Wichita, KS (population: 374,803) has twenty-four appliance repair schools within a 500-mile radius of its city center. Western Technology Center, the highest ranked school in this group with an appliance repair program, has a total student population of 586. It is the 1332nd highest ranked school in the USA and the 20th highest in the state of Oklahoma (#1 is Oklahoma City University).
Appliance Repair students from Wichita schools who go on to become appliance technicians, appliance repairers, machine repairmen, refrigeration mechanics, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 34,670 people working as home appliance repairers alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $35,590. Also, Firstline supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers make on average $60,630 per year and there are about 427,560 of them employed in the US today. In fact, in the Wichita area alone, there are 1,240 employed firstline supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers earning an average salary of $58,510. Home appliance repairers in this area earn $32,580/yr and there are 60 employed.
Wichita lies in Sedgwick county, which is one of the 67 counties in Kansas. Overall, the Wichita area has 295,670 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 2.3% unemployment rate, $18.81/hr average worker wage, and a $39,110 average annual salary. Thus, about 0.195 out of every 1000 jobs in Wichita are held by home appliance repairers, and 4.200/1000 are held by firstline supervisors/managers of mechanics, installers, and repairers.
Of the 24 appliance repair schools with a 500-mile radius of Wichita, only 5 have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Lincoln College of Technology comes out as the most expensive ($25,882/yr) for appliance repair students, with Moore Norman Technology Center as the lowest, reported at only $3,192/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Wichita |
| North Newton | KS | - | 1 | 30.3056 | 44 | 26.4 miles |
| El Dorado | KS | - | 2 | 14.14 | 133 | 27.6 miles |
| Winfield | KS | - | 1 | 53.8865 | 62 | 36.4 miles |
| Arkansas City | KS | - | 1 | 16.4747 | 36 | 46.5 miles |
| Lindsborg | KS | - | 1 | 18.8974 | 70 | 63.8 miles |
| Ponca City | OK | - | 2 | 30.535 | 26 | 69.4 miles |
| Pratt | KS | - | 1 | 19.626 | 18 | 76.6 miles |
| Salina | KS | 46,677 | 4 | 21.0387 | 91 | 79.6 miles |
| Great Bend | KS | - | 1 | 20.0068 | 110 | 90.6 miles |
| Enid | OK | 48,152 | 2 | 30.1217 | 45 | 93.2 miles |