Harper County, Kansas Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Harper 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 Harper County, Kansas. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Harper County, Kansas. The estimated population of Harper County, Kansas is 5,525 people, with a median age of 41.7.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
5,525
+0.35%
-3.85%
2020
5,506
 -1.57% -
2019
5,594
 -1.39% -
2018
5,673
 -1.27% -
2017
5,746
 - -

Population of Harper 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
89.4%
90.3%
 -1.00%
Black/African American
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Native
0.7%
2.3%
 -69.57%
Hispanic
6.5%
6.3%
 +3.17%
Asian
0.5%
0.2%
 +150.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.2%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.4%
0.7%
 +242.86%
Other
0%
0%
 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 Harper 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 41.7 -1.88% 39.7 +2.32% 43.7 -6.42%
2020 42.5 +0.24% 38.8 -1.77% 46.7 +0.86%
2019 42.4 +0.24% 39.5 -0.5% 46.3 +0.22%
2018 42.3 -0.47% 39.7 +0.51% 46.2 0%
2017 42.5 - 39.5 - 46.2 -

The median age of Harper 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 9 376 -13.14% 327 +19.14% 326 387
10 to 19 461 -4.08% 337 +29.19% 441 418
20 to 29 315 -20.82% 251 -13.47% 254 215
30 to 39 337 +4.42% 329 -19.19% 346 266
40 to 49 305 -8.24% 259 +11.13% 278 288
50 to 59 369 -24.17% 408 -17.39% 287 340
60 to 69 393 +11.6% 369 -3.72% 436 354
70+ 372 -5.17% 538 +0.23% 350 539

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Harper County, Kansas is $52,188.00.

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 Harper County.

  • Under 25
    $0.00
  • 25 to 44
    $56,848.00
  • 45 to 64
    $54,922.00
  • 65 and over
    $42,125.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Harper 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 Harper County, Kansas is currently $62,623.00.

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.

2.59% of households in Harper 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 Harper County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    22.23%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    25.23%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    25.77%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    9.94%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    10.44%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.81%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.59%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Harper County is $25,403.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Harper 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 Harper 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
    7.29%
  • Bachelor's degree
    17.02%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    18.59%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    54.56%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.53%

Employment

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

The total population of Harper County over the age of 16 is 4,299.

Of those people, a total of 54.30% 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 Harper County is 52.10%.

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 346 55.50% 26.60%
20 to 24 years 200 66.00% 6.80%
25 to 29 years 269 75.10% 1.00%
30 to 34 years 305 66.90% 0.00%
35 to 44 years 602 80.40% 1.70%
45 to 54 years 549 78.10% 2.10%
55 to 59 years 349 75.40% 1.90%
60 to 64 years 444 57.20% 1.20%
65 to 74 years 646 23.20% 3.30%
75 years and over 589 4.20% 20.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Harper 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 4,024 54.50% 4.10%
Black or African American 2 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 51 45.10% 0.00%
Asian 29 0.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 13 100.00% 0.00%
Other 77 42.90% 15.20%
Two or more races 103 69.90% 2.80%
Hispanic or Latino 265 40.80% 18.50%
Not Hispanic or Latino 3,890 55.20% 3.60%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Harper 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 Harper County is 2,238, with median earnings of $33,576.00.

Women in Harper County, Kansas earning approximately 56.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 2,238 $33,576.00
Male 1,237 $41,583.00
Female 1,001 $23,601.00

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 206 $42,903.00
Business and Financial 37 $66,250.00
Computer and Mathematical 4 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 25 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 14 $58,333.00
Community and Social Service 49 $16,615.00
Legal 7 $0.00
Educational and Library 150 $17,258.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 11 $65,536.00
Healthcare Practitioners 118 $31,667.00
Healthcare Support 96 $19,375.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 6 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 108 $12,143.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 87 $29,297.00
Personal Care and Service 42 $10,000.00
Sales 223 $42,604.00
Office and Administrative Support 234 $27,692.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 107 $27,917.00
Construction and Extraction 132 $32,708.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 180 $39,902.00
Production 232 $41,250.00
Transportation and Material Moving 61 $44,375.00

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 155 $43,024.00 51 $36,750.00
Business and Financial 23 $72,917.00 14 $46,875.00
Computer and Mathematical 0 $0.00 4 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 25 $0.00 0 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 6 $0.00 8 $0.00
Community and Social Service 9 $43,125.00 40 $16,563.00
Legal 7 $0.00 0 $0.00
Educational and Library 7 $0.00 143 $16,976.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 2 $0.00 9 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 4 $0.00 114 $31,111.00
Healthcare Support 0 $0.00 96 $19,375.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 0 $0.00 0 $0.00
Law Enforcement 6 $0.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 18 $6,786.00 90 $12,381.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 60 $32,045.00 27 $21,250.00
Personal Care and Service 8 $53,333.00 34 $9,167.00
Sales 112 $48,438.00 111 $26,205.00
Office and Administrative Support 57 $29,205.00 177 $26,417.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 100 $28,889.00 7 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 130 $32,917.00 2 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 157 $39,338.00 23 $0.00
Production 209 $50,417.00 23 $37,625.00
Transportation and Material Moving 55 $48,125.00 6 $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 2,204 households in Harper County, with an average household size of 2.44 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 1,417 families in Harper County with an average family size of 3.03 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 1,059 173 185 787
Average Household Size 3.13 3.12 3.35 1.14
Total Families 1,059 173 185 0
Average Household Size 3.06 2.65 3.21 0

Poverty

Of the 1,417 families in Harper County, 11.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Harper 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 3,053 housing units in Harper County, Kansas.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 2,204 72.19%
Vacant 849 27.81%

16.05% of the total 3,053 housing units in Harper County are rental units. This is approximately 490 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 1,581 are occupied by the owner - or 51.79% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Harper County is $642.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Harper 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
    133
  • Less than $500
    123
  • $500 to $999
    326
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    36
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    5
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Harper County is $71,700.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    526
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    590
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    208
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    82
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    123
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    36
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    16
  • $1,000,000 or more
    0

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    879
  • 1940 to 1949
    185
  • 1950 to 1959
    545
  • 1960 to 1969
    342
  • 1970 to 1979
    382
  • 1980 to 1989
    372
  • 1990 to 1999
    184
  • 2000 to 2009
    50
  • 2010 to 2013
    114
  • 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 Harper County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    55
  • 1 vehicle available
    636
  • 2 vehicles available
    842
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    671

Commuting to Work

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

17.4 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Harper 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
    489
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    427
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    230
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    273
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    150
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    65
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    139
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    31
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    38
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    120
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    81
  • 90 or more minutes
    34

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Harper 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 Harper County, Kansas

We have data for 11 places in Harper County, Kansas. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.