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Compare towns

Lyons vs Russell

51 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (8.2× in Russell) and property tax bill (+89% in Russell).

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Lyons, KSHomes around $114KKansas · 3,553 people
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Russell, KSAn outdoors townKansas · 4,217 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Report cards

Lyons places higher on 13 of 23 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $160 more a month in Russell

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.

Lyons$750/mo
Typical home $114K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $760/mo · Housing →
Russell$900/mo
Typical home $127K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.23% · or rent about $824/mo · Housing →

The difference: $160 a month, about $1,900 a year, between Russell 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.

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
LyonsRussell
Snow a year12″10″
January low—19°F
July high—92°F
Growing season (days)—179d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)60th43rd
Outdoors & history
LyonsRussell
Trails1 mi5 mi
Conserved land1.7%1.7%
Settled—1871
National Register places28
Community
LyonsRussell
Library hours a week47 hrs44 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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

51 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Lyons ↔ Russell51 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.

LyonsRussell
People
Population 3,553Lowest 4,217Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -3.4%Lowest KS: +3% -2.3%Highest KS: +3%
Median age 38.6±4.4Lowest 3% above KS 40.7±2.7Highest 9% above KS
Russell and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 22.6%±4.9Highest KS: 23.8% 22.4%±3.7Lowest KS: 23.8%
Lyons and Russell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 15.9%±3.6Lowest KS: 17% 24.4%±4.3Highest KS: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.3%Highest KS: 35.6% 19%Lowest KS: 35.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.9%±1.9Highest KS: 6.6% 3.8%±2.5Lowest KS: 6.6%
Lyons and Russell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $62,569±$11kHighest 16% below KS $56,832±$12kLowest 23% below KS
Lyons and Russell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $104,800±$10kLowest 52% below KS $135,600±$23kHighest 38% below KS
Russell and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $760±$171Lowest 28% below KS $824±$107Highest 22% below KS
Russell and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,605Lowest 43% below KS $3,029Highest 8% above KS
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 18.3%±14.1Lowest KS: 43.5% 25.7%±16.5Highest KS: 43.5%
Russell and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.1%Lowest KS: 11.3% 17.8%Highest KS: 11.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 72.3%Lowest KS: 67.2% 72.4%Highest KS: 67.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1952Lowest 24 yrs older than KS 1957Highest 19 yrs older than KS
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 18 minHighest 9% below KS 11 minLowest 43% below KS
Work from home 1.1%±2Lowest KS: 11.8% 9.5%±4.9Highest KS: 11.8%
Work in townworking residents 33.9%Lowest 50.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 9.3 miHighest 1.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.80Lowest 0.91Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sterling (12%)Hays (13%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in RussellFew work in Lyons
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.7% 1.7%
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miLowest 4.9 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2 2
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 79.3Highest 68.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #115 of 124 in KS#97 of 124 in KS
School district LyonsRussell County
High school in town Lyons High SchoolRussell Junior-Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 10.0Lowest 10.1Highest
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.

Lyons neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lyons’s Town Square.

Russell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Russell’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Lyons

Towns like Lyons

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.

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