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Greater Wichita Facts-at-a-Glance

 Wichita MSA Metro Quick Facts

 

Population

596,452

Civilian Labor Force

316,859

Unemployed

13,531

Unemployment Rate

4.3%
Manufacturing Employment (Percent of Total) 66,500 (22%)

   Over double the national manufacturing percentage of 10%. 

   According to Industry Week magazine (April 2001): Wichita Ranks #1 

   in manufacturing among metro areas with populations under one million,

   and 13th overall among the top manufacturing cities in the United States.

   Much of the workforce is accustomed to shift work due to the industrial

   history of the area.

 
Average Annual Pay - All Sectors $36,710
    $3,980 or 9.8% below the national average of $40,690  
Population Source: U.S. Census Bureau (July 2007)
Civilian Labor Force, Unemployed, Unemployment Rate Source: Kansas Dept. of Labor, four-county MSA (June 2008)
Manufacturing Employment Source: Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, four-county MSA (June 2008)
Average Annual Pay Source: Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2007)
 

 

Educational Attainment
Nearly 88% of residents age 25 and over are high school graduates. About 7% hold associate degrees, 17% hold bachelor's degrees and 9% have advanced degrees. Another 25% have some college credit. Wichita public schools are among the first in the U.S. to incorporate workplace skill standards into curriculum development and graduation requirements. In April 2000, Wichita voters approved (by a 2-to-1 margin) a $284 million school bond issue to fund new school buildings, modernization and expansion of existing schools and enhanced student computer facilities. The funding also provided for installation of air conditioning in every school facility. As of August 2006, all bond projects were substantially completed. 
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2006)

 

 Quick Facts

 

Median Age  35.4
Kansas Corporate Income Tax - Marginal Rate 7.35%
Typical Wichita Commercial Property Tax 2.95125%

    Percent of appraised market value

    ($28.35 per $1,000 of appraised value)

 
Combined State & Local Sales Tax (Sedgwick County) 6.30%
Kansas Manufacturing Worker's Comp Cost Index 0.842
    Nearly 16% below the national average of 1.000  
Economical and Reliable Utilities 99.976%

    Wichita area electric power is extremely reliable (99.976% uptime).

    Large commercial-industrial rates are generally in the 3.5 - 4.5 cent

    per kwh range. Large volume natural gas customers purchasing open

    market commodity gas can obtain transportation (delivery) rates in the

    range of $0.06 to $0.08 per Therm ($0.59 to $0.78 per MCF). Combined

    water/sewer charges run as low as $2.71 per 1,000 gallons. It is not

    necessary to qualify for economic development incentives

    to obtain such rates.

 
EPA Air Quality Attainment Area YES

    South Central Kansas is an EPA air quality attainment

    area in which environmental regulation does not exceed

    federal EPA requirements.

 
Overall Cost of Living Index 89.8
Existing Single-Family Home Median Sale Price $112,700
    $83,600 or 43% below the national median price of $196,300  
Newly-Built Single-Family Home Median Sale Price $191,770
    $41,930 or 18% below the national median price of $233,700  
Two-Bedroom Apartment Average Rent $657

    $140 or 18% lower than the national average of $797

    (Unfurnished 950 sq ft, 11⁄2 or 2 bath, stove, refrigerator,

    water/sewer in rent)

 
Violent Crime Rate (per 100,000 population) 944
Property Crime Rate (per 100,000 population) 5,784

    City of Wichita - Rates per 100,000 population.

    Wichita's violent crime rate is about half the average

    for cities of comparable population.

 
Average One-Way Commute Time 18.5 minutes

    Approximately 26% shorter than the national average

    of 25 minutes

 
Median Age Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2006)
Kansas Corporate Income Tax Source: Kansas Dept. of Revenue
Typical Wichita Commercial Property Tax Source: Sedgwick County Clerk
Combined State & Local Sales Tax Source: Kansas Dept. of Revenue
Kansas Manufacturing Worker's Comp Cost Index Source: Actuarial & Technical Solutions (2007)
Economical and Reliable Utilities Source: Utility Providers
EPA Air Quality Attainment Area Source: Kansas Dept. of Health & Environment
Overall Cost of Living Index Source: ACCRA Cost of Living Survey (Q1-2008)
Existing Single-Family Home Median Sale Price Source: National Association of Realtors (Q1-2008)
Newly-Built Single-Family Home Median Sale Price Source: National Association of Realtors (Q1-2008)
Two-Bedroom Apartment Average Rent Source: ACCRA Cost of Living Survey (Q1-2008)
Crime Rate Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report (Preliminary 2007)
Commute Time Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2006)
 

 

Effective Average Rental Rate 

 

Downtown Office-Class A $ 13.00 
Downtown Office-Class B $ 9.00 
Suburban Office-New Construction $ 25.00 
Suburban Office-Class A $ 19.00 
Suburban Office-Class B $ 12.00
Industrial-Bulk Warehouse $ 3.08
Industrial-Manufacturing $ 3.25
Industrial-High Tech/R&D $ 10.00
    (Rental Rate/Square Foot/Year)  
Commercial Construction Cost Index 85.6

    Includes materials and installation – over 14% below

    national average of 100.0

 
Effective Average Rental Rate Source: NAI Global Market Report (2008)
Commercial Construction Cost Source: Means Construction Cost Indexes (April 2008)
 

 

Contacts:
President:
Vicki Pratt Gerbino
Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition
350 W. Douglas
Wichita, KS 67202
P: (316) 268-1133
F: (316) 265-7502
VGerbino@gwedc.org
www.gwedc.org
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