Ness County, Kansas: commercial real estate data.
Ness County, Kansas had an estimated 2,617 residents on July 1, 2024, down 2.6 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,687, across 1,075 square miles. County output reached $227.1 m in 2024, 122 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 8 7(a) approvals worth $4.9 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Ness County
How many people live in Ness County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,653
- Households1,161
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$68,616
- Median age45.1
- Median gross rent$538 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$89,700
- Home value to household income1.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income9.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher25.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over1,839
- Population under 18524
- Share under 1819.8 percent
- Population 65 and over664
- Share 65 and over25.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,465
- Civilian labor force1,489
- Unemployment rate0.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over69.9 percent
- Rank by population among Kansas counties88th of 105
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3060th of 3,222
Ness County is the 88th largest of 105 Kansas counties by population. A median home costs 1.3 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 25.0 percent against 19.8 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ness County
Is Ness County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20242,617
- Census 2020 base population2,687
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.61 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-22
- Births, 202428
- Deaths, 202446
- Natural change, 2024-18
- Net domestic migration, 2024-12
- Net international migration, 20248
- Total net migration, 2024-4
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-8
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2660th of 3,144
The county has lost 2.61 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ness County
Where are people moving to Ness County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving37
- People arriving, from those returns72
- Tax returns filed by households leaving41
- Net household movement-4
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$56,000
- Average income of an arriving household$44,622
- Average income of a leaving household$38,902
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $5,720 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ness County
What is the Ness County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$227.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$272.3 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-16.6 percent
- GDP change over five years26.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Kansas areas BEA publishes80th of 105
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2852nd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$85,619
Output grew -16.6 percent in the latest year and 26.0 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.
Ness County
Employment by industry in Ness County
- Covered employment, annual average1,085
- Establishments reporting144
- Average annual pay$48,722
- Average weekly wage$937
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, employment168
- Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction, average annual pay$63,111
- Wholesale trade, employment137
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$68,760
- Manufacturing, employment26
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$41,003
- Other services, except public administration, employment25
- Other services, except public administration, average annual pay$49,406
- Construction, employment24
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment20
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 168 | 20 | $63,111 |
| Wholesale trade | 137 | 18 | $68,760 |
| Manufacturing | 26 | 3 | $41,003 |
| Other services, except public administration | 25 | 8 | $49,406 |
| Construction | 24 | 11 | $50,863 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 20 | 5 | $58,549 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 19 | 6 | $26,614 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 9 | 4 | $31,872 |
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction is the largest private sector at 168 jobs, 15.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ness County
How many businesses are in Ness County?
- Establishments, all industries122
- Employment at those establishments807
- Annual payroll$38.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents46.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ness County
Building permits in Ness County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ness County
SBA loans in Ness County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded8
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.9 m
- Average 7(a) approval$615,413
- Median 7(a) approval$170,100
- Largest single approval$2,917,100
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)73
- Jobs per approval9.1
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active4
- Distinct industries receiving approvals6
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter5
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Most active lenderBank of Hays (4)
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ness County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Ness County
Do SBA loans in Ness County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Exempt from disclosure5
Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ness County
SBA lending by place in Ness County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending3
- Ness City, approvals5
- Ransom, approvals2
- Bazine, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Ness City | 5 | $1,666,000 |
| Ransom | 2 | $3,112,100 |
| Bazine | 1 | $145,200 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ness County
How large is Ness County?
- Land area1,075 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kansas counties9th of 105
- Width, east to west35.9 mi
- Height, north to south30.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary8
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.11
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.
Ness County
Flood risk in Ness County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Ness County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The EPA places Ness County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Ness 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 Ness County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20242,653
- Households1,161
- Average household size2.29
- Median household income$68,616
- Median age45.1
Common questions
Ness County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ness County, Kansas?
The Census Bureau estimates 2,617 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 2,653, in 1,161 households, ranking 88th of 105 Kansas counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ness County's population growing?
The population has fallen 2.61 percent since the 2020 census base of 2,687, to 2,617 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 28 births against 46 deaths, with net migration of -4. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ness County?
$68,616. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $89,700, which is 1.3 times income, and median gross rent is $538 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Ness County?
122 establishments, employing 807 people with an annual payroll of $38.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Ness County?
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction is the largest private sector at 168 jobs, 15.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,085 jobs at an average annual pay of $48,722, or $937 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ness County?
8 7(a) approvals totaling $4.9 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, with a median approval of $170,100. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Ness County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ness 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.
Are traffic counts available for Ness 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 Ness County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Ness County
Cities and places in Ness.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Ness County. All 5 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ness City | city | 1,162 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Bazine | city | 406 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Ransom | city | 279 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Utica | city | 135 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Brownell | city | 14 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |