Home / Wages / Wichita Wichita salaries The median worker in the Wichita, KS metro area earned $46,650 a year in 2024, about $22.43 an hour. That ranks #196 of the 391 metro areas published here, 5.8% below the national median.
Kansas
Median pay $46,650 $22.43 per hour
Vs national -5.8% U.S. $49,500
Workers 306,950 wage and salary
Metro rank #196 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Wichita pays 0.4% less than Kansas as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers 154.31× 10,100 $57,970 Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic 50.87× 570 $76,980 Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians 30.61× 550 $76,130 Aerospace Engineers 11.08× 1,510 $127,050 Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other 6.34× 810 $58,870 Tool and Die Makers 4.62× 510 $81,230 Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 4.09× 1,300 $53,680 Industrial Machinery Mechanics 2.89× 2,420 $81,500 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 2.86× 3,360 $67,880 Sheet Metal Workers 2.6× 610 $48,410 Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan 2.56× 800 $37,400 Machinists 2.55× 1,510 $47,570
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Wichita Occupation Median Hourly Employed Chief Executives $179,740 $86.41 440 Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary $169,770 n/a 280 Dentists, General $165,880 $79.75 240 Architectural and Engineering Managers $148,030 $71.17 300 Computer and Information Systems Managers $144,660 $69.55 510 Financial Managers $142,400 $68.46 930 Physicians, All Other $140,880 $67.73 1,170 Pharmacists $135,790 $65.28 590 Sales Managers $135,420 $65.11 760 Aerospace Engineers $127,050 $61.08 1,510 Marketing Managers $126,700 $60.91 230 Industrial Production Managers $125,890 $60.53 480 Managers, All Other $122,180 $58.74 500 Human Resources Managers $121,790 $58.55 250 Lawyers $120,700 $58.03 720 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $119,920 $57.65 360 Nurse Practitioners $108,370 $52.10 630 Education Administrators, Postsecondary $107,780 $51.82 310 Physician Assistants $107,600 $51.73 260 Administrative Services Managers $107,230 $51.55 210 Commercial Pilots $103,400 n/a 410 Software Developers $102,440 $49.25 2,170 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other $101,870 n/a 600 Veterinarians $100,900 $48.51 200 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $100,520 n/a 530 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $100,380 $48.26 220 Medical and Health Services Managers $100,180 $48.16 910 Physical Therapists $100,170 $48.16 590 Industrial Engineers $98,840 $47.52 1,250 Construction Managers $98,770 $47.48 730 Materials Engineers $97,200 $46.73 200 Personal Financial Advisors $96,920 $46.60 440 Occupational Therapists $96,730 $46.50 300 Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers $96,600 $46.44 200 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $96,520 $46.40 230 Computer Network Architects $94,320 $45.34 260 Computer Systems Analysts $93,690 $45.04 500 Information Security Analysts $92,990 $44.71 260 Electrical Engineers $92,150 $44.30 430 Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers $92,140 $44.30 390 Mechanical Engineers $91,770 $44.12 850 Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers $90,970 $43.74 380 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $89,230 $42.90 380 Detectives and Criminal Investigators $87,410 $42.02 260 Loan Officers $86,940 $41.80 600 Teachers and Instructors, All Other $81,850 n/a 200 Industrial Machinery Mechanics $81,500 $39.18 2,420 General and Operations Managers $81,280 $39.08 5,160 Tool and Die Makers $81,230 $39.06 510 Management Analysts $81,130 $39.01 1,120 Business Operations Specialists, All Other $80,520 $38.71 2,390 Occupational Health and Safety Specialists $80,160 $38.54 250 Civil Engineers $80,100 $38.51 530 Network and Computer Systems Administrators $79,540 $38.24 650 Buyers and Purchasing Agents $79,120 $38.04 1,810 Architects, Except Landscape and Naval $78,770 $37.87 230 Project Management Specialists $78,500 $37.74 890 Diagnostic Medical Sonographers $78,400 $37.69 210 Speech-Language Pathologists $78,280 $37.63 430 Dental Hygienists $78,230 $37.61 510
Where most people work Largest occupations in Wichita by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Fast Food and Counter Workers 10,510 $27,090 $13.02 Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers 10,100 $57,970 $27.87 Cashiers 7,750 $27,360 $13.16 Registered Nurses 7,290 $73,790 $35.48 Retail Salespersons 7,060 $30,260 $14.55 Customer Service Representatives 6,590 $37,180 $17.87 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 6,000 $38,740 $18.62 Stockers and Order Fillers 5,820 $34,370 $16.52 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 5,350 $28,900 $13.89 General and Operations Managers 5,160 $81,280 $39.08 Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 4,780 $29,560 n/a Nursing Assistants 4,760 $36,360 $17.48 Waiters and Waitresses 4,330 $34,800 $16.73 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 3,960 $36,900 $17.74 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 3,840 $44,790 $21.54 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 3,730 $52,000 $25.00 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 3,510 $31,130 $14.96 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 3,360 $67,880 $32.63 Accountants and Auditors 2,990 $74,890 $36.01 Cooks, Restaurant 2,970 $31,350 $15.07
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Kansas metro areas Kansas City 1,093,430 workers $49,480 Topeka 112,540 workers $47,840 St. Joseph 53,880 workers $46,420 Lawrence 51,290 workers $45,240 Manhattan 52,890 workers $44,510 Joplin 86,790 workers $43,610 Wichita pay: common questions What is the average salary in Wichita? The median across all occupations is $46,650 , or $22.43 an hour, covering 306,950 wage and salary workers. The mean is $56,870, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Wichita pay more than the rest of Kansas? No. The metro median of $46,650 is 0.4% below the Kansas median of $46,850. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Wichita? Chief Executives ($179,740), Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary ($169,770), Dentists, General ($165,880). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Wichita unusually full of? Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, at 154.31× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.