Madison makes Kansas’s top 10 on 2 lists
Madison is ranked on 26 lists against the 158 Kansas towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 2.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every KS town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Madison marked.
Younger than 99% of Kansas
Not better or worse, just Madison’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Madison lands in the top half on 6 of 13 lists
Each dot is Madison’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in KS, the right end is last. Areas where Madison does best come first.
Where Madison lands in every KS ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Norton · 7.4 min
#3 
Health
Healthiest#1 Fairway · 98 / 100
F
Lowest obesity#1 Fort Riley · 25%
Fewest smokers#1 Mission Hills · 7%
Most active#1 Fairway · 15%
Fewest uninsured#1 Mission Hills · 4%
Lowest depression#1 Leawood · 17%
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winfield · 0.2 mi
#74 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Oaklawn-Sunview · 0.7 yrs
#76
Cheapest rent#1 Prospect · $538/mo
#122
Lowest property tax#1 Oaklawn-Sunview · $701/yr
#72
Rent easiest to afford#1 Dodge City · 27.6%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Winfield · 34.9%
#110
Most trails#1 Iola · 2.4 mi / sq mi
#50
Most walkable#1 Roeland Park · 169 / sq mi
#149 
People
Most educated#1 Mission Hills · 87.3%
#128
Youngest#1 Sherlock · 22.5
#3
M
Oldest#1 Monmouth · 54.0
#156
Most residents 65+#1 Minneha · 29.6%
#155
Most kids#1 Sherlock · 45.8%
#151 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Goodland · 30 in
#12
Least snow#1 El Dorado · 4.5 in
#142
Mildest winters#1 Garden · 25.5°
#126
Hottest summers#1 Ulysses · 93.7°
#86
Coolest summers#1 Hiawatha · 87.7°
#64
Longest growing season#1 Kansas City · 211 days
#140
Wettest#1 Frontenac · 46 in
#112 Housing
L Vacation-home towns#1 Lincoln · 11.7% #44
Most new homes#1 Maize · 31.5 per 1,000
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Garnett · +85.9%
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Edwardsville · 15.1 per home
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Girard · 20.0 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Hesston · 20.9 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Hesston · 40.7 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Ulysses · 5.6
The number on the right is Madison’s spot. All of Kansas’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every KS list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.