What is the average salary in Kansas?

1 min readLast updated November 28, 2023by Charlie Barton

This article explores the average salaries and highest paying counties in Kansas.

Summary

  • Kansas, located in the heartland of the United States, offers a lower cost of living compared to some other states.

  • Salaries can still vary depending on the region and industry.

  • Known for its agricultural production, as well as its strong aviation and manufacturing industries, it's important to do research specific to your industry and job role to understand what salary expectations you should have in Kansas.

  • A financial advisor can help you stay on top of your finances and make confident financial decisions.

What is a good salary in Kansas?

The median household income in Kansas is $61,030. However, what constitutes a 'good' salary can vary depending on factors such as job industry, location, education, and experience. It's also important to factor in individual circumstances, such as the cost of living in the area and personal financial goals.

What is the average salary in Kansas by age?

Alongside location and occupation, salaries in Kansas are also dependent on age since more senior workers will be paid more. Then, when they retire, their income will dip again as they will rely on pensions and other forms of set income. You can also check out the complete guide to retirement in Kansas here.

The Census Bureau data finds that householders under 25 years old have a median household income of $37,366, those aged 25 to 44 have a median income of $65,365, those aged 45 to 64 years old have a median income of $71,570, and those 65 years and older have a median income of $47,737.

What is the average salary in Kansas by hour?

If Americans work an average of 1,801 hours per year — at 37.5 hours a week — then the average hourly salary in Kansas is $22.78.

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What is the average salary by city in Kansas?

City living is often more expensive than living in more rural areas, but it’s also where the money is. Kansas’ own cities can vary massively in average salary; cities like Lenexa commands well into six figures, while Salina’s average sits around $50,000.

Average earnings by city — or any other geographical metric — is just one way of calculating wealth and certainly shouldn’t be the only way you look at your own earning potential in a given place. It doesn’t take into account the type of jobs that people do to earn above or below this average bracket and omits any consideration for the number of people living in a household. However, it’s certainly one way of establishing which place offers good earning opportunities.

The US Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey has calculated the average earnings for the 10 largest cities in Kansas, which you can find ranked below.

CityAverage household income
Lenexa $101,652
Overland Park $95,852
Olathe $91,268
Shawnee $87,660
Lawrence $58,722
Manhattan $57,522
Wichita $55,176
Kansas City $54,042
Topeka $51,299
Salina $50,199

What is the average salary by county in Kansas?

Reviewing average salaries in Kansas by city is not necessarily an adequate metric for average salaries across the state since it’s entirely urban focused. A good idea is to weigh these figures up against the average salary in Kansas by county, as this will take areas outside the main cities into account and offer a broader idea of salary ranges.

The same survey from the US Census Bureau gives further insight this way, with the average household income calculated for each county.

CountyAverage household income
Johnson County $102,407
Leavenworth County $72,733
Douglas County $66,878
Riley County $64,648
Sedgwick County $62,547
Shawnee County $59,228
Saline County $57,405
Reno County $56,421
Wyandotte County $49,620
Crawford County $48,738

What are the highest paying jobs in Kansas?

There’s another weighty factor that will influence how much you earn if you live in Kansas: your job type. Average salaries for various sectors and job roles can vary massively across the state, so it’s absolutely something to consider when looking at salaries by location.

Zippia Learn has calculated a comprehensive list of annual salaries by occupation area, which you can also find below.

OccupationAnnual mean wage
Management $138,148
Business & Financial Operations $84,198
Computer & Mathematical $119,872
Architecture & Engineering $105,770
Life, Physical, & Social Science $91,100
Community & Social Service $58,272
Legal $117,935
Education, Training, & Library $64,168
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media $69,625
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical $105,245
Healthcare Support $33,159
Protective Service $52,280
Food Preparation & Serving Related $31,993
Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance $37,461
Personal Care & Service $34,047
Sales & Related $38,049
Office & Administrative Support $46,994
Farming, Fishing, & Forestry $31,169
Construction & Extraction $62,681
Installation, Maintenance, & Repair $58,497
Production $40,168
Transportation & Material Moving $37,578

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Writer

Charlie Barton

Charlie Barton is a writer at Unbiased. He has been writing about personal finance and investing since 2017, with extensive knowledge of platforms and products. Charlie has a first-class degree from the London School of Economics.