Declined1

Inequality+0.0740.397 → 0.471

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of WaKeeney, Kansas between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.6 min2015-2019	12.7 min2020-2024	−5.0 min	Within the margin of error	90%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.4%2015-2019	31.4%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	94%
Broadband subscriptions	85.5%2015-2019	90.7%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Effective property tax rate	1.95%2015-2019	1.49%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	88%
High school diploma or higher	93.9%2015-2019	95.9%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	1.8×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3972015-2019	0.4712020-2024	+0.074	Declined	9%
Median household income	$51,9412015-2019	$68,4382020-2024	+32%	Within the margin of error	59%
Poverty rate	7.8%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Rent as share of income	30.1%2015-2019	30.4%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent-burdened households	50.2%2015-2019	50.3%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.6%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Within the margin of error	92%

“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 WaKeeney, Kansas five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of WaKeeney, 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, WaKeeney, Kansas itself moved −0.7 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

1,852 residents (±164)

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

854 households (±85)

WaKeeney, Kansas
Kansas share

Under $25k15%†129
$25k–50k22%†187
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

854 households (±85)

WaKeeney, Kansas
Kansas share

Own80%687
Rent20%†167

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

975 workers (±111)

WaKeeney, Kansas
Kansas share

Drive alone71%693
Carpool15%†151
Public transit0.0%0

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 Trego County, the county holding most of WaKeeney's residents.

Trego County has 127 employer establishments, 463 for every 10,000 residents (1.86× the US rate of 248; 1.79× Kansas's), with 707 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,024. The Census Bureau also counts 288 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 127; 288 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 463; US 248 · Kansas 258
Paid employees: 707
Average annual pay: $42,024; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	8	29.2	5.26×Too few to compare	24	$8,417	—
Truck transportation	8	29.2	5.77×Too few to compare	14	$45,643	10
Restaurants and other eating places	7	25.5	1.39×Too few to compare	71	$15,479	—
Ambulatory health care services	6	21.9	1.05×Too few to compare	47	$54,766	12
Automotive repair and maintenance	5	18.2	3.62×Too few to compare	7	$43,857	8
Full-service restaurants	5	18.2	2.37×Too few to compare	46	$16,000	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	5	18.2	4.15×Too few to compare	12	$28,667	3
Offices of other health practitioners	5	18.2	3.00×Too few to compare	13	$41,385	6
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	4	14.6	8.35×Too few to compare	8	$40,875	—
Gasoline stations	4	14.6	4.50×Too few to compare	26	$29,462	—
Legal services	4	14.6	2.71×Too few to compare	6	$9,333	3
Transportation equipment manufacturing	4	14.6	42.0×Too few to compare	32	$41,969	—

Rank places for an industry Open Trego County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 2,743 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: WaKeeney is mostly in Trego County.

See federal money in Trego 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.

WaKeeney, 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.

Trego County89100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Trego 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/2074450

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends