Income in Wichita

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A map showing median household income in Wichita and some surrounding areas.

The U.S. Census Bureau publishes annual figures regarding household income. This chart presents the median household income for each zip code in Wichita and some surrounding areas. I have arranged the chart to mimic the geography of Wichita.

For each zip code I show the median household income as a point. Half of the households have incomes above the median, and half below it, which distinguishes it from the mean, or average. Because these numbers are estimates, they are subject to sampling error. The bars on either side represent the 90 percent margin of error, also called a confidence interval. This means that the true median income is expected to fall within that range 90 percent of the time. (1)“A margin of error (MOE) describes the precision of an ACS estimate at a given level of confidence. The confidence level associated with the MOE indicates the likelihood that the ACS sample estimate is within a certain range (the MOE) of the population value. The MOEs for published ACS estimates are provided at a 90 percent confidence level. From these MOEs, data users can easily calculate 90 percent confidence intervals that define a range expected to contain the true or population value of an estimate 90 percent of the time.” U.S. Census Bureau. Understanding Error And Determining Statistical Significance. Available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/acs/acs_general_handbook_2018_ch07.pdf.

Note that some zip codes, such as 67226, have margins of errors much larger than others. This is usually due to a low population count.

The source of this data is the United States Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates, along with my calculations and charting.

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References

References
1 “A margin of error (MOE) describes the precision of an ACS estimate at a given level of confidence. The confidence level associated with the MOE indicates the likelihood that the ACS sample estimate is within a certain range (the MOE) of the population value. The MOEs for published ACS estimates are provided at a 90 percent confidence level. From these MOEs, data users can easily calculate 90 percent confidence intervals that define a range expected to contain the true or population value of an estimate 90 percent of the time.” U.S. Census Bureau. Understanding Error And Determining Statistical Significance. Available at https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2018/acs/acs_general_handbook_2018_ch07.pdf.

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