ColbyKS
A town of 5,387, settled in 1885. Nearly 1.9% of it is conserved land.
Population
5,387
+3.4% since 2010
Typical home
$186K
+2.1% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Jobs based here
2,722
Balanced
What makes Colby stand out The 3 things Colby does most differently from other towns.
College town
Colby Community College calls Colby home
Residents weigh in
Colby is #158 of 158 in KS for “Longest growing season”. Fair?
Agree Disagree
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How do you get to work from Colby? → What’s your favorite trail or park in Colby? → Is Colby still affordable for young families? → Where do you go to stay active in Colby? →
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar. Add an event
The data Ordered by what stands out in Colby. Another town gets a different order.
Work & commute
About half of working residents work right in Colby 56% of Colby’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Morgan (5%), Oakley (3%) and Hays (3%). Half commute less than 2 miles.
56% work in town
Where working residents work In Colby 56%
Morgan 5%
Oakley 3%
Hays 3%
Goodland 2%
2 mi
median commute distance
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Outdoors
1.9% of Colby is conserved land 0.6 miles of trails across 4 parks and preserves.
1.9% conserved
Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below 1.9%
conserved · 46 of 2,368 acres
0.6 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
Biggest places to walk Trails Acres 1. Fike Park 0.3 mi 9 2. Young Park — 25 3. Villa High Park 0.2 mi 11
Housing
A typical Colby home is worth about $186K The typical Colby home is worth about $186,000, up 2.1% in a year, 26% below the Kansas typical home.
$186K Zillow home value
Typical home value Colby $186K
Kansas $250K
+2.1%
value change, 1 year
Health
Healthier than 67% of U.S. towns Colby tracks Kansas closely on all 32 CDC measures.
B+ Health Grade
32 measures vs. Kansas
Citizens Medical Center
0.3 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
72nd
percentile among KS towns
Natural hazards
Low risk, with inland flooding at the top Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 20% of U.S. communities.
20 risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
20 Low risk Lower Higher Inland flooding Tornadoes Hail
Schools
Colby’s public schools outperform 33% of Kansas districts The public schools Colby’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 67% of Kansas’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
C School Grade
Climate
Four seasons, hot summers Colby has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
27″ snow a winter
Typical low → high °F Winter 18–45°
Spring 36–66°
Summer 60–89°
Fall 38–68°
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
Safety
Crime reported in Colby Colby's reported crime rate is well below Kansas's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025.
Violent crime per 1,000 residents Colby 0.5
Kansas 4.8
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents Colby 5.4
Kansas 19.2
U.S. 15.5
3
violent crimes reported in 2025
30
property crimes reported in 2025
1910 · Colby, Kansas · Wikimedia Commons
Colby’s story
141 years in pictures
9 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 3 places on the National Register.
Explore the history →
Landmarks 3 places in Colby on the National Register of Historic Places.
All landmarks → Famous people from Colby 10 notable people were born in Colby.
See all 10 →
Colby is a city in and the county seat of Thomas County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,570. It is located on the north side of Interstate 70.
From Wikipedia , licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Established 1885
Population 5,570
Area 3.5 sq mi
Elevation 3,159 ft
ZIP code 67701
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