City profile · Kansas · Census ACS 2023

Garden City, KS

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Garden City — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

27,781
Residents
$72,511
Median income
$186,200
Median home
$947
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Garden City, KS

Garden City is a city in Kansas with a population of 27,781 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $72,511 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 7.5%. Typical homes in Garden City are valued around $186,200, and the median resident age is 32.7 years. About 18.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 66.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 35 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 46% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 2592.5 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Kansas registers 90.1 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $947 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $217 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 29.9 out of 100 (Very Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

27,781 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Kansas

Median Household Income

$72,511 /yr

Poverty 7.5%

Cost of Living Index

90.1 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Garden City compare to other US cities?

Where Garden City sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 53% higher than other cities
Home value 39% pricier than other cities
Median rent 6% pricier than other cities
Safety 21% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Garden City against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Garden City, KS Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Garden City, KS. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Garden City, KS — median $72,511/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Garden City, KS — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 18.7%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.5%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 66.9%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
27,781
Median Income
$72,511
Median Home Value
$186,200
Median Age
32.7
Poverty Rate
7.5%
Labor force participation
66.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.7%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
2592.5
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
511.9
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
2080.6
per 1,000 residents

Schools

Total Schools
18
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
35
housing units authorized
Single-Family
35
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
1.3
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 65
2020 74
2021 57
2022 137
2023 52
2024 35

Permit volume decreased 46% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
81.5%
Carpool
14.9%
Public Transit
0.2%
Walk
0.7%
Work from Home
2.2%

Based on 13,734 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Kansas — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$110
avg/month
Natural Gas
$65
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$217
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Kansas state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Kansas state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
90.1
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$947/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
29.9 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Garden City, KS Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Garden City, KS — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Garden City compares to nearby Kansas cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Garden City) plus the nearest peer cities in Kansas, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

KS

Garden City

72.51% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$72,511
Brackets
28
Selected

KS

Dodge City

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,770
Brackets
28
Selected

KS

Derby

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,580
Brackets
26
Selected

KS

Emporia

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,410
Brackets
24
Census ACS 5-year FIPS KS FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Garden City, KS?

What is the population of Garden City, KS? +

Garden City, KS has a population of 27,781 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Garden City, KS? +

The median household income in Garden City is $72,511 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Garden City? +

Garden City has a cost of living index of 90.1 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Garden City, KS safe? +

Garden City has a total crime rate of 2592.5 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Garden City, KS? +

The median home value in Garden City is $186,200, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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