The Strength Index: A Measure of Prosperity in Kansas David L. Darling CD Economist And Sreedhar Upendram Department of Agricultural Economics Kansas State University Manhattan, Kansas

Introduction l The purpose of this Strength Index is to measure the prosperity of people in all 105 counties in Kansas. l Strength Index is a composite index made up of three indices measuring wealth, income and employment. l Strength Index is used to perform a cross sectional analysis of comparing counties with neighboring counties, or a larger county with a regional trade center. l Strength Index is also used to perform a longitudinal analysis of creating a progress report for individual or groups of counties over time.

Wealth Index l Wealth Index is a measure of the relative wealth of the residents of each county. l The county per capita wealth is estimated by summing the appraised values of residential property, mobile homes and motor vehicles used in Kansas and dividing it by the adjusted population. l The county Wealth Index is the ratio of the county’s per capita over the state per capita wealth. The wealth Index ranges from 0.38 to The 105 county average is l The top five counties in Kansas and their indices are: Johnson (1.89), Miami (1.40), Douglas (1.21), Leavenworth (1.06), and Saline (0.99). The bottom five counties and their indices are: Jewell (0.38), Chautauqua (0.41), Comanche (0.45), Elk (0.47) and Barber (0.50).

Personal Income Index l Personal Income Index measures the relative level of income in each county. l The Index is a simple ratio of county over State per capita incomes. l The Personal Income Index ranges from 0.60 to The 105 county average is l The top five counties and their indices are: Johnson (1.52), Sedgwick (1.07), Shawnee (1.06), Saline (0.99) and Marshall (0.99). The bottom five counties and their indices are: Woodson (0.60), Kearny (0.64), Linn (0.65), Marion (0.66) and Anderson (0.67).

Employment Index l Employment Index measures the proportion of the population actively participating in the labor force. l The county’s employment is divided by the State-wide value of employment to arrive at the Employment Index. The Employment Index ranges from 0.68 to The 105 county average is l The top five counties with the indices are: Sherman (1.41), Jackson (1.38), Ellis (1.27), Pottawatomie (1.18) and Jewell (1.17). The bottom five counties with the indices are : Linn (0.68), Doniphan (0.78), Greenwood (0.78), Chautauqua (0.79) and Elk (0.80). l The Fort Riley total active duty employment of 11,616 was allocated across the adjacent counties of Clay (350), Dickinson (350), Geary (5458) and Riley (5458). Fort Leavenworth active duty military was allocated to Leavenworth (3,226) and McConnell Air Force active duty military was allocated to Sedgwick (2,940).

Strength Index l The three components of Strength Index are given equal weight, and the Strength Index is the sum of the Wealth Index, Personal Income Index and Employment Index. l The Strength Index ranges from 1.94 to The 105 county average is l The top five counties with the indices are: Johnson (4.53), Ellis (3.17), Miami (3.15), Douglas (3.13) and Saline (3.07).The bottom five counties with the indices are: Chautauqua (1.94), Elk (1.98), Woodson (1.98), Greenwood (2.02), and Kearney (2.06).

Data Sources l The data on the 2002 population is from the US Census Bureau estimates for July 1, The numbers were adjusted downward to account for institutionalized people. l Data used in creating Wealth Index was obtained from 2003 property assessments provided by the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Property Valuation. l Data used in creating Employment Index comes from Kansas Department of Human Resources, Labor Market Information Services l The Public Affairs Office at the three military installations provide military employment data for FY 2003.

Data Sources l The data to create Personal Income Index comes from the Governor’s Economic and Demographic Report published in January l The full report, “ Strength Index, A Measure of the Prosperity of Kansans” by Upendram and Darling can be found on the following web site: –

Longitudinal Analysis l Jackson County in NE Region is ranked 7 th (3.00) up from 38 th (2.66) in 1997 to Relative improvement is not only in rank but also in overall strength compared to the State. l Ellis County in NW Region is ranked 2 nd but its strength Index decreased from 1997 to l Atchison County in NE Region is ranked 55 th (2.42) up from 80 th (2.36) in 1997 to Relative improvement is not only in rank but also in overall strength compared to the State.

The Tupelo Model HUMAN DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT