City of Palco

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See the USD #269 website here

Community profile

Location (County)

Distance in miles(mi.) from:

Chicago

784 mi.

Dallas

578 mi.

Denver

374 mi. (4.5 hr. drive time)

Kansas City

318 mi. (4.0 hr. drive time)

Los Angeles

1,432 mi.

Minneapolis

701 mi.

New York

1,507 mi.

St. Louis

544 mi.

Omaha

310 mi.

Population
Year	City	County
2020 Census	208	4,919

Climate
Average Daily Temperature:
January	38 F	July	93 F
April	66 F	October	69 F
Average Annual Precipitation		23 in.
Average Annual Snowfall		24 in.

Average Days of Sunshine/Year

325 days (clear or partly clear)

Workforce (County)
Civilian Work Force	2,373
Occupation	Average Wage Rates
Labor Data (2006) for Rooks County:
Employed	2,326
Manufacturing	296
Services	212
Government	773
Whls/Retail	585
Agriculture	498
Unemployed	47
Unemployment Rate	2.0% (Nov. 2023 – County)
Hourly Wage Rates in Selected Occupation:
Assemblers & Fabricators	$ 10.02
Customer Service Representatives	$ 9.50
Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$ 14.40
Industrial Truck/Tractor Operator	$ 10.03
Receptionists & Info. Clerk	$ 7.86
Word Processors & Typists	$ 8.75
Percent of labor force unionized	1 %
Work Stoppages in last 2 years	0

Municipal Services
Type of local government:	Mayor/Council
Comprehensive city plan	Yes
City zoning adopted	Yes
Full-time fire department personnel	0
Volunteer fire department personnel	10
Fire insurance class in the city	7
Fire insurance class outside city	9
Full-time police
Part-time police
Full-time sheriff patrol	5

Transportation (County)
Motor Carriers
Number of carriers		3
Number of terminals in the community:		0

**Highways serving the community**
Interstate (E-W)	I-70 /25 mi.

Interstate (N-S)

I-135 /120 mi.

U.S./Kansas (E-W)

K-18 /0 mi.

U.S./Kansas (N-S)

US 183 /15 mi.

Interstate/Nebraska (E-W)

I-80 /110 mi.

**Time in transit for carload or truckload lots**
City	Days by truck	Days by railroad
Atlanta	2
Chicago	1.5
Dallas	1
Denver	0.5
Kansas City	0.5
Los Angeles	2.25
Minneapolis	1.5
New York	2.5
Seattle	2.5
St. Louis	1

**Rail**
Railroads serving community:
Reciprocal switching available:	No
Distance to nearest service:	38

**Package Delivery Service**
Ground firms:	Federal Express, Pony Express, UPS
Air firms:

Air:
Distance to nearest public airport:		15 mi.
Runway surface:		Concrete
Runway length:		5000 ft.
Lighted:		Yes
Tower:		No
Private aircraft storage available:		Overnight and short term available
Nearest commercial air service:		38 mi.
Names of airlines serving:		United Express

City adjoins navigable river:

Telecommunications
Local service provider:	Nex-Tech, AT&T
Primary long distance provider (s):	Nex-Tech, AT&T
Distance to Point of Presence:	0 mi.
Services available: Fiber to the premises available throughout the community.	T1: Yes	ISDN: Yes
	T3:	DSL: Yes

Utilities
Electric Service Supplier:	Western Cooperative Electric
Interconnected:	Yes
Telephone Service Supplier:	Nex-Tech, AT&T
Fiber Optics:	Yes
Point of Presence:	0 mi.
Natural Gas Supplier:	Midwest Energy
Water Supplier:	City of Palco
Water Source:	Wells
Capacity of Water Plant:	gal./day
Average Consumption:	gal./day
Peak Demand:	gal./day
Storage Capacity:	gal.
Sanitation
Type of Sewage Treatment Plant:	Lagoon
Capacity in Gallons/Day:
Present Load in Gallons/Day:
Capacity/Population Equivalent:
Present Load/Population Equivalent:

