Editing Liberal, Kansas (section)

== Economy ==
[[File:Grain elevator, Liberal, KS IMG 6000.JPG|thumb|right|[[Grain elevator]] in Liberal (2010)]]
{{see also|Golden Triangle of Meat-packing}}
[[Energy]] and [[agriculture]] are the main economic drivers of the area. Natural resources include oil, natural gas, water, gravel and sand. The beef industry (ranches, feed lots and packing plants) is Liberal's largest source of employment. Hard [[winter wheat]], corn, [[sorghum|milo]], [[alfalfa]] and cotton are common crops. Trucking is a major industry. Dairies and pork processors are a growing business.

{{As of|2012}}, 70.2% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. 0.0% was in the armed forces, and 70.2% was in the civilian labor force with 63.4% being employed and 6.9% unemployed. The composition, by occupation, of the employed civilian labor force was:  28.5% in production, transportation, and material moving; 20.0% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance; 19.9% in sales and office occupations; 18.9% in management, business, science, and arts; and 12.6% in service occupations. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were:  manufacturing (24.4%); educational services, health care, and social assistance (19.4%); and retail trade (10.5%).<ref name=Census2010/>

The cost of living in Liberal is relatively low; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the city is 80.8.<ref name=CityData>{{cite web | title = Liberal, Kansas | publisher = City-Data.com | url = http://www.city-data.com/city/Liberal-Kansas.html | access-date = 2014-01-14}}</ref> {{As of|2012}}, the median home value in the city was $85,600, the median selected monthly owner cost was $961 for housing units with a mortgage and $383 for those without, and the median gross rent was $648.<ref name=Census2010/>

===Top employers===
According to Liberal's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top 10 employers in the city are:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://chooseliberal.com/profile/56/labor-market |title=Labor Market; City of Liberal. |access-date=2017-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313153804/http://chooseliberal.com/profile/56/labor-market |archive-date=2017-03-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! #
! Employer 
! Employees
|-
| 1
| [[National Beef Packing Company]]
| 3,500
|-
|2
| [[Liberal USD 480]]
| 800
|-
|3
| [[Seward County Community College]]
| 450
|-
|4
| Southwest Medical Center
| 425
|-
|5
| [[Walmart Stores]] 
| 350
|-
|6
| [[Seaboard Foods]] 
| 275
|-
|7
| Seward County
| 200
|-
|8
| City of Liberal
| 200
|-
|9
| National Carriers
| 200
|-
|10
| Panhandle Oilfield Services
| 175
|}