Grant County Courthouse District · National Register of Historic Places
Ulysses’s story
138 years in pictures
1 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1888Ulysses is settled
UlyssesKS
A town of 5,476, settled in 1888. Nearly 0.6% of it is conserved land.
Population
5,476
−6.1% since 2010
Typical home
$161K
+8.5% in a year
Household income
$64K
median
Median age
33.5
years
Jobs based here
1,639
A commuter town
What makes Ulysses stand out
The 3 things Ulysses does most differently from other towns.
5 miof trails
Outdoors
#9 most trails in KS
4.5 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves
0.6% of the town is conserved land.
$161Ktypical home
Housing
$161K typical home
36% below the KS typical home
Up 8.5% in a year.
100 U.S. towns● Ulysses
Health
Healthier than 55%
of U.S. towns on CDC estimates
Better than KS on 2 measures, worse on 4.
Ulysses’s report card
Outdoors5 mi#9 for trails in KSHousing$161K36% below the KS typical homeHealthBHealthier than 55% of U.S. townsSafetyALess crime than 91% of U.S. townsSchoolsDBeats 9% of KS districtsCommute10 miHalf of commuters travel lessHazards23/100Low risk of storm & flood damageClimate94°/19°Summer high · winter low · 18″ snow
Now in Ulysses
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Residents weigh in
Ulysses is #151 of 151 in KS for “Coolest summers”. Fair?
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The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ulysses. Another town gets a different order.
Outdoors
0.6% of Ulysses is conserved land
4.5 miles of trails across 0 parks and preserves.
#9for trails in KS
0.6%
conserved · 13 of 2,097 acres
4.5 mi
of trails · 1.4 per sq mi
#12
most walkable in KS
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Housing
A typical Ulysses home is worth about $161K
The typical Ulysses home is worth about $161,000, up 8.5% in a year, 36% below the Kansas typical home.
$161KZillow home value
Typical home value
Ulysses$161K
Kansas$250K
+8.5%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Health
Healthier than 55% of U.S. towns
Ulysses beats the Kansas average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
BHealth Grade
32 measures vs. Kansas
2 better26 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Ulysses | KS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 8.1% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 22.4% | 25.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 18.7% | 9.9% |
Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital
0.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
55th
percentile among KS towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Safety
Less crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns
Ulysses reports less crime per resident than 91% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.
ASafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Ulysses1.3
Kansas4.8
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Ulysses0.5
Kansas19.2
U.S.15.5
91st
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
99th
percentile among KS towns
7
violent crimes reported in 2025
3
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →
Schools
Ulysses’s public schools outperform 9% of Kansas districts
The public schools Ulysses’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 91% of Kansas’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
DSchool Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickok Elem | PK–2 | 350 | Not graded |
| Sullivan Elem | 3–5 | 338 | C |
| Kepley Middle School | 6–8 | 294 | D |
| Ulysses High | 9–12 | 438 | D− |
| Ulysses Community Learning Center (UCLC) | 9–12 | 97 | Not graded |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduationAll 5 schools →
Work & commute
About one in two working residents works right in Ulysses
41% of Ulysses’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Garden City (6%), Hugoton (5%) and Wichita (2%). Half commute less than 10 miles.
41%work in town
Where working residents work
In