Strategic Planning Data Analysis: Ford County

Abstract

In the following sections, data will first be presented and analyzed in overview fashion for regional and national trends. Following this, data will be reviewed at a more local scale in the following eight areas: population and housing, employment/labor force, education, income and earnings, sectoral performance, tourism, business/financial environment, and quality of life.

Throughout the report, local-level materials will be presented relating Ford County's economic performance through the past decade with the State of Kansas and the counties neighboring Ford County. To facilitate comparisons, a "trade area" designation has been used to identify a eight-county grouping surrounding Ford County. These counties are Meade, Gray, Hodgeman, Ness, Edwards, Kiowa, Comanche and Clark. Aggregate totals or averages are labelled "Trade Area" for presentation in graphs. Three other nearby counties with similar economic structures and/or size are also included for data comparisons. These three counties are Finney, Seward and Barton.