Ellis
Kansas

What stands out

If you had to describe Ellis County in numbers, start here: unemployment is in the bottom 4% of American counties (2.0%), high-school completion is in the top 5% of American counties (95%), and homeownership is in the bottom 9% of American counties (61%). Within Kansas it ranks 19th of 105 counties for unemployment, counting from the bottom.

Where you are

You live in Ellis County, Kansas. 28,921 people live here with you. The population held steady at 0.1% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -84).

Kansas stopped taxing Social Security entirely in 2024 and consolidated its brackets, and property taxes fall heavily on homeowners because agricultural land is assessed on use value. Johnson County, in the Kansas City suburbs, has the state's best-rated schools and highest home prices. The state sits squarely in Tornado Alley.

Money

The typical household here brings in $59,665 a year, lower than 53% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $47,061. Unemployment runs 2.0%, lower than 96% of American counties. 6% of workers work from home.

Kansas takes 5.4% of that median income in state income tax, about $3,242 a year.

Home

The median home costs $241K, pricier than 53% of American counties, about 2.3 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $824 a month. Property tax is 1.25% of home value, roughly $2,478 a year on that median home, higher than 75% of American counties. 61% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 3.3 per 1,000 residents, lower than 81% of American counties. Drug overdoses killed 9 people per 100,000 in 2024.

A child born here can expect to live 79.8 years, longer than 90% of American counties. There are 82 active physicians in the county, about 28.4 per 10,000 people. Medicare rates the local hospitals 3.0 of 5 stars. 9.5% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

Local students test at grade level 3.30 where 3.0 is national grade level, higher than 86% of American counties. 95% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 44 points, among the most lopsided counties in the country. 62% of eligible voters turned out. Under Kansas law you can carry a concealed handgun without a permit, abortion is protected by state law, and marijuana is illegal.

Weather and risk

The year averages 56°F, highs near 69 and lows near 42, colder than 51% of American counties. About 25 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 42 out of 100, safer than 58% of American counties; the county has had 15 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 161 Mbps down, slower than 66% of American counties. There are 4 airports in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 1.0 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people, 1 brewery, 3 museums.