Ellis County, Kansas: commercial real estate data.
Ellis County, Kansas has a population of 28,920 across 900 square miles, up 0.3 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $2.05 bn in 2024, 1,110 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 110 7(a) approvals worth $37.2 m.
118 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Ellis County
How many people live in Ellis County
- Population28,920
- Households12,251
- Average household size2.36
- Median household income$63,084
- Median age33.2
- Median gross rent$943 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$216,300
- Home value to household income3.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher38.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree14.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over17,374
- Population under 185,820
- Share under 1820.1 percent
- Population 65 and over4,616
- Share 65 and over16.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6418,484
- Civilian labor force17,006
- Unemployment rate3.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over73.6 percent
- Rank by population among Kansas counties21st of 105
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1507th
Ellis County is the 21st largest of 105 Kansas counties by population. A median home costs 3.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 20.1 percent against 16.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ellis County
Is Ellis County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.25 percent
- Census 2020 base population28,935
- Births, 2024287
- Deaths, 2024228
- Natural change, 202459
- Net domestic migration, 2024-104
- Net international migration, 2024132
- Total net migration, 202428
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-347
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1735th
The county has grown 0.25 percent since the 2020 census base.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ellis County
Where people moving to Ellis County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving691
- People arriving, from those returns1,093
- Adjusted gross income arriving$31.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$46,098
- Largest single originEllis County Non-migrants (10,489 households)
- Largest single destination (10,489 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis County Non-migrants | 10,489 | 21,098 | $857.4 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 301 | 430 | $12.6 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 220 | 365 | $11.4 m |
| Other flows - West | 106 | 168 | $5.7 m |
| Other flows - South | 62 | 114 | $3.1 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 52 | 83 | $2.6 m |
| Rooks County | 28 | 56 | $1.6 m |
| Russell County | 26 | 54 | $1.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Ellis County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ellis County
What the Ellis County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$2.05 bn
- County GDP, 2023$2.13 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-3.7 percent
- GDP change over five years25.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kansas counties17th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1255th
- GDP per resident$70,879
Output grew -3.7 percent in the latest year and 25.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Ellis County
Who employs people in Ellis County
- Covered employment, annual average15,487
- Establishments reporting1,120
- Average annual pay$47,061
- Average weekly wage$905
- Sector 62, employment3,230
- Sector 62, average annual pay$51,381
- Sector 44-45, employment2,139
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,623
- Sector 72, employment1,621
- Sector 72, average annual pay$18,954
- Sector 31-33, employment837
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$56,355
- Sector 23, employment616
- Sector 42, employment516
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 3,230 | 115 | $51,381 |
| Sector 44-45 | 2,139 | 166 | $33,623 |
| Sector 72 | 1,621 | 83 | $18,954 |
| Sector 31-33 | 837 | 26 | $56,355 |
| Sector 23 | 616 | 92 | $57,832 |
| Sector 42 | 516 | 61 | $63,810 |
| Sector 81 | 453 | 72 | $38,609 |
| Sector 21 | 449 | 80 | $65,767 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 3,230 jobs, 20.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ellis County
What businesses operate in Ellis County
- Establishments, all industries1,110
- Employment at those establishments12,808
- Annual payroll$588.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents38.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ellis County
What is being built in Ellis County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202436
- Declared construction value permitted$11.2 m
- Single family units authorised30
- Multifamily units authorised6
- Multifamily share of units16.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$309,925
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.9
Multifamily is 16.7 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ellis County
How much SBA lending happens in Ellis County
- 7(a) approvals recorded110
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$37.2 m
- Average 7(a) approval$338,604
- Median 7(a) approval$105,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,000,000
- Largest single approval$2,900,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,101
- Jobs per approval10.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active13
- Distinct industries receiving approvals51
- Median 7(a) term72 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer20.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms22
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter82
- Franchise loans7
- Franchise share of approvals6.4 percent
- Leading industry by approval countSupport Activities for Oil and Gas Operations (16)
- Most active lenderBank of Hays (83)
- 504 approvals recorded18
- 504 gross approval dollars$7.6 m
- Average 504 approval$423,944
- Median 504 approval$311,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval5.6
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.1
- Most active CDCFrontier Financial Partners, Inc. (11)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals85.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$44.9 m
The average approval of $338,604 sits well above the median of $105,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 20.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ellis County
Do SBA loans in Ellis County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded50
- Paid in full50
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure50
- Status: Paid in full50
- Status: Cancelled10
Of the 50 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ellis County
Which parts of Ellis County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- HAYS, approvals102
- ELLIS, approvals7
- VICTORIA, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| HAYS | 102 | $31,831,300 |
| ELLIS | 7 | $5,400,100 |
| VICTORIA | 1 | $15,000 |
HAYS accounts for 102 approvals against 7 in ELLIS. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ellis County
How big is Ellis County
- Land area900 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kansas counties23rd of 105
- Width, east to west30.2 mi
- Height, north to south30.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land32
- Establishments per square mile1.23
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Ellis County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Ellis County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population28,920
- Households12,251
- Average household size2.36
- Median household income$63,084
- Median age33.2
Common questions
Ellis County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ellis County, Kansas?
28,920, in 12,251 households, ranking 21st of 105 Kansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ellis County growing?
The population has grown 0.25 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 287 births against 228 deaths, with net migration of 28. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ellis County?
$63,084. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $216,300, which is 3.4 times income, and median gross rent is $943 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Ellis County?
1,110 establishments, employing 12,808 people with an annual payroll of $588.9 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Ellis County?
Average annual pay is $47,061, or $905 a week, across 15,487 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ellis County?
110 7(a) approvals totalling $37.2 m since FY2020, across 13 lenders, with a median approval of $105,000, plus 18 504 approvals worth $7.6 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Ellis County get paid back?
Of the 50 loans that have reached a final outcome, 50 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Ellis County?
36 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $11.2 m. Multifamily was 16.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ellis County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Ellis County come from?
The largest single origin is Ellis County Non-migrants, with 10,489 households. Arriving households report an average income of $46,098 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Ellis County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Ellis County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.