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Smith Township vs Lacey Township

Next-door neighbors in Thomas County. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (5.5× in Smith Township) and average commute (13 min in Lacey Township).

S ×
Smith Township, KSKnown for its schoolsThomas County · 225 people
L ×
Lacey Township, KSA small town of 116Thomas County · 116 people
Swap order
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.

Smith TownshipKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 18%of KS districts All about Smith Township →
Lacey TownshipA small town of 116
Quiet strengthsLacey Township doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Lacey Township →
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.

Jobs per worker5.5×
Smith Township is more of a job hub
Smith Township 1.49Lacey Township 0.27
Average commute13 min
Lacey Township has the shorter commute
Smith Township 29 minLacey Township 16 min
Bachelor’s degree++22.3 pts
More adults in Lacey Township have a degree
Lacey Township 37.3%Smith Township 15%
Property tax bill+33%
Tax bills are bigger in Smith Township
Smith Township $1,289Lacey Township $971
Work in town+12.4 pts
More of Smith Township’s workers stay in town
Smith Township 12.4%Lacey Township 0%
Street grid+52%
Smith Township has the more walkable street grid
Smith Township 3.2Lacey Township 2.1
★ What stands out · Where they are

Smith Township and Lacey Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

Smith TownshipLacey TownshipSmith TownshipLacey Township
Smith Township ↔ Lacey Township6.4 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
4 Lacey Township residents work in Smith Township (6.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Lacey Township →
Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

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.

Schools
C−Smith TownshipBetter than 18% of districts in the state –Lacey TownshipNot graded
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
Smith TownshipLacey Township
Snow a year17″17″
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)25th25th
Community
Smith TownshipLacey Township
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.

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.

Smith TownshipLacey Township
People
Population 225Highest 116Lowest
Median age 34.9±22Lowest 7% below KS 52.3±19.4Highest 40% above KS
Lacey Township and Smith Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 31.6%±23.3Highest KS: 23.8% 17.2%±24.6Lowest KS: 23.8%
Smith Township and Lacey Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20%±11.5Lowest KS: 17% 29.3%±26.6Highest KS: 17%
Lacey Township and Smith Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 15%Lowest KS: 35.6% 37.3%Highest KS: 35.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.2%±6.2Lowest KS: 6.6% 4.3%±10.5Highest KS: 6.6%
Lacey Township and Smith Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $85,288±$13kLowest 15% above KS $148,333±$146kHighest 100% above KS
Lacey Township and Smith Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $950±$432 10% below KS —
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,289Highest 54% below KS $971Lowest 65% below KS
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest KS: 43.5% 100%±100Highest KS: 43.5%
Lacey Township and Smith Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.1%Highest KS: 11.3% 0%Lowest KS: 11.3%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 86.7%Lowest KS: 67.2% 92.6%Highest KS: 67.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1947Lowest 29 yrs older than KS 1958Highest 18 yrs older than KS
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minHighest 48% above KS 16 minLowest 19% below KS
Work from home 9.5%±9.4Highest KS: 11.8% 0%±16.4Lowest KS: 11.8%
Smith Township and Lacey Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 12.4%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 mi 20.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.49Highest 0.27Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Colby (26%)Colby (23%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Lacey Township7% work in Smith Township
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 mi 0.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 3.2Highest 2.1Lowest
Schools
School district Golden Plains—
High school in town Golden Plains High—
Students per teacherat that high school 6.5 —
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.

Smith Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Smith Township’s Town Square.

Lacey Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lacey Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Smith Township

W
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Wendell Township81 people
M
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Menlo Township40 people · $166K homes

Towns like Smith Township

B
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Belvue Township245 people · $230K homes
P
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Princeton236 people · $108K homes
+ Compare
Reading198 people · $52K homes
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Rexford146 people

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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