Editing Great Bend, Kansas (section)

==Economy==
[[Agriculture]] is the predominant industry in Great Bend, and its [[grain elevators]] are visible from miles away.  The oil industry flourished from about 1930–1960.  There was even an oil well in the city park.  But this industry has been on the decline for years.  Cattle raising is also an important source of income for many people.

As of 2012, 66.5% of the population over the age of 16 were in the labor force. 0.0% were in the armed forces, and 66.5% were in the civilian labor force with 61.0% employed and 5.5% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was:  30.2% in management, business, science, and arts; 27.8% in sales and office occupations; 19.2% in service occupations; 9.6% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; 13.3% in production, transportation, and material moving. The four industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were:  educational services, health care, and social assistance (27.3%); retail trade (11.9%); manufacturing (9.8%); and arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (9.8%).<ref name=Census2010/> Great Bend Public Schools, [[Barton Community College]], and CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions are the city's three largest employers. Other major employers include local government, local hospitals, [[Wal-Mart]], [[Superior Essex]], and [[Fuller Brush Company]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Great Bend Area Manufacturers & Major Employers | publisher = Great Bend Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development | url = http://www.greatbend.org/MajorEmployerList.pdf | access-date = July 31, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140808050314/http://www.greatbend.org/MajorEmployerList.pdf | archive-date = August 8, 2014 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The cost of living in Great Bend is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 79.4.<ref name=CityData>{{cite web | title = Great Bend, Kansas | publisher = City-Data.com | url = http://www.city-data.com/city/Great-Bend-Kansas.html | access-date = July 31, 2014}}</ref> As of 2012, the median home value in the city was $78,300, the median selected monthly owner cost was $979 for housing units with a mortgage and $400 for those without, and the median gross rent was $539.<ref name=Census2010/>