Ellis County, Kansas Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Ellis County is located in Kansas with a total population of 28,920. It is the 21st most populous county out of 105 in Kansas. The county encompasses 6 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Ellis County is 33.2 years. This is 11% lower than the state median of 37.4 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Ellis County is $63,084. This is 15% lower than the state median of $74,275. It is also 22% lower than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 18.4%. This is 63% higher than the state poverty rate of 11.3%. The unemployment rate is 3.3%. This is 17% lower than the state rate of 3.9%. The median home value is $216,300. Housing costs are about the same as the state median of $217,200. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.4x. 63.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 6% lower than the state average of 67.2%.

Race & Ethnicity

Ellis County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 86.9% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 7.3%. The Black or African American population (1.3%) is well below the state average of 5.1%.

Education

38.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Ellis County in the top 10% of all counties in the state for educational attainment. This is 9% higher than the state rate of 35.6%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 94.9%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Ellis County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against Kansas and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.