Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Living in Great Bend, KS: what to set up and who to call
Power in Great Bend comes from Midwest Energy, a cooperative utility rather than a private company. University of KS Health System Great Bend Campus, 0.4 miles away, is the nearest emergency room.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Great Bend, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Great Bend.
Power comes from Midwest Energy
Midwest Energy (Midwest Energy Inc - (KS)), a cooperative utility, serves all of Great Bend. Its homes paid an average of 12.0¢ per kWh in 2025, about $107 a month (its average across Kansas).
Start or move service: mwenergy.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of Great Bend water system
The City of Great Bend water system supplies almost all of Great Bend. It draws ground water and serves 14,580 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 83% of the 3,525 systems serving 10,001–50,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2022–Dec 2024, was 3.5 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. The highest in five years was 3.6 ppb. That’s higher than 84% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. KS2000911.
6 home internet providers serve Great Bend
100% of 6,649 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 90% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nex-Tech | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 100% | 1,000/1,000 |
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 92% | 2,000/100 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless, DSL | 18% | 100/20 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 66% | 300/20 |
| Nextlink | Fixed wireless | 60% | 100/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 53% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
In Great Bend, you hire your own trash hauler
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Great Bend, from the town’s own site.
Compost Site
97 Southwest 5th Avenue, Great Bend, KS 67530
We couldn’t find its opening hours.
From greatbendks.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 10/7/2025. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of Great Bend (99%) is in Great Bend Unified School District 428.
C+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Sep 2021; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Great Bend is in ZIP code 67530
ZIP codes where Great Bend residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Great Bend | ZIP’s residents in Great Bend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67530 | Great Bend, KS | 100% | 82% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Great Bend
Who supplies Great Bend’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of Great Bend water system (EPA ID KS2000911). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 83% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 3.5 ppb (Jan 2022–Dec 2024), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Great Bend?
Midwest Energy (Midwest Energy Inc - (KS)), a cooperative utility. Its homes paid about 12.0¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Great Bend?
Nex-Tech, Cox Communications, AT&T, Verizon, Nextlink, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Great Bend?
67530. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Great Bend in?
Great Bend Unified School District 428.
How do I register to vote in Great Bend?
In Kansas you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before). Elections here are run by the Barton County Clerk. Check your registration at myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Great Bend’s own website (greatbendks.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.