Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety45#513/924
Economy21#729/925
Housing40#557/925
Health34#611/925
Healthcare41#543/923
Environment6#863/917
Education47#493/925
Infrastructure29#654/925
Community69#292/925
Leisure & amenities5#881/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low19.3%
97/100Kansas 18.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · low2.1×
96/100Kansas 2.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Distance to an emergency room · low3.6 mi
96/100Kansas 5.2 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Social associations · high17.0 /10k
95/100Kansas 13.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100Kansas 4.5 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · low1,807 /100k
89/100Kansas 2,534 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-4.4%
3/100Kansas 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Public EV charging ports · low0.3 /10k
3/100Kansas 4.8 /10kUnited States 7.7 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
9/100Kansas 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high2,055 /100k
10/100Kansas 1,797 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high3 days
10/100Kansas 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · low5.5 /10k
11/100Kansas 7.9 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
1% (2021) → 32% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+30 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateImproving
4.4 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
4.3 /1k (2020) → 8.2 /1k (2025)
+92%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
37.1% (2015-2019) → 50.9% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
59.4% (2010 & 2021) → 71.9% (2022 & 2024)
+12 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Firearm deathsImproving
28.9 /100k (2021) → 14.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k

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, Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area improved on 12 of 23 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 0 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with 2025); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Homicides−100%6.9 /100k → 0.0 /100k
New businesses+92%4.3 /1k → 8.2 /1k
Firearm deaths−34%21.9 /100k → 14.5 /100k
Suicides−18%23.0 /100k → 18.9 /100k
Arts & recreation+13%2.3 /10k → 2.6 /10k

Declined7

Rent burden+14 points37.1% → 50.9%
Restaurants−24%7.2 /10k → 5.5 /10k
Pharmacies−33%1.7 /10k → 1.2 /10k
Gyms−33%0.9 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Commute+2.0 min19.1 min → 21.1 min

All 23 measures

Change of every measure of Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.3 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	+13%	Improved	60%
Average commute time	19.1 min2015-2019	21.1 min2020-2024	+2.0 min	Declined	12%
Average weekly wage	$8102020	$9912025	+22%	Improved	40%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.8%2015-2019	24.5%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Improved	49%
Broadband subscriptions	75.6%2015-2019	84.3%2020-2024	+8.6 points	Improved	48%
Distance to an airport	41 mi2020	41 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	12.4 /100k2020	14.6 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+18%	Declined	19%
Firearm deaths	21.9 /100k2020	14.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−34%	Improved	94%
Grocery stores	0.9 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+0.4%	Little change	53%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−33%	Declined	10%
High school diploma or higher	90.7%2015-2019	90.6%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	6%
Homicide rate	6.9 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$44,4482019	$55,9422024	+26%	Improved	11%
New business applications	4.3 /1k2020	8.2 /1k2025	+92%	Improved	93%
Pharmacies	1.7 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−33%	Declined	7%
Property crime rate	2,965 /100k2020	2,055 /100k2025	−31%	Improved	43%
Public libraries	0.9 /10k2019	0.9 /10k2024	+1.6%	Little change	74%
Rent-burdened households	37.1%2015-2019	50.9%2020-2024	+14 points	Declined	1%
Restaurants and bars	7.2 /10k2020	5.5 /10k2025	−24%	Declined	2%
Suicide rate	23.0 /100k2020	18.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−18%	Improved	85%
Traffic deaths	14.2 /100k2015-2019	16.9 /100k2020-2024	+19%	Declined	29%
Unemployment rate	6.8%2020	4.2%2025	−2.6 points	Improved	37%
Violent crime rate	359 /100k2020	322 /100k2025	−10%	Improved	41%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area 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, Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area itself moved −5.3 points in standing on average over the same 22 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

34,411 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

13,387 households (±380)

Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k19%2,493
$25k–50k25%3,394
$50k–75k18%2,449
$75k–100k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

13,387 households (±380)

Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area
United States share

Own68%9,117
Rent32%4,270

Table view

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

14,943 workers (±485)

Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone78%11,616
Carpool14%2,093
Public transit0.1%†15

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 no occupation wages for Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area.

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.

Arkansas City-Winfield, KS has 719 employer establishments, 210 for every 10,000 residents (0.85× the US rate of 248), with 10,889 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,631. The Census Bureau also counts 2,043 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 719; 2,043 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 210; US 248
Paid employees: 10,889
Average annual pay: $44,631; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Arkansas City-Winfield, KS by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	63	18.4	0.88×About typical	532	$52,957	88
Restaurants and other eating places	46	13.4	0.73×Fewer than typical	760	$16,759	8
Religious organizations	41	12	2.16×More than typical	172	$17,738	—
Specialty trade contractors	35	10.2	0.66×Fewer than typical	175	$58,074	161
Limited-service restaurants	24	7	0.87×About typical	563	$15,171	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	6.1	1.22×About typical	88	$39,920	49
Banks and credit unions	21	6.1	1.90×More than typical	232	$55,397	—
Offices of other health practitioners	21	6.1	1.01×About typical	104	$54,413	41
Services to buildings and dwellings	19	5.6	0.82×About typical	105	$22,495	144
Insurance agencies and brokerages	18	5.3	1.20×About typical	39	$40,231	33
Building equipment contractors	17	5	0.83×About typical	111	$61,514	32
Full-service restaurants	17	5	0.65×Fewer than typical	170	$22,371	5

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 34,204 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $4.2M on contracts performed in Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area: $122 per resident (US $2,008).

Obligations: $4.2M; −98% vs FY2025
Per resident: $122; US $2,008
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Coast Guard$5.1M100%

Top recipients

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY$5.1M100%
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY-$879.7K0.0%

Spending by fiscal year

17.7MFY2017
26.1MFY2018
204.9MFY2019
93.6MFY2020
65.5MFY2021
278.9MFY2022
367.8MFY2023
209.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$4.2M100%

Largest awards

PACER PHANTOM$171.9M
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY· Cowley County, KS· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Sep 5, 2024 – Nov 3, 2025· SPRTA124F0352
PACER PHANTOM$102.2M
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY· Cowley County, KS· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Sep 30, 2025 – Nov 3, 2025· SPRTA125F0317
PACER PHANTOM$3.1M
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY· Cowley County, KS· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· May 1, 2024 – May 14, 2026· SPRTA124F0207
PACER PHANTOM$2.5M

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $248.5M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area: $7,227 per resident (US $12,990).

Assistance · FY2026: $248.5M; −2.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,227; US $12,990
Loan face value: $6.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 6.5%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$141.2M57%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$18M7.3%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$17.1M6.9%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$14.4M5.8%
20.263 · Bridge Formula Program$13.3M5.4%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$7.3M2.9%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$6.4M2.6%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$6.2M2.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$12.8M5.2%
TOPEKA, KS
COWLEY COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE$6.1M2.4%
ARKANSAS CITY, KS
SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE$2.2M0.9%
WINFIELD, KS
ARKANSAS CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 470$1.9M0.8%
ARKANSAS CITY, KS
COWLEY COUNTY HOUSING AUTH

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$179.6M72%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$19.2M7.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$13.1M5.3%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$13M5.2%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education$8.4M

Assistance by fiscal year

215.7MFY2021
202.8MFY2022
222.1MFY2023
217.9MFY2024
255.8MFY2025
248.5MFY2026

County aggregates

82%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Arkansas City-Winfield, KS

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Cowley CountyCentral county3834,382

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Kansas

Areas based in Kansas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M11680

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Arkansas City-Winfield, KS micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Arkansas City-Winfield, KS

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Kansas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined7

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought