The Town Files

Rice County, Kansas

9,350 people. The median home is worth $104,600 (typical Kansas town: $128,200) and the median household earns $63,925.

Towns in Rice County

Towns in Rice County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Lyons3,611$104,800$62,56938.6
Sterling2,248$133,000$54,92229.4

People and housing

Rice CountyTypical Kansas town
Median home value$104,600$128,200
Median rent$753$815
Median household income$63,925$63,857
Median age38.638.5
Bachelor's degree or higher25.9%24.0%
Below the poverty line7.7%10.6%

Jobs and pay

3,769 jobs in 2024, average pay $50,565 a year.

Largest industries in Rice CountyManufacturing462 jobs · $65,424Agriculture, forestry & fishi…264 jobs · $50,591Retail212 jobs · $21,518Construction197 jobs · $86,363Transportation & warehousing192 jobs · $101,787Professional & technical serv…162 jobs · $48,608
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Rice County0%2%4%6%2000200420082012201620202023 2.5%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 714 storm events in Rice County from 1996 to 2026, with 2 deaths.

Storm events in Rice County by type since 1996Hail282Heat6Flood25Drought61Tornado20High Wind29Heavy Rain12Heavy Snow12Flash Flood16Winter Storm22
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Rice County has been included in 26 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
September 1, 2026Severe StormDR-4940: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
May 21, 2025Severe StormDR-4869: Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, And Wildfires
October 26, 2023Severe StormDR-4747: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding
February 17, 2022Severe StormDR-4640: Severe Storms And Straight Line Winds
March 29, 2020BiologicalDR-4504: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3481: Covid-19
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).