county

Elk County, KS

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

AI Overview

Elk County is a small, rural Kansas county with a population of 2,464 that has contracted 3.8% over five years, pointing to ongoing demographic pressure. The labor force participation rate is low at 51.1%, with 20.6% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and median worker earnings of $32,813 against a modest cost structure — median home values sit at $60,900 and median gross rent at $534 per month. The unemployment rate is 3.5%, the median age is 48.8 years, and a poverty rate of 16.7% reflects economic strain despite a homeownership rate of 78.8%.

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

Population

2,464

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$64,609

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

48.8 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-3.8% since 2018

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

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone2,167 (88.3%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races143 (5.8%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race91 (3.7%)
  • Some Other Race Alone26 (1.1%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone18 (0.7%)
  • Asian Alone6 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish9
  2. 2.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)7
  3. 3.Other Asian and Pacific Island6
  4. 4.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic3
  5. 5.Korean2

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

23.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

48.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

28.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

156

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$35,940

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$29,323

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

16.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance260
  2. 2.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining150
  3. 3.Construction (Group)112
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)71
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services68

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations420
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations193
  3. 3.Service Occupations170
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations117
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations115

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 8.91×)139
  2. 2.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.19×)271

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$60,900

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$534/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

78.8%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $150,000 to $174,99990 (11.4%)
  • $100,000 to $124,99975 (9.5%)
  • $40,000 to $49,99972 (9.1%)
  • $80,000 to $89,99958 (7.4%)
  • $50,000 to $59,99950 (6.4%)
  • $25,000 to $29,99944 (5.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

20.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

92.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

51.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$32,813

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

33.7 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

4.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone721 (72.8%)
  • Carpooled110 (11.1%)
  • Worked At Home101 (10.2%)
  • Walked51 (5.2%)
  • Other7 (0.7%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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