Wichita Real Estate and Homes for Sale

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There are approximately 2.6 million people living in Kansas. Over 1.1 million people live within 100 miles of Wichita and about 665,000 reside within 50 miles of Wichita. The Wichita Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) consists of Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties and is home to 523,000 people. More than four-fifths of MSA residents, about 433,000, live within Sedgwick county and 323,000 live within the Wichita city limits. About 51% of the MSA population is female.

The Wichita MSA is a diverse melting pot of four distinct cultures: European, African, Hispanic and Asian. Those of European ancestry are by far the largest ethnic group, but sizable populations of non-European ancestry create a blend of cultures and customs which give the area a cosmopolitan flavor.

It is a comparatively young population. The MSA median age is about 34 years. It is a comparatively affluent population, with a MSA median household income of about $38,042.

The MSA population is well-educated. Over 82% of residents age 25 and over are high school graduates. About 5% hold associate degrees, 15% bachelor degrees and 7% have advanced degrees. Another 23% have some college credit.

The June 1997 MSA civilian labor force totaled 280,290 persons, with 270,141 employed, for an unemployment rate of 3.6%. The service sector (including finance, Insurance and real estate) accounts for 30% of employment. Wholesale/retail trade accounts for 23% and manufacturing for 25%.

Wichita is a major medical center with four general hospitals, a veterans hospital, three rehabilitation hospitals and two psychiatric hospitals. Virtually every medical specialty is represented, as are technical support services for hospitals and physicians.

OTHER MSA STATISTICS

• Marital status: about 59% of the population is married, 13% are never-married single men, 10% never-married single women, 6% previously-married single men and 12% previously-married single women.
• The population is 83% urban and 17% rural.
• There are about 203,000 households. The number of household grew 13.3% between 1980 and 1990. The number of households is projected to grow by 5.8% to about 215,000 between 1996 and 2001. In 1990 there was an average of 2.55 persons per household.
• Slightly over 6.9% of households have an annual income of $100,000 or more.
• About 69,700 households (3.4%) include children.
• Of the population age 16 and over: About 12% are employed in an executive/managerial occupation, 15% in a professional specialty, 11% in sales and 14% in high-skill precision production jobs.
• About 27% of families have one worker, 51% have two workers and 12% have three or more workers. About 11% of families have no worker (includes retired.)
• About 82% of workers drive to work alone and 11% car pool. Only about 1% use public transportation. The average one-way travel time to work is about 18 minutes. About 3% work out of their homes.
• About 7% of households have no vehicle, 33% have one vehicle, 41% have two and 19% have three or more. There are a total of about 330,800 vehicles.
• About 65% of non-vacant housing units are owner-occupied and 35% are renter-occupied. About 12% of the owner-occupied homes have property values of $100,000 or more. About 67% of housing units are detached single-family homes. There are a total of about 61,300 rental units, with a median rent of $295.
• The median sales price of existing single-family homes was $80,100 during first quarter 1997.

Sources: Equifax National Decision Systems (Courtesy of The Wichita Eagle); National Association of Realtors; Kansas Department of Human Resources; U.S. Census Bureau; Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Planning Department.

• Wichita Economic Development

Martha Bethel, CRS J.P. Weigand & Sons, Inc. 6530 E. 13th • Wichita, KS 67206 1-800-800-9724 Direct Line (316) 686-1537 Ext. 3221 Office (316) 686-7281

e-mail: Martha@AllAboutWichitaHomes.com