John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor in the county. Social Security was the largest contributor, totaling $110.16 million, equating to $3,806 per capita and making up 37.9% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Income Maintenance transfers across Kansas amounted to $2.7 billion, ranking lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $920 per capita, or 9.1% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $29.72 billion, accounting for 16.7% of residents’ total income, with an average of $10,119 per resident.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Ellis County in 2022, accounting for $81.62 million, averaging $2,820 per capita, representing 28.1% of transfers. Medicaid transfers provided another $42.77 million, averaging $1,478 per capita and comprising 14.7% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 16.5% of the population aged 65 and older, Ellis County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Ellis County, excluding government transfers was $45,978, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $56,017, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Ellis County saw a decrease in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.2%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Ellis County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 7.5% (or $1,236 per capita) in 1970 to 17.9% (or $10,038 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedgwick County | 1 | 16.5% | 15.9% | 6.2% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2% | $9,873 |
| Johnson County | 2 | 8.9% | 16% | 4.1% | 2.5% | 0.9% | 0.5% | $8,040 |
| Shawnee County | 3 | 22.4% | 19.5% | 7.8% | 5.3% | 4.2% | 2.2% | $12,409 |
| Wyandotte County | 4 | 26.4% | 13.4% | 7.4% | 6% | 6.4% | 4.1% | $10,115 |
| Douglas County | 5 | 15% | 13.9% | 6.3% | 3.7% | 2% | 1.2% | $7,934 |
| Leavenworth County | 6 | 19% | 16% | 6.9% | 4.3% | 1.7% | 1.4% | $9,496 |
| Reno County | 7 | 24.9% | 20.5% | 9.6% | 6.3% | 4.4% | 2.2% | $11,868 |
| Butler County | 8 | 18.1% | 16.2% | 7.6% | 4.6% | 2.3% | 1.5% | $9,704 |
| Saline County | 9 | 19.9% | 19.5% | 7.6% | 5.2% | 3.2% | 1.9% | $11,345 |
| Riley County | 10 | 13.5% | 10.4% | 4.7% | 2.9% | 1.4% | 1.1% | $6,776 |
| Crawford County | 11 | 24.4% | 15.7% | 7.7% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 2.7% | $11,071 |
| Cowley County | 12 | 28.4% | 18.6% | 9.8% | 6.4% | 6.3% | 3% | $12,400 |
| Montgomery County | 13 | 31.2% | 20.7% | 10.5% | 7.5% | 7% | 3.2% | $13,699 |
| Harvey County | 14 | 23.5% | 20.7% | 9% | 6.4% | 4.1% | 1.8% | $11,925 |
| Lyon County | 15 | 23.2% | 16.5% | 8.1% | 6% | 4.3% | 2.1% | $10,845 |
| Miami County | 16 | 16.8% | 18.1% | 6.7% | 4.4% | 2.7% | 1.1% | $9,921 |
| McPherson County | 17 | 20% | 20.4% | 8% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 1.1% | $11,516 |
| Barton County | 18 | 23.5% | 20.8% | 7.9% | 7% | 4.5% | 2.1% | $12,983 |
| Geary County | 19 | 18.1% | 9.1% | 4.2% | 2.7% | 2% | 2.8% | $9,119 |
| Franklin County | 20 | 24.6% | 18.1% | 8.8% | 7.1% | 4% | 2% | $11,920 |
| Finney County | 21 | 15.8% | 11.9% | 5% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 2.3% | $7,818 |
| Labette County | 22 | 31.1% | 20.3% | 9.2% | 6.1% | 10.4% | 2.9% | $14,887 |