Tax Structure
Property Tax Rate	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010
Total Sales Tax Rate (city, county and state): 7%
City	131.609	132.115	132.112	131.485	126.794	131.248	135.597	142.977	136.817	114.031	105.256	101.669	100.521
County	63.432	62.958	62.998	62.957	69.464	78.853	64.211	61.432	59.400	60.817	60.729	62.927	67.946
School	45.719	50.943	46.345	46.107	48.890	42.652	43.585	39.491	36.538	37.338	38.591	40.624	43.916
Other	5.834	9.489	9.485	9.589	9.781	11.106	9.909	6.763	6.906	6.893	7.109	7.131	7.788
Total	246.594	255.505	250.940	250.138	254.929	263.859	253.302	250.663	239.661	219.079	211.685	212.351	220.171
Tax Assessed Value: $1,131,705

Community Services

**Support Services**
Machine shops in the city:	Yes		1
Tool and die shops in the city:	No

**Financial Institutions**
Number of banks in the city:	0
Assets	$
Number of savings and loan firms:	0
Assets	$

**Health Care (County)**
Hospital in the community:		No
Number of beds:		20
Nearest hospital:		Rooks Co. Health Center, 15 mi.
Clinic in the community:		Yes
MD	4	Optometrist	2
Dentist	2	Osteopath	0
Chiropractor	2	Podiatrist	0

**Housing (County)**
No. of housing units built in last two years (county)	12
Average monthly rental: House	300
Average monthly rental: Apartment	200
Average cost – new construction	$120 sq. ft.
Average cost – lots	1200-1500
Vacancy rate: houses
Vacancy rate: apartments

**Recreation Facilities (County)**
Recreation facilities in city or within 25 miles:
Public golf course	Yes	Public tennis courts	Yes
Public parks	Yes	Public swim pools	Yes
		Wellness Center	Yes
Library	Yes	No. of theaters	2
Nearest public access lake, reservoir, or river:		Webster Reservoir, State Park
Distance:		20 miles
Activities allowed:
Fishing	Yes	Camping	Yes
Boating	Yes	Swimming	Yes
Water Skiing	Yes

**Convention/Lodging Facilities (County)**
Number of hotels:	0	Rooms	0
Number of motels:	3	Rooms	40
Bed & Breakfasts	2	Rooms	6
Largest banquet room:	430

**Media**
Community newspaper	Weekly
No. of Radio Stations	7	Cable TV	Yes
No of TV Stations		TV Channels	100 (app)

**Religious Institutions (County)**
Protestant	15	Catholic	2
Synagogues	0	Other	0

Education Facilities Public Schools
Type	Number	Enrollment	Teacher/Pupil Ratio
Elementary	1	53	1/8
Jr High/Middle School	1	22	1/7
Senior High	1	27	1/5

**Private Schools**
Type	Number	Enrollment	Teacher/Pupil Ratio
Elementary
Jr High/Middle School
Senior High

**Vo-Tech/Junior Colleges**
Name	Location	Enrollment	Distance
Barton County Community College	Great Bend	6,000	90 mi.
Cloud County Community College	Concordia	3,461	85 mi.
Colby County Community College	Colby	2,142	95 mi.
North Central Kansas Technical College	Hays	120	31 mi.
North Central Kansas Technical College – Beloit	Beloit	350	72 mi.

**Universities or Colleges**
Name	Location	Enrollment	Distance
Fort Hays State University	Hays	8,000	23 mi.
Kansas State University	Manhattan	16,800	140 mi.
Kansas Wesleyan University	Salina	583	100 mi.
University of Kansas	Lawrence	18,807	261 mi.
Washburn University	Topeka	5,477	240 mi.

Major Manufacturers and Employers

**Major Employers**
Firm	Total	Products	Union
Rooks Co. Health Center	150	Health Care	None
Wilkens Manufacturing	70	Semi Trailer Walking Floor Manufacturer	None
Midland Marketing	32	Agriculture	None

Available Properties
Available properties for retail and light industry: Click here

Available properties for industrial prospect: Click here

Economic Development Organizations
Industrial Development Organization
Full-time director:	Yes
Name of organization:	Rooks County Economic Development
Contact:	Roger Hrabe
Street address:	115 N. Walnut
	Stockton, Ks 67669
Phone:	785-425-6881
Fax:	785-425-6881
Email:	rooksed [at] ruraltel.net (rooksed[at]ruraltel[dot]net)
Web Site:	www.rookscounty.net
Chamber of Commerce
Full-time director:	No
Name of organization:
Contact:
Street address:

Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Web Site:

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