Scores by category

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

Safety57#395/924
Economy53#433/925
Housing95#45/925
Health60#366/925
Healthcare22#723/923
Environment68#294/917
Education12#813/925
Infrastructure32#627/925
Community54#430/925
Leisure & amenities81#179/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Rent-burdened households · low28.0%
100/100Kansas 43.5%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Average commute time · low12.7 min
100/100Kansas 19.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Distance to an Amtrak station · low3 mi
100/100Kansas 30 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · low16.2%
100/100Kansas 18.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Rent as share of income · low20.6%
99/100Kansas 27.1%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.401
98/100Kansas 0.457United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low44.6%
2/100Kansas 62.9%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · low76.5%
3/100Kansas 91.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
3/100Kansas 0.4%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Public EV charging ports · low0.6 /10k
4/100Kansas 4.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Some college · low44.6%
4/100Kansas 70.3%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high140 mi
5/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
2% (2021) → 54% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+52 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Median Air Quality IndexWorsening
11 (2020) → 28 (2025)
+155%5 years
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
67.0% (2010 & 2021) → 82.8% (2022 & 2024)
+16 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
New business applicationsImproving
5.5 /1k (2020) → 9.3 /1k (2025)
+70%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.9 /10k (2020) → 1.5 /10k (2025)
+68%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Property crime rateImproving
2,313 /100k (2020) → 839 /100k (2025)
−64%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /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, Dodge City, KS micropolitan area improved on 13 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 9 moved within the margin of error and 6 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 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved13

Gyms+68%0.9 /10k → 1.5 /10k
Rent / income−3.8 points24.4% → 20.6%
Violent crime−59%448 /100k → 181 /100k
Property crime−64%2,313 /100k → 839 /100k
Household income+37%$51,711 → $70,781

Declined1

Firearm deaths+41%11.8 /100k → 16.6 /100k

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Dodge City, KS micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.5 /10k2020	4.4 /10k2025	+26%	Improved	82%
Average commute time	13.1 min2015-2019	12.7 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	74%
Average weekly wage	$9492020	$1,0062025	+6%	Improved	0%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.7%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	+3 points	Improved	53%
Broadband subscriptions	78.3%2015-2019	87.0%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Improved	48%
Child poverty rate	21.4%2015-2019	17.5%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Distance to an airport	140 mi2020	140 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	10.0 /100k2020	8.2 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−18%	Improved	42%
Effective property tax rate	1.61%2015-2019	1.34%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Firearm deaths	11.8 /100k2020	16.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+41%	Declined	13%
Grocery stores	1.8 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+0.6%	Little change	54%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+68%	Improved	92%
High school diploma or higher	73.6%2015-2019	76.5%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	96%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,8122019	$56,8162024	+30%	Improved	34%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4132015-2019	0.4012020-2024	−0.012	Within the margin of error	81%
Median household income	$51,7112015-2019	$70,7812020-2024	+37%	Improved	90%
New business applications	5.5 /1k2020	9.3 /1k2025	+70%	Improved	79%
Pharmacies	1.2 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	+0.6%	Little change	74%
Poverty rate	14.5%2015-2019	14.0%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Property crime rate	2,313 /100k2020	839 /100k2025	−64%	Improved	97%
Public libraries	0.9 /10k2019	0.9 /10k2024	−2.7%	Little change	40%
Rent as share of income	24.4%2015-2019	20.6%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Improved	95%
Rent-burdened households	35.1%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	−7 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Restaurants and bars	9.9 /10k2020	10.0 /10k2025	+0.6%	Little change	49%
Traffic deaths	17.0 /100k2015-2019	14.6 /100k2020-2024	−14%	Improved	82%
Unemployment rate	3.4%2020	3.0%2025	−0.4 points	Little change	1%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	15.7%2015-2019	17.8%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Violent crime rate	448 /100k2020	181 /100k2025	−59%	Improved	98%

“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 Dodge City, KS micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dodge City, 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, Dodge City, KS micropolitan area itself moved +3.1 points in standing on average over the same 29 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

34,074 residents

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

11,796 households (±245)

Dodge City, KS micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k13%1,515
$25k–50k21%2,441
$50k–75k19%2,212

Homes

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

Owners and renters

11,796 households (±245)

Dodge City, KS micropolitan area
United States share

Own62%7,371
Rent38%4,425

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

16,447 workers (±508)

Dodge City, KS micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone80%13,168
Carpool14%2,270
Public transit0.0%0

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 Dodge City, 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.

