Scores by category

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

Safety10#835/924
Economy70#278/925
Housing81#176/925
Health50#462/925
Healthcare71#269/923
Environment3#888/917
Education67#308/925
Infrastructure92#73/925
Community53#433/925
Leisure & amenities23#708/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low12 mi
96/100Kansas 51 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · high6.1 /1k
83/100Kansas 4.2 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Cost of buying a home today · low25.9%
82/100Kansas 26.9%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Primary care physicians · high86 /100k
82/100Kansas 79 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high49.4%
81/100Kansas 46.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · low2,096 /100k
80/100Kansas 2,534 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Property crime rate · high3,431 /100k
0/100Kansas 1,797 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Violent crime rate · high894 /100k
1/100Kansas 457 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.9 µg/m³
10/100Kansas 8.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high3 days
12/100Kansas 1 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high50
13/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Drug overdose deaths · high25.1 /100k
17/100Kansas 15.3 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
1% (2021) → 21% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+21 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
3.7 /1k (2021) → 6.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+65%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
New business applicationsImproving
8.5 /1k (2020) → 13.8 /1k (2025)
+63%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.1% (2015-2019) → 91.2% (2020-2024)
+9.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
18.9% (Dec 2021) → 25.9% (Aug 2026)
+7 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
36.5 /100k (2021) → 25.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−31%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /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, Wichita, KS metro area improved on 12 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 9 moved within the margin of error and 7 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.

Improved12

Suicides−27%23.5 /100k → 17.2 /100k
Firearm deaths−26%22.5 /100k → 16.6 /100k
Unemployment−4 points8.1% → 4.1%
New businesses+63%8.5 /1k → 13.8 /1k
Gyms+18%0.7 /10k → 0.8 /10k

Declined3

Traffic deaths+7.5%12.3 /100k → 13.2 /100k
Pharmacies−8.3%1.3 /10k → 1.2 /10k
Price / income+0.4×2.4× → 2.8×

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Wichita, KS metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.7 /10k2020	3.0 /10k2025	+12%	Improved	58%
Average commute time	19.9 min2015-2019	20.0 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	60%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.6%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Improved	19%
Broadband subscriptions	82.1%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+9.2 points	Improved	53%
Child poverty rate	17.4%2015-2019	17.0%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Distance to an airport	12 mi2020	11 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	89%
Drug overdose deaths	25.3 /100k2020	25.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−0.8%	Little change	28%
Effective property tax rate	1.36%2015-2019	1.23%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	50%
Firearm deaths	22.5 /100k2020	16.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−26%	Improved	89%
Grocery stores	1.1 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	+1.9%	Little change	58%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.8 /10k2025	+18%	Improved	68%
High school diploma or higher	90.1%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Home price to income ratio	2.4×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	53%
Homicide rate	10.0 /100k2020	7.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−30%	Improved	56%
Income adjusted for local prices	$55,2192019	$69,9202024	+27%	Improved	14%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4452015-2019	0.4532020-2024	+0.008	Within the margin of error	31%
Median household income	$57,3792015-2019	$70,6552020-2024	+23%	Improved	29%
New business applications	8.5 /1k2020	13.8 /1k2025	+63%	Improved	73%
Pharmacies	1.3 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−8.3%	Declined	50%
Poverty rate	13.0%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Property crime rate	4,004 /100k2020	3,431 /100k2025	−14%	Improved	16%
Public libraries	0.7 /10k2019	0.7 /10k2024	−0.5%	Little change	59%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.5%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Rent as share of income	27.9%2015-2019	27.2%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	45.1%2015-2019	43.6%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Restaurants and bars	7.7 /10k2020	7.6 /10k2025	−1.3%	Little change	39%
Suicide rate	23.5 /100k2020	17.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−27%	Improved	90%
Traffic deaths	12.3 /100k2015-2019	13.2 /100k2020-2024	+7.5%	Declined	49%
Unemployment rate	8.1%2020	4.1%2025	−4 points	Improved	79%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.8%2015-2019	12.0%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Violent crime rate	929 /100k2020	894 /100k2025	−3.8%	Little change	31%

“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 Wichita, KS metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Wichita, KS metro 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, Wichita, KS metro area itself moved +1.5 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

652,622 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

254,776 households (±1,415)

Wichita, KS metro area
United States share

Under $25k14%36,656
$25k–50k20%51,602
$50k–75k18%47,006

Homes

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

Owners and renters

254,776 households (±1,415)

Wichita, KS metro area
United States share

Own65%166,350
Rent35%88,426

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

311,074 workers (±2,787)

