Demographics

Employees in the Downtown Area

Part Time Employees - 413
Full Time Employees - 890
Seasonal Employees - 10
Contracted Employees - 13
Total - 1422

Retail Trade Area

The community of Hays is considered the “hub” of Northwest Kansas, and for many reasons. In addition to healthcare services, transportation (air service and highways), education, governmental services, retail services is another facet of the community that attracts locals and visitors alike.

Ellis County Trade Pull #2 in State

(Hays, KS) – The Kansas Department of Revenue recently published the County Trade Pull Factor Report of which Ellis County ranks second in the State. The County Trade Pull Factor report provides different measures of retail market data for the 105 Kansas counties for fiscal year 2007, which represents the period July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.

The county with the highest trade pull factor is Pottawatomie County with a CTPF of 1.52. The high pull factor in Pottawatomie County can be attributed to a relatively low population base and the strong retail presence that exists within the county’s portion of the city of Manhattan. Ellis County, has the 2nd highest pull factor of 1.51, the increase was due to an increase in state tax collections with the population remaining constant.

Counties with a trade pull factor greater than 1.00 are regarded as regional retail centers. Each contains one or more cities that draw shoppers into their county. They generally have large national chain stores that provide goods that may not be available in neighboring counties. Many also have higher education institutions or regional businesses that bring people into the county.

The County Trade Pull Factor (CTPF) is a measure of the relative strength of the retail business community. The CTPF is computed by dividing the per capita sales tax of a county by the statewide per capita sales tax. A CTPF of 1.00 is a perfect balance of trade. The purchases of county residents who shop elsewhere are offset by the purchases of out-of-county customers. CTPF values greater than 1.00 indicate that local businesses are pulling in trade from beyond their home county border. Thus, the balance of trade is favorable. A CTPF value less than 1.00 indicates more trade is being lost than pulled in, that residents are shopping outside the county. This is an unfavorable balance of trade.

Fort Hays State University

There are 400 full time staff and 400 part time staff. There are 4,433 students attending classes on campus, which is located just outside the Chestnut Street District and is only 4 blocks from Main Street.

Event Attendance

The Fox Pavilion had approx. 12,000 people attend their events in 2008 and approx. 15,600 people in 2007.