Ford County, Kansas Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Ford County, Kansas, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Ford County, Kansas. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Ford County, Kansas. The estimated population of Ford County, Kansas is 34,426 people, with a median age of 32.6.

We can look at the total population in Ford County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
34,426
+2.1%
-0.67%
2020
33,718
 -1.35% -
2019
34,179
 -0.88% -
2018
34,484
 -0.5% -
2017
34,658
 - -

Population of Ford County, Kansas by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
39%
40.8%
 -4.41%
Black/African American
1.8%
2.3%
 -21.74%
Native
0.1%
0.4%
 -75.00%
Hispanic
55.8%
53.9%
 +3.53%
Asian
1.2%
1.4%
 -14.29%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.1%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2%
1.2%
 +66.67%
Other
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Ford County, Kansas by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 32.6 +0.31% 31.8 0% 33.2 +0.3%
2020 32.5 +0.93% 31.8 +0.95% 33.1 +1.22%
2019 32.2 +0.94% 31.5 +0.64% 32.7 +1.24%
2018 31.9 +2.57% 31.3 +0.97% 32.3 +3.19%
2017 31.1 - 31 - 31.3 -

The median age of Ford County, Kansas gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 3,333 -11.36% 3,014 -2.47% 2,968 2,939
10 to 19 2,680 +10.68% 2,584 +4.05% 2,969 2,672
20 to 29 2,770 -2.16% 2,443 -15.29% 2,708 2,088
30 to 39 2,364 -12.13% 2,042 +3.1% 2,072 2,101
40 to 49 2,188 +3.58% 1,917 -0.94% 2,241 1,880
50 to 59 2,181 +5.82% 2,039 -7.62% 2,310 1,885
60 to 69 1,486 +15.22% 1,193 +17.54% 1,720 1,411
70+ 931 +2.91% 1,493 +1.31% 953 1,509

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Ford County, Kansas is $59,578.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Ford County.

  • Under 25
    $46,111.00
  • 25 to 44
    $64,277.00
  • 45 to 64
    $75,368.00
  • 65 and over
    $38,259.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Ford County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Ford County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Ford County, Kansas is currently $77,562.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

4.93% of households in Ford County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Ford County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    13.84%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    28.29%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.08%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.30%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.51%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.05%
  • $200,000 or more
    4.93%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Ford County is $26,753.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Ford County by the total population of Ford County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Ford County, Kansas, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Ford County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    11.95%
  • Bachelor's degree
    25.82%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    15.51%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    41.49%
  • Less than high school diploma
    5.22%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Ford County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Ford County over the age of 16 is 25,120.

Of those people, a total of 71.20% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Ford County is 68.50%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 2,242 46.60% 4.50%
20 to 24 years 2,263 81.30% 7.20%
25 to 29 years 2,533 87.90% 3.40%
30 to 34 years 2,084 86.20% 4.60%
35 to 44 years 4,200 84.00% 2.40%
45 to 54 years 4,076 87.50% 3.80%
55 to 59 years 2,129 81.10% 4.30%
60 to 64 years 1,826 67.90% 0.20%
65 to 74 years 2,182 35.30% 3.50%
75 years and over 1,585 9.30% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Ford County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 19,514 70.30% 3.60%
Black or African American 596 60.60% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 147 100.00% 5.40%
Asian 390 92.60% 3.90%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 31 0.00% 0.00%
Other 2,061 74.70% 6.70%
Two or more races 2,381 73.90% 3.00%
Hispanic or Latino 12,815 76.10% 5.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 10,979 66.00% 1.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Ford County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Ford County is 17,219, with median earnings of $37,805.00.

Women in Ford County, Kansas earning approximately 73.50% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 17,219 $37,805.00
Male 10,255 $41,547.00
Female 6,964 $30,538.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 1,241 $69,426.00
Business and Financial 555 $43,799.00
Computer and Mathematical 195 $84,596.00
Architecture and Engineering 122 $39,167.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 69 $93,897.00
Community and Social Service 145 $36,020.00
Legal 76 $250,001.00
Educational and Library 1,118 $43,259.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 92 $21,176.00
Healthcare Practitioners 717 $59,263.00
Healthcare Support 309 $25,375.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 43 $45,063.00
Law Enforcement 95 $58,631.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,014 $13,650.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 866 $22,807.00
Personal Care and Service 250 $20,323.00
Sales 1,505 $28,966.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,261 $33,700.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 494 $40,027.00
Construction and Extraction 1,221 $30,317.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 841 $62,031.00
Production 3,028 $36,706.00
Transportation and Material Moving 947 $44,563.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 823 $75,893.00 418 $65,000.00
Business and Financial 218 $50,100.00 337 $43,229.00
Computer and Mathematical 183 $84,518.00 12 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 122 $39,167.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 69 $93,897.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 37 $29,145.00 108 $36,447.00
Legal 60 $250,001.00 16 $0.00
Educational and Library 137 $53,844.00 981 $41,720.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 73 $21,875.00 19 $4,083.00
Healthcare Practitioners 168 $59,063.00 549 $59,766.00
Healthcare Support 78 $43,697.00 231 $18,188.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 43 $45,063.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 92 $58,810.00 3 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 313 $7,813.00 701 $14,472.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 515 $24,844.00 351 $15,457.00
Personal Care and Service 87 $66,399.00 163 $17,994.00
Sales 843 $28,856.00 662 $29,118.00
Office and Administrative Support 224 $63,182.00 1,037 $33,121.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 473 $32,159.00 21 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 1,113 $29,761.00 108 $52,632.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 828 $62,216.00 13 $0.00
Production 1,969 $38,817.00 1,059 $27,384.00
Transportation and Material Moving 922 $46,250.00 25 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 11,571 households in Ford County, with an average household size of 2.92 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 8,135 families in Ford County with an average family size of 3.48 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 6,127 529 1,479 3,436
Average Household Size 3.52 3.4 4.02 1.3
Total Families 6,127 529 1,479 0
Average Household Size 3.47 3.12 3.65 0

Poverty

Of the 8,135 families in Ford County, 10.30% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Ford County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 12,510 housing units in Ford County, Kansas.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 11,571 92.49%
Vacant 939 7.51%

29.10% of the total 12,510 housing units in Ford County are rental units. This is approximately 3,640 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 7,704 are occupied by the owner - or 61.58% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Ford County is $825.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Ford County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    227
  • Less than $500
    283
  • $500 to $999
    2,381
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    889
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    57
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    30

Property Value

The median value of a property in Ford County is $108,900.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Ford County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    1,405
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    2,200
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,225
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    987
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,064
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    708
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    112
  • $1,000,000 or more
    3

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Ford County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Ford County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,886
  • 1940 to 1949
    768
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,779
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,605
  • 1970 to 1979
    2,769
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,395
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,146
  • 2000 to 2009
    692
  • 2010 to 2013
    470
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Ford County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    510
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,947
  • 2 vehicles available
    4,857
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,257

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Ford County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Ford County that commute to work in a particular way.

13.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Ford County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    1,592
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    4,699
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    4,825
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    2,450
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,032
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    421
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    547
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    241
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    22
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    356
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    196
  • 90 or more minutes
    164

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Ford County, Kansas in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Ford County, Kansas

We have data for 17 places in Ford County, Kansas. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.