Wichita Metro Workforce Profile
Manufacturing accounts for roughly 19% of Wichita metro area employment – over double the national percentage (10%.) Much of the Wichita area workforce is accustomed to shift work due to the area's industrial history. Large manufacturers commonly run traditional 3-shift operations or flexible 24-hour schedules. The labor force is highly skilled, in large part due to the high concentration of manufacturing firms in the area using high technology design and production methods. According to a Milken Institute study, Wichita has the highest concentration of aircraft and aircraft parts manufacturing employment (skills) in the nation. Wichita area manufacturers also utilize these precision production skills to produce high value-added products such as industrial-commercial machinery, computer equipment, fabricated metal products, instrumentation and controls, photographic equipment, plastic and composite products, chemicals, petroleum refining equipment and electronic equipment.
Portion of Total Employment in Manufacturing Sector
The Wichita area workforce has a reputation for productivity and quality as the result of strong training investment. Kansas ranks second in the country in per capita workforce development spending and fourth in the country in gross spending on workforce development. Expansion Management magazine recently ranked Kansas training programs 14th in the nation for ease of access and overall financial value to clients. According to Industry Week magazine (April 2001), Wichita ranks #1 in manufacturing among metro areas with populations under one million, and 13th overall among the top manufacturing cities in the United States. In 2001, Wichita won the Aviation Week Quality Award from Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.
Wichita Metro Area Educational Attainment
Of metro area residents age 25 and over (383,947 persons), more than 89% are high school graduates and 28% hold bachelor’s or advanced degrees.
| Less Than 9th Grade |
3.7% |
| 9th to 12th Grade – No Diploma |
7.4% |
| High School Graduate (Inc. Equivalency) |
27.1% |
| Some College – No Degree |
26.9% |
| Associate Degree |
7.2% |
| Bachelor Degree |
19.0% |
| Graduate or Professional Degree |
8.8% |
Source: Census Bureau American Community Survey – 2008
Wichita Metro Area had 2008 population of 603,716 persons. Workforce availability is enhanced by the area's healthy population growth. Metro Area population grew by 32,669 persons (5.7%) from 1998 to 2008. It is a relatively young population with 2008 median age of 35.4 years (national median age 36.9 years.) Sedgwick County (pop. 482,863) is the central county of the MSA (80% of MSA population.) Planning Department county population projection is 582,000 in 2035. As of December 2009, the Wichita metro area civilian labor force is approximately 324,900 persons with an unemployment rate of 7.6%, representing about 24,740 persons. (Source: Kansas Department of Labor, four-county MSA).
Approximately 5,200 high school graduates are produced annually in Sedgwick County alone. There are over 36,400 college students in the Wichita metro area (about 16,500 are part-time.) These institutions graduate roughly 2,500 bachelor degrees and 1,900 associate degrees annually.
McConnell Air Force Base borders southeast Wichita. Its presence adds about 2,000 spouses of military personnel to the labor pool. The base also produces about 500 local military discharges annually. These discharged personnel offer excellent technical skills in a wide variety of fields. McConnell's mission is secure (primarily aerial refueling.) In November 2005, recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) passed into law. BRAC 2005 increased base personnel by approximately 520 positions, making McConnell AFB the largest "super tanker base" in the United States.
Wichita State University's Center for Economic Development & Business Research conducted an extensive 2007 survey of the South Central Kansas regional workforce. It contains extensive data on availability and skills of the Available Labor Pool (ALP) – which includes both currently employed and unemployed persons. For reports, see the data download section on the right hand of the screen.
