Wathena, KS

Census Place

2024 Population

1,554

US Senator

Jerry Moran

Republican Party

US Senator

Roger Marshall

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

46.2

5.13% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

5.65%

23.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$87,222

3.18% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$161,800

Population & Diversity

Wathena, KS is home to a population of 1.55k people, from which 99.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.06% of Wathena, KS residents were born outside of the country (32 people).

In 2024, there were 16.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.44k people) in Wathena, KS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 89 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 15 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.7% of Wathena, KS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Wathena, KS was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Wathena, KS

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.44k ± 217
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
89 ± 33
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Hispanic)
15 ± 28

1.61%

Hispanic Population

25 people

1.61% of the people in Wathena, KS are hispanic (25 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
84,373 ± 7,029 people
India
14,412 ± 2,940 people
Vietnam
10,201 ± 2,475 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kansas was Mexico, the natal country of 84,373 Kansas residents, followed by India with 14,412 and Vietnam with 10,201.

Foreign-Born Population

2.06%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

32 people

1.44%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

21 people

As of 2024, 2.06% of Wathena, KS residents (32 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 Wathena, KS was 1.44%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
28 ± 27
Vietnam
16 ± 24
Gulf War (1990s)
6 ± 9

Wathena, KS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.75 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Wathena, KS employs 844 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Wathena, KS were Manufacturing (196 people), Retail Trade (113 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (102 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($92,692), Transportation & Warehousing ($91,875), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($74,545).

Employment

Occupations

844

2024 Value

± 162

−0.589%

1 Year decline

± 27.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wathena, KS declined at a rate of −0.589%, from 849 employees to 844 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Wathena, KS, are Management Occupations (126 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (85 people), and Production Occupations (75 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Wathena, 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

844

2024 Value

± 162

−0.589%

1 Year decline

± 27.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Wathena, KS declined at a rate of −0.589%, from 849 employees to 844 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Wathena, KS, are Manufacturing (196 people), Retail Trade (113 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (102 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Wathena, KS, though some of these residents may live in Wathena, KS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,506

Median earning men ± $11,106

$47,072

Median earning women ± $8,714

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($92,788), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($74,886), and Construction ($62,865).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($81,607), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,500), and Public Administration ($49,792).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Wathena, KS was $161,800 in 2024, which is 0.486 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $154,800 to $161,800, a 4.52% increase. The homeownership rate in Wathena, KS is 83.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Wathena, KS have an average commute time of 20.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Wathena, KS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$161,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$23,928

$513

Median Property Taxes

±$107

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 Wathena, KS the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

83.6%

Homeownership

2024

63%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 83.6% of the housing units in Wathena, KS were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 85.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Wathena, 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.

$87,222

Median Household Income

± $9,361

614

Number of Households

± 122

In 2024, the median household income of the 614 households in Wathena, KS grew to $87,222 from the previous year's value of $84,531.

The following chart displays the households in Wathena, 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 Wathena, KS is from Kansas.

0.459

2024 Wage GINI in Kansas

0.458

2023 Wage GINI in Kansas

In 2024, the income inequality in Kansas was 0.459 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.185% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Kansas was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (79.5%)
Carpooled (12.3%)
Worked At Home (3.89%)

In 2024, 79.5% of workers in Wathena, KS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (12.3%) and those who worked at home (3.89%).

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

20.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Wathena, KS have a shorter commute time (20.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Wathena, KS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.65% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Wathena, KS (86 out of 1.52k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 45 - 54.

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

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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