Dodge City, KS has 803 employer establishments, 235 for every 10,000 residents (0.95× the US rate of 248), with 15,828 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,443. The Census Bureau also counts 2,313 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 803; 2,313 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 235; US 248
Paid employees: 15,828
Average annual pay: $52,443; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	64	18.7	1.02×About typical	1,170	$19,163	30
Ambulatory health care services	54	15.8	0.76×Fewer than typical	545	$63,046	52
Specialty trade contractors	45	13.2	0.85×About typical	279	$53,659	156
Full-service restaurants	32	9.4	1.22×About typical	410	$18,302	18
Truck transportation	31	9.1	1.79×More than typical	192	$64,661	290
Offices of other health practitioners	25	7.3	1.20×About typical	98	$57,439	23
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	6.1	1.22×About typical	157	$31,338	63
Insurance agencies and brokerages	21	6.1	1.40×More than typical	73	$48,151	18
Limited-service restaurants	21	6.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	681	$19,919	9
Religious organizations	21	6.1	1.11×About typical	117	$27,291	—
Lessors of real estate	20	5.9	0.48×Fewer than typical	55	$40,164	144
Clothing and accessories stores	18	5.3	1.45×More than typical	142	$16,937	24

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 34,156 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 $441.6K on contracts performed in Dodge City, KS micropolitan area: $12.99 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $441.6K; −25% vs FY2025
Per resident: $12.99; US $1,994
Sole-source: 7.4%; 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$396.4K90%
Agricultural Research Service$32.9K7.4%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$12.4K2.8%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

760.1KFY2017
54.1KFY2018
88.1KFY2019
945.5KFY2020
193.5KFY2021
-65.2KFY2022
83.2KFY2023
39.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$383.9K87%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$32.9K7.4%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$24.9K5.6%

Largest awards

KS104 REPAIR CU-1/NE023 SOFFITS$383.9K
KHOTOL SERVICES CORPORATION· Ford County, KS· Construction & real property· May 29, 2026 – May 29, 2026· W911SA26FA189
KS104 CUSTODIAL SERVICE BASE YR$53.7K
LEE BYONG S· Ford County, KS· Facilities & utilities· Jul 29, 2022 – Apr 27, 2026· W911SA22P3061
SOIL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS ON 256 DRIED, NOT GROUND, SOIL SAMPLES AND PLANT NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS ON 192 DRIED AND GROUND PLANT SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM THE 2025 GROWING SEASON OF THE MANURE PRIMING PROJECT RESEARCH STUDY.$32.9K
SERVI TECH, INC.· Ford County, KS· Professional services· May 28, 2026 – May 28, 2026· 1232SA26P0275
NON-PERSONAL SERVICE TO PROVIDE ALL LABOR, TRANSPORTATION, EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS, SUPERVISION AND OTHER ITEMS NECESSARY TO MANAGE AND PERFORM GROUNDS MAINTENANCE SERVICES AT 1501 S. 14TH AVE. DODGE CITY, KS 67801.

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.

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 $140.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Dodge City, KS micropolitan area: $4,130 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $140.4M; −16% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,130; US $12,955
Loan face value: $7.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 8.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$79.5M57%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$8.8M6.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$7.8M5.5%
20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$7.7M5.5%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$7M5.0%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$5.3M3.8%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$3M2.2%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$2.9M2.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

SKYWEST AIRLINES INC$7.7M5.5%
SAINT GEORGE, UT
KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$3M2.1%
TOPEKA, KS
DODGE CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE$2.6M1.9%
DODGE CITY, KS
DODGE CITY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 443$2.6M1.9%
DODGE CITY, KS
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF DODGE CIT$1.7M

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$98.9M70%
Farm Service Agency$8.5M6.0%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$8.1M5.8%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation$7.7M5.5%
Department of Transportation
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Assistance by fiscal year

143.7MFY2021
123.3MFY2022
193.5MFY2023
143MFY2024
167.4MFY2025
140.4MFY2026

County aggregates

77%

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 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Dodge City, 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.

Ford CountyCentral county5633,993

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Dodge CityPrincipal city27,613

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.

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 2026-09-29
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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M19980

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined1

Metro and micro areas like Dodge City, 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 Dodge City, KS

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Kansas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved13

Declined1

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 buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type