| Ellis County | 23 | 17.9% | 16.5% | 6.8% | 5% | 2.6% | 1.1% | $10,038 |
| Sumner County | 24 | 24.8% | 20% | 10.1% | 5.8% | 3.8% | 2.3% | $11,291 |
| Cherokee County | 25 | 24.6% | 20.1% | 8.6% | 6% | 5.6% | 2.6% | $12,926 |
| Ford County | 26 | 15.4% | 11.7% | 5.1% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2.2% | $7,285 |
| Dickinson County | 27 | 26.9% | 20.9% | 9.4% | 7.4% | 3% | 1.9% | $12,741 |
| Pottawatomie County | 28 | 13.1% | 15.3% | 5.3% | 3.6% | 1.3% | 1.1% | $8,091 |
| Jefferson County | 29 | 21.1% | 20.4% | 8.7% | 6% | 2.1% | 1.3% | $11,274 |
| Neosho County | 30 | 28.4% | 20.4% | 9.6% | 7.3% | 6.3% | 2.7% | $12,938 |
| Osage County | 31 | 25.2% | 20.9% | 9.4% | 6.7% | 3.7% | 2% | $12,249 |
| Bourbon County | 32 | 25.2% | 19.8% | 8.6% | 5.9% | 5.3% | 2.9% | $12,523 |
| Atchison County | 33 | 25.7% | 18.2% | 8.8% | 6.7% | 4.9% | 2.4% | $11,013 |
| Allen County | 34 | 29.5% | 21.1% | 10% | 7.7% | 6.7% | 2.7% | $13,766 |
| Seward County | 35 | 16.6% | 10.9% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 2.5% | $7,848 |
| Marion County | 36 | 28.2% | 23.5% | 10.7% | 8.3% | 4.7% | 1.7% | $12,689 |
| Jackson County | 37 | 22.6% | 20% | 8.9% | 6.5% | 2.7% | 1.7% | $11,114 |
| Wilson County | 38 | 31.6% | 22.9% | 10.5% | 10% | 6.3% | 2.6% | $14,989 |
| Marshall County | 39 | 27.4% | 22.7% | 9.2% | 8% | 3.4% | 1.7% | $12,461 |
| Brown County | 40 | 28.1% | 22.1% | 10% | 7.3% | 5.7% | 2.5% | $13,266 |
| Cloud County | 41 | 30.4% | 20.9% | 10.3% | 8.7% | 5.6% | 2.4% | $13,551 |
| Linn County | 42 | 25.9% | 22.4% | 10.8% | 6.5% | 3.5% | 2.3% | $11,857 |
| Coffey County | 43 | 24.9% | 22.7% | 9.6% | 6.6% | 4.9% | 1.6% | $13,854 |
| Nemaha County | 44 | 18.7% | 20.1% | 6.9% | 5.9% | 3.1% | 1.1% | $11,015 |
| Rice County | 45 | 24.1% | 19.8% | 9% | 7.2% | 3.8% | 2% | $11,650 |
| Clay County | 46 | 26.8% | 23.8% | 9.8% | 7.7% | 3.4% | 1.7% | $12,753 |
| Pratt County | 47 | 21.2% | 21.4% | 8.5% | 5.6% | 3.4% | 1.5% | $11,268 |
| Anderson County | 48 | 27.8% | 20.7% | 9.3% | 9.3% | 4.7% | 2.1% | $13,124 |
| Russell County | 49 | 27.4% | 25.5% | 9.8% | 8.5% | 4.5% | 2.1% | $14,450 |
| Kingman County | 50 | 25.8% | 19.9% | 10.4% | 8.3% | 3.3% | 1.7% | $12,826 |
| Greenwood County | 51 | 34.5% | 26% | 12.9% | 9.1% | 6.5% | 2.7% | $14,800 |
| Doniphan County | 52 | 24.1% | 20.1% | 9% | 7.1% | 3.7% | 1.8% | $11,365 |
| Pawnee County | 53 | 30.7% | 23.8% | 10.4% | 11.5% | 4.1% | 2.1% | $13,512 |
| Thomas County | 54 | 19.2% | 18.8% | 7% | 6.4% | 2.4% | 1.2% | $10,493 |
| Mitchell County | 55 | 22.7% | 22.6% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 4.9% | 1.4% | $14,405 |
| Sherman County | 56 | 26.2% | 21.2% | 8.2% | 8.4% | 5.6% | 2% | $13,511 |
| Ellsworth County | 57 | 26.5% | 23.3% | 9.6% | 8.9% | 4% | 1.5% | $12,102 |
| Wabaunsee County | 58 | 19.4% | 21.6% | 8.3% | 4.9% | 2.3% | 1.3% | $10,824 |
| Harper County | 59 | 24.1% | 22.5% | 9% | 7.6% | 3.8% | 1.9% | $14,068 |
| Phillips County | 60 | 25% | 25.3% | 9.3% | 8.7% | 3.1% | 1.3% | $15,112 |
| Washington County | 61 | 27.8% | 23.5% | 9.9% | 8.8% | 4.5% | 1.5% | $13,079 |
| Morris County | 62 | 26.2% | 26.2% | 9.9% | 7.2% | 3.1% | 1.7% | $12,984 |
| Republic County | 63 | 31.1% | 27.1% | 11.8% | 10.5% | 4% | 1.9% | $14,409 |
| Ottawa County | 64 | 23.4% | 21.2% | 9.7% | 6.6% | 3% | 1.7% | $11,472 |
