Barton County, KS

County

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2024 Population

25,097

US Senator

Jerry Moran

Republican Party

US Senator

Roger Marshall

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

15.4%

4.49% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$58,851

3.73% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$126,400

7.85% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

11,928

1.59% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Barton County, KS reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

97.1% of the residents in Barton County, KS are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Barton County, KS are Barton County Community College (913 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Barton County, KS was $126,400, and the homeownership rate was 65.2%.

Most people in Barton County, KS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Barton County, KS was 2 cars per household.

Barton County, KS borders Ellsworth County, KS, Pawnee County, KS, Rice County, KS, Rush County, KS, Russell County, KS, and Stafford County, KS.

United States Kansas Great Bend, KS

Population & Diversity

Barton County, KS is home to a population of 25.1k people, from which 97.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.95% of Barton County, KS residents were born outside of the country (1.24k people).

In 2024, there were 7.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (19.8k people) in Barton County, KS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.54k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 708 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Barton County, KS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Barton County, KS was 97.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Barton County, KS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Barton County, KS

White (Non-Hispanic)
19.8k ± 65
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
2.54k ± 487
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
708 ± 108

16.7%

Hispanic Population

4.18k people

16.7% of the people in Barton County, KS are hispanic (4.18k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Barton County, KS as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Kansas.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
83,075 ± 6,976 people
India
12,929 ± 2,785 people
Vietnam
10,325 ± 2,490 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kansas was Mexico, the natal country of 83,075 Kansas residents, followed by India with 12,929 and Vietnam with 10,325.

Foreign-Born Population

4.95%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.24k people

3.92%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

990 people

As of 2024, 4.95% of Barton County, KS residents (1.24k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Barton County, KS was 3.92%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Barton County, KS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
593 ± 114
Gulf War (1990s)
262 ± 126
Gulf War (2001-)
206 ± 114

Barton County, KS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.26 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Barton County, KS.

Economy

The economy of Barton County, KS employs 11.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Barton County, KS were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,827 people), Construction (1,250 people), and Retail Trade (1,054 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($109,500), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($77,857), and Transportation & Warehousing ($71,833).

Employment

Occupations

11.9k

2024 Value

± 749

−1.59%

1 Year decline

± 8.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Barton County, KS declined at a rate of −1.59%, from 12.1k employees to 11.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Barton County, KS, are Management Occupations (1,419 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,293 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (1,018 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Barton County, KS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kansas.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kansas (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

11.9k

2024 Value

± 749

−1.59%

1 Year decline

± 8.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Barton County, KS declined at a rate of −1.59%, from 12.1k employees to 11.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Barton County, KS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,827 people), Construction (1,250 people), and Retail Trade (1,054 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Barton County, KS, though some of these residents may live in Barton County, KS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,886

Median earning men ± $1,972

$33,860

Median earning women ± $3,032

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($93,804), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($86,397), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($65,508).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($46,823), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($46,604), and Public Administration ($42,180).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kansas.

Y-Axis

3.11%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.44M people employed in Kansas. This represents a 3.11% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Kansas.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

79
Other Services (except Public Administration)
57
Construction
50
Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$85.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$55k
Manufacturing
$51.4k
Construction

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kansas went to Donald J. Trump with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.23%).

Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall are the senators currently representing the state of Kansas. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Kansas is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Barton County, KS. Showing the available data for Kansas.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (57.2%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (41%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.23%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kansas went to Donald J. Trump with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (41%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.23%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Kansas for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Kansas

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Kansas.

Jerry Moran

Senator from Kansas

Assumed office on January 3, 2011

Roger Marshall

Senator from Kansas

Assumed office on January 3, 2021

Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall are the senators currently representing Kansas.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Kansas over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Barton County, KS awarded 913 degrees. The student population of Barton County, KS in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,926 male students and 2,467 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Barton County, KS are White (610 and 66.8%), Black or African American (112 and 12.3%), Hispanic or Latino (92 and 10.1%), and Two or More Races (52 and 5.7%).

The largest universities in Barton County, KS by number of degrees awarded are Barton County Community College (913 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Barton County, KS are Liberal Arts & Sciences (298 and 32.6%), Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (109 and 11.9%), and General Studies (71 and 7.78%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 4,393 students enrolled in Barton County, KS, 43.8% men and 56.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,763 records, of which 57.8% were women and 42.2% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
298 degrees awarded
General Studies
71 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
51 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Barton County, KS was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 298 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Barton County, KS according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Barton County Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

913 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Barton County Community College with 913 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 324 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Barton County, KS, which is 0.55 times less than the 589 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 610 degrees mean that there were 5.45 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 112 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($2,432) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,472) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,460) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Barton County, KS was $126,400 in 2024, which is 0.38 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $117,200 to $126,400, a 7.85% increase. The homeownership rate in Barton County, KS is 65.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Barton County, KS have an average commute time of 15.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Barton County, KS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.48% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Barton County, KS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.277%.

Housing

Property

$126,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,964

$6,764

Median Property Taxes

±$472

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Barton County, KS the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Barton County, KS compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

65.2%

Homeownership

2024

64.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 65.2% of the housing units in Barton County, KS were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 66.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Barton County, KS compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$58,851

Median Household Income

± $3,181

10.4k

Number of Households

± 663

In 2024, the median household income of the 10.4k households in Barton County, KS grew to $58,851 from the previous year's value of $56,733.

The following chart displays the households in Barton County, KS distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Barton County, KS is from Kansas.

0.458

2023 Wage GINI in Kansas

0.462

2022 Wage GINI in Kansas

In 2023, the income inequality in Kansas was 0.458 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.893% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kansas was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kansas in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kansas across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (81%)
Worked At Home (8.66%)
Carpooled (6.89%)

In 2024, 81% of workers in Barton County, KS drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.66%) and those who carpooled to work (6.89%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

15.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Barton County, KS have a shorter commute time (15.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.59% of the workforce in Barton County, KS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Barton County, KS compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Barton County, KS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Barton County, KS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.48% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Barton County, KS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.277%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

15.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Barton County, KS (3.79k out of 24.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Barton County, KS is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 19% of the children was living in poverty in Barton County, KS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.5%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 364 in Barton County, KS. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 1.04 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

88.8% of the population of Barton County, KS has health coverage, with 44.1% on employee plans, 16.2% on Medicaid, 15.4% on Medicare, 12.2% on non-group plans, and 1.02% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Barton County, KS see 1,576 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,576 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1791 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 377 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,576 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Barton County, KS

Primary care physicians in Barton County, KS see an average of 1,576 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,576 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Barton County, KS in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.7% under 18 years, 19.9% between 18 and 34 years, 34.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

11.2%

Uninsured

44.1%

Employer Coverage

16.2%

Medicaid

15.4%

Medicare

12.2%

Non-Group

1.02%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Barton County, KS declined by 0.602% from 11.3% to 11.2%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Barton County, KS changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 55.7 in Barton County, KS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Barton County, KS.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.3% in Barton County, KS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Barton County, KS.