Seward County, Kansas: commercial real estate data.
Seward County, Kansas has a population of 21,486 across 639 square miles, down 3.1 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.72 bn in 2024, 556 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 7 7(a) approvals worth $3.1 m.
113 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections
Seward County
How many people live in Seward County
- Population21,486
- Households7,257
- Average household size2.96
- Median household income$63,827
- Median age31.0
- Median gross rent$905 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$136,500
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher11.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over12,602
- Population under 186,513
- Share under 1830.3 percent
- Population 65 and over2,300
- Share 65 and over10.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6412,673
- Civilian labor force10,567
- Unemployment rate4.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over70.6 percent
- Rank by population among Kansas counties26th of 105
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1795th
Seward County is the 26th largest of 105 Kansas counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 30.3 percent against 10.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Seward County
Is Seward County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.12 percent
- Census 2020 base population21,961
- Births, 2024390
- Deaths, 2024150
- Natural change, 2024240
- Net domestic migration, 2024-365
- Net international migration, 2024189
- Total net migration, 2024-176
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-1,879
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2763rd
The county has lost 3.12 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Seward County
Where people moving to Seward County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving399
- People arriving, from those returns790
- Adjusted gross income arriving$17.6 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$44,133
- Largest single originSeward County Non-migrants (7,144 households)
- Largest single destination (7,144 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seward County Non-migrants | 7,144 | 16,109 | $444.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 219 | 434 | $9.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 145 | 284 | $6.2 m |
| Other flows - South | 118 | 232 | $5.5 m |
| Other flows - West | 77 | 156 | $3.3 m |
| Texas County | 35 | 72 | $1.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 24 | 46 | $965,000 |
The largest single source of arrivals is Seward 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.
Seward County
What the Seward County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.72 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.67 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.1 percent
- GDP change over five years34.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kansas counties20th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1405th
- GDP per resident$80,209
Output grew 3.1 percent in the latest year and 34.9 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.
Seward County
Who employs people in Seward County
- Covered employment, annual average11,072
- Establishments reporting588
- Average annual pay$52,156
- Average weekly wage$1,003
- Sector 44-45, employment1,192
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$32,707
- Sector 72, employment822
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,467
- Sector 48-49, employment540
- Sector 48-49, average annual pay$69,642
- Sector 56, employment346
- Sector 56, average annual pay$43,803
- Sector 42, employment276
- Sector 21, employment274
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 1,192 | 91 | $32,707 |
| Sector 72 | 822 | 54 | $20,467 |
| Sector 48-49 | 540 | 39 | $69,642 |
| Sector 56 | 346 | 26 | $43,803 |
| Sector 42 | 276 | 38 | $70,252 |
| Sector 21 | 274 | 25 | $81,153 |
| Sector 81 | 194 | 44 | $41,675 |
| Sector 52 | 168 | 30 | $53,503 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,192 jobs, 10.8 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.
Seward County
What businesses operate in Seward County
- Establishments, all industries556
- Employment at those establishments9,557
- Annual payroll$519.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.9
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.
Seward County
What is being built in Seward County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202417
- Declared construction value permitted$4.3 m
- Single family units authorised17
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$253,341
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.3
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Seward County
How much SBA lending happens in Seward County
- 7(a) approvals recorded7
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$3.1 m
- Average 7(a) approval$439,286
- Median 7(a) approval$405,000
- 10th percentile approval$22,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,150,000
- Largest single approval$1,150,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)201
- Jobs per approval28.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals6
- Median 7(a) term299 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer57.1 percent
- Loans on real estate terms4
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals28.6 percent
- Leading industry by approval countPhotography Studios, Portrait (2)
- Most active lenderDream First Bank National Association (2)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.9 m
- Average 504 approval$1,891,000
- Median 504 approval$1,891,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval15.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.9
- Most active CDCSouth Central Kansas Economic Development District, Inc. (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals87.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$5.0 m
The average approval of $439,286 sits close to the median of $405,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 57.1 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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.
Seward County
Do SBA loans in Seward County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure4
- Status: Cancelled1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 2 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Seward County
How big is Seward County
- Land area639 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kansas counties78th of 105
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south26.9 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land34
- Establishments per square mile0.87
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 Seward 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 Seward County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population21,486
- Households7,257
- Average household size2.96
- Median household income$63,827
- Median age31.0
Common questions
Seward County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Seward County, Kansas?
21,486, in 7,257 households, ranking 26th of 105 Kansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Seward County growing?
The population has fallen 3.12 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 390 births against 150 deaths, with net migration of -176. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Seward County?
$63,827. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $136,500, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $905 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Seward County?
556 establishments, employing 9,557 people with an annual payroll of $519.7 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 Seward County?
Average annual pay is $52,156, or $1,003 a week, across 11,072 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Seward County?
7 7(a) approvals totalling $3.1 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $405,000, plus 1 504 approvals worth $1.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Seward County?
17 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.3 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Seward County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 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 Seward County come from?
The largest single origin is Seward County Non-migrants, with 7,144 households. Arriving households report an average income of $44,133 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 Seward 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 Seward 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.