county

Ellis County, KS

Demographic and economic profile of Ellis County, KS, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Ellis County, KS has a population of 28,870 with a median age of 33.2 years, reflecting a younger workforce anchored in part by Fort Hays State University, which contributes to a relatively high educational attainment rate of 39.5% holding bachelor's degrees or higher. The labor market is tight, with unemployment at 3.2% and labor force participation at 72.5%, while median worker earnings of $33,102 sit below the median household income of $63,084, suggesting multi-income households are common. Housing costs remain low, with a median home value of $211,100 and median gross rent of $899/month, and a mean commute of just 13.0 minutes, though flat population growth and a 17.7% poverty rate point to underlying economic pressures.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

28,870

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$63,084

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

33.2 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-0.0% since 2018

Ellis County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone25,650 (88.7%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race1,011 (3.5%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races652 (2.3%)
  • Some Other Race Alone550 (1.9%)
  • Black or African American Alone533 (1.8%)
  • Asian Alone452 (1.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish1,141
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic285
  3. 3.Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)153
  4. 4.Other Indo-European77
  5. 5.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)59

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

20.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

64.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

15.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

2.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

879

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$60,423

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$37,575

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

17.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance5,533
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)2,076
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services2,037
  4. 4.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services993
  5. 5.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining946

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations6,659
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations3,190
  3. 3.Service Occupations3,187
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,997
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations1,421

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 4.13×)1,089
  2. 2.Information (LQ 1.57×)485
  3. 3.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.45×)5,599
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.41×)2,040
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 1.04×)1,873

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$211,100

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$899/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

63.2%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,9991,191 (15.4%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9991,051 (13.6%)
  • $150,000 to $174,999864 (11.2%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999850 (11.0%)
  • $175,000 to $199,999802 (10.4%)
  • $400,000 to $499,999664 (8.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

39.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

95.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

72.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$33,102

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

12.9 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

3.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone12,701 (78.3%)
  • Walked1,256 (7.7%)
  • Carpooled1,109 (6.8%)
  • Worked At Home1,003 (6.2%)
  • Other85 (0.5%)
  • Motorcycle57 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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More on FDI Connect

Compare Ellis County against other US geographies, save it to your shortlist, see active property listings on the interactive map, and unlock the full demographic dashboard.

Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.