A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Hugoton$1,210/mo

Typical home $169K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.30% · or rent about $931/mo · Housing →

Lyons$750/mo

Typical home $114K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $760/mo · Housing →

The difference: $460 a month, about $5,500 a year, between Hugoton and Lyons.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Hugoton places higher on 10 of 20 KS lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Kansas ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

–HugotonNot graded CLyonsSafer than 29% of U.S. towns

Schools

BHugotonBetter than 58% of districts in the state C−LyonsBetter than 20% of districts in the state

Health

DHugotonHealthier than 12% of U.S. towns C+LyonsHealthier than 42% of U.S. towns

10Hugoton

9Lyons

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 160 towns #2#133 Highest graduation rateSchools · 127 towns #4#107 Lowest property taxCost of living · 159 towns #84#16 Fewest smokersHealth · 159 towns #136#72 HealthiestHealth · 159 towns #156#106 Cheapest rentCost of living · 158 towns #72#28 Most activeHealth · 159 towns #157#119 Best schoolsSchools · 124 towns #86#115

Left end = #1 in Kansas. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Hugoton’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

HugotonLyons

Snow a year13″12″

January low20°F —

July high92°F —

Growing season (days)183d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)19th 60th

Outdoors & history

HugotonLyons

Trails—1 mi

Conserved land—1.7%

Settled1885 —

National Register places—2

Archive photos3 —

Community

HugotonLyons

Library hours a week52 hrs 47 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

190 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HugotonKS LyonsKS

Hugoton ↔ Lyons190 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Kansas average

HugotonLyons

People

Population 3,974Highest 3,553Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4%Lowest KS: +3% -3.4%Highest KS: +3%

Median age 36.7±3.6Lowest about the KS average 38.6±4.4Highest 3% above KS

Lyons and Hugoton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 29.5%±6.1Highest KS: 23.8% 22.6%±4.9Lowest KS: 23.8%

Hugoton and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 18.2%±4.2Highest KS: 17% 15.9%±3.6Lowest KS: 17%

Hugoton and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.6%Highest KS: 35.6% 21.3%Lowest KS: 35.6%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.1%±1.9Lowest KS: 6.6% 3.9%±1.9Highest KS: 6.6%

Lyons and Hugoton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $62,773±$8kHighest 15% below KS $62,569±$11kLowest 16% below KS

Hugoton and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $120,900±$23kHighest 44% below KS $104,800±$10kLowest 52% below KS

Hugoton and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $931±$79Highest 12% below KS $760±$171Lowest 28% below KS

Hugoton and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $2,776Highest about the KS average $1,605Lowest 43% below KS

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.7%±14.7Highest KS: 43.5% 18.3%±14.1Lowest KS: 43.5%

Hugoton and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 15.8%Highest KS: 11.3% 9.1%Lowest KS: 11.3%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 72.3% KS: 67.2% 72.3% KS: 67.2%

Typical home builtmedian year 1971Highest 5 yrs older than KS 1952Lowest 24 yrs older than KS

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 19% below KS 18 minHighest 9% below KS

Work from home 2.6%±2.2Highest KS: 11.8% 1.1%±2Lowest KS: 11.8%

Hugoton and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 46.8%Highest 33.9%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 1.8 miLowest 9.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.88Highest 0.80Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Liberal (7%)Sterling (12%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in LyonsFew work in Hugoton

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.8%Highest 1.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 0.6 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0Lowest 2Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 109Highest 79.3Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #86 of 124 in KS #115 of 124 in KS

School district Hugoton Public SchoolsLyons

High school in town Hugoton HighLyons High School

Students per teacherat that high school 12.7Highest 10.0Lowest

Kansas average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Hugoton neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hugoton’s Town Square.

Lyons neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lyons’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Hugoton and Lyons

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Hugoton

+ Compare

Marysville3,422 people · $119K homes

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Concordia5,015 people · $103K homes

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Pratt6,577 people · $108K homes

+ Compare

Russell4,217 people · $136K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Hugoton vs Lyons

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $460 more a month in Hugoton

Hugoton places higher on 10 of 20 KS lists

What daily life feels like in each

190 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Hugoton and Lyons

Towns like Hugoton

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