Wichita, KS metro area
United States share

Drive alone79%247,264
Carpool9.0%27,907
Public transit0.5%1,592

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Wichita, KS employ 72,120 people. 10 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Wichita, KS by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers11,580 jobs	11,580	$27,420US $31,200	−12%	1.51×
Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers9,460 jobs	9,460	$59,850US $65,380	−8%	140×
Retail Salespersons7,530 jobs	7,530	$30,760US $35,410	−13%	0.97×
Registered Nurses7,460 jobs	7,460	$76,540US $97,550	−22%	1.11×
Cashiers7,070 jobs	7,070	$28,430US $32,880	−14%	1.15×
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive6,290 jobs	6,290	$41,480US $47,540	−13%	1.86×
Customer Service Representatives5,950 jobs	5,950	$39,330US $44,770	−12%	1.16×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides5,850 jobs	5,850	$30,600US $35,800	−15%	0.68×
Stockers and Order Fillers5,710 jobs	5,710	$34,510US $37,330	−8%	1.02×
Nursing Assistants5,220 jobs	5,220	$37,290US $42,260	−12%	1.82×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Wichita, KS.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Wichita, KS has 15,367 employer establishments, 235 for every 10,000 residents (0.95× the US rate of 248), with 267,681 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,097. The Census Bureau also counts 48,882 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 15,367; 48,882 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 235; US 248
Paid employees: 267,681
Average annual pay: $57,097; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,482	22.7	1.09×About typical	17,820	$66,654	2,419
Restaurants and other eating places	1,181	18.1	0.98×About typical	25,141	$19,544	194
Specialty trade contractors	1,062	16.2	1.05×About typical	11,248	$61,356	3,183
Lessors of real estate	676	10.3	0.84×About typical	2,941	$45,695	5,597
Limited-service restaurants	581	8.9	1.11×About typical	12,236	$18,382	78
Offices of physicians	480	7.3	1.13×About typical	7,212	$90,872	539
Offices of other health practitioners	477	7.3	1.20×About typical	2,244	$47,270	1,360
Religious organizations	477	7.3	1.31×More than typical	4,329	$23,802	—
Full-service restaurants	459	7	0.91×About typical	11,214	$20,743	78
Services to buildings and dwellings	431	6.6	0.98×About typical	4,105	$34,194	2,763
Construction of buildings	408	6.2	0.82×About typical	4,039	$65,178	1,332
Insurance agencies and brokerages	394	6	1.37×More than typical	1,852	$70,240	867

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 654,057 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 $290.4M on contracts performed in Wichita, KS metro area: $438 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $290.4M; −74% vs FY2025
Per resident: $438; US $1,995
Sole-source: 43%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.5%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$169M58%
Federal Aviation Administration$74M25%
Department of the Air Force$50.8M17%
Department of the Army$30M10%
Department of Veterans Affairs$23M7.9%
Agricultural Marketing Service$14.1M4.9%
Bureau of Land Management$8.3M2.9%
Department of the Navy$7.5M2.6%

Top recipients

ENVISION XPRESS INC$99.3M34%
TEXTRON AVIATION INC$76.2M26%
LEADING TECHNOLOGY COMPOSITES INC$52.1M18%
TEXTRON AVIATION DEFENSE LLC$28.7M9.9%
D-J ENGINEERING INC$19.5M6.7%

Spending by fiscal year

476.4MFY2017
508.7MFY2018
451.9MFY2019
462.6MFY2020
556.6MFY2021
831MFY2022
644.8MFY2023
878.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$129.3M45%
Support activities for air transportation · 4881$105.2M36%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$25.9M8.9%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$25M8.6%
Animal slaughtering and processing · 3116$14.1M4.9%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$12M

Largest awards

METS A/C FULL RATE PRODUCTION LOT I$677M
TEXTRON AVIATION INC· Sedgwick County, KS· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Jan 25, 2023 – May 13, 2026· N0001923C0020
PROCURE MODIFIED COMMERCIAL KING AIR 360ER AIRCRAFT - FPFM$181.1M
TEXTRON AVIATION INC· Sedgwick County, KS· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· May 21, 2026 – May 26, 2026· 6973GH26F00864
BUILDING PARTNERSHIP CAPACITY T-6C AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION$139M
TEXTRON AVIATION DEFENSE LLC· Sedgwick County, KS· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Aug 12, 2022 – Feb 9, 2026· FA861722C6238
LETTER CONTRACT

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 $4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Wichita, KS metro area: $6,022 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $4B; −3.8% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,022; US $12,957
Loan face value: $200.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 2.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$2.5B63%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$386.8M9.7%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$276.2M6.9%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$212.8M5.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$103.3M2.6%
12.630 · Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering$64.9M1.6%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$61.6M1.5%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$53.6M1.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY$134.7M3.4%
WICHITA, KS
CITY OF WICHITA$31.4M0.8%
WICHITA, KS
KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$29.1M0.7%
TOPEKA, KS
CHILD START, INC.$15.1M0.4%
WICHITA, KS
WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS OF APPLIED SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY

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$3.1B78%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$437.3M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Farm Service Agency$78.3M2.0%
Department of Agriculture
Department of Education$76.3M1.9%
Department of the Army$64.9M1.6%

Assistance by fiscal year

3.5BFY2021
3.5BFY2022
3.6BFY2023
3.8BFY2024
4.2BFY2025
4BFY2026

County aggregates

90%

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 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Wichita, 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.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

WichitaPrincipal city397,945

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 2026-09-29
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
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M48620

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like Wichita, KS metro 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

Look up any occupation

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 Wichita, 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

Declined3

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

Look up any occupation

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