| Rooks County | 65 | 31.6% | 23.6% | 11.6% | 11.5% | 3.7% | 1.9% | $13,618 |
| Barber County | 66 | 31% | 25.3% | 11.3% | 11.8% | 3.9% | 1.7% | $15,640 |
| Grant County | 67 | 21.8% | 14.5% | 8.1% | 5.9% | 3.8% | 2.7% | $8,865 |
| Norton County | 68 | 21% | 20.7% | 7.9% | 6.6% | 3.1% | 1.5% | $10,880 |
| Smith County | 69 | 29.3% | 29.7% | 10.8% | 11.4% | 2.9% | 1.6% | $15,906 |
| Scott County | 70 | 17.5% | 19.6% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 2.8% | 1.2% | $10,762 |
| Stafford County | 71 | 27.8% | 21.8% | 9.8% | 9.2% | 4.5% | 2% | $13,257 |
| Gray County | 72 | 13.8% | 16.2% | 5.4% | 4.3% | 2.1% | 1% | $9,080 |
| Chautauqua County | 73 | 35.4% | 25.1% | 12.5% | 9.9% | 7.1% | 3.4% | $14,835 |
| Osborne County | 74 | 28.8% | 26% | 10.3% | 10.6% | 3.6% | 1.8% | $14,190 |
| Rush County | 75 | 28.7% | 25.1% | 10.4% | 9.7% | 4.1% | 1.9% | $14,888 |
| Stevens County | 76 | 16.4% | 16.2% | 6.6% | 4.9% | 2.3% | 1.6% | $8,333 |
| Decatur County | 77 | 26.1% | 29.3% | 9.3% | 10.6% | 2.3% | 1.5% | $15,846 |
| Lincoln County | 78 | 29.9% | 26.8% | 11.6% | 10.7% | 2.5% | 2.1% | $14,140 |
| Jewell County | 79 | 30.1% | 31.5% | 11.5% | 11.7% | 2.3% | 1.9% | $14,075 |
| Meade County | 80 | 15% | 18.1% | 5.6% | 5% | 1.9% | 1.2% | $10,382 |
| Woodson County | 81 | 32.8% | 25.9% | 11.9% | 8.9% | 6.6% | 2.5% | $12,884 |
| Elk County | 82 | 40.7% | 27.2% | 15.2% | 11.7% | 6.5% | 3.1% | $16,216 |
| Ness County | 83 | 24.1% | 24.9% | 9% | 9.1% | 2.9% | 1.2% | $14,712 |
| Trego County | 84 | 25.8% | 26.6% | 10% | 9.1% | 3.6% | 1.2% | $13,829 |
| Edwards County | 85 | 23.3% | 22.4% | 8.4% | 7.9% | 3.3% | 1.6% | $13,635 |
| Graham County | 86 | 30.1% | 27.4% | 11% | 10.2% | 5.3% | 1.6% | $15,439 |
| Rawlins County | 87 | 19% | 27.8% | 6.9% | 6.7% | 3% | 1% | $14,512 |
| Cheyenne County | 88 | 25.9% | 26.6% | 9.7% | 9.9% | 2.9% | 1.4% | $14,133 |
| Logan County | 89 | 22.3% | 20.9% | 7.6% | 8.7% | 2.5% | 1.4% | $13,331 |
| Kearny County | 90 | 16.7% | 16.5% | 5.9% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 1.6% | $9,220 |
| Haskell County | 91 | 15.6% | 17.7% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 2.1% | 1.4% | $9,252 |
| Kiowa County | 92 | 31.3% | 23.2% | 11% | 11% | 4.8% | 1.9% | $13,661 |
| Gove County | 93 | 16.4% | 23.6% | 5.9% | 6% | 1.9% | 1% | $11,959 |
| Sheridan County | 94 | 23.3% | 23.6% | 7.9% | 10% | 1.7% | 1.3% | $13,186 |
| Morton County | 95 | 28.2% | 21.3% | 11% | 8.2% | 5.4% | 2.6% | $11,523 |
| Chase County | 96 | 18.4% | 24.2% | 7.3% | 4.7% | 2.8% | 1.3% | $10,904 |
| Wichita County | 97 | 22.1% | 21.2% | 7.6% | 8.3% | 3.3% | 1.6% | $12,079 |
| Hamilton County | 98 | 12.7% | 14.9% | 4% | 4.9% | 2.1% | 1.1% | $10,066 |
| Comanche County | 99 | 32.5% | 26% | 12% | 10.5% | 6.5% | 1.9% | $14,100 |
| Lane County | 100 | 21.2% | 24.5% | 7.9% | 9% | 1.5% | 1.2% | $15,053 |
| Hodgeman County | 101 | 20.1% | 21.4% | 7.1% | 8.6% | 1.5% | 1.1% | $12,505 |
| Clark County | 102 | 19.1% | 21.3% | 7.8% | 5.4% | 3.2% | 1.6% | $11,080 |
| Stanton County | 103 | 12.7% | 18.4% | 4.3% | 4.5% | 2% | 1.1% | $9,909 |
| Wallace County | 104 | 22.3% | 24.1% | 8.4% | 7.5% | 2.5% | 1.7% | $11,847 |
| Greeley County | 105 | 13.3% | 19.8% | 5.1% | 4.6% | 2% | 0.9% | $11,689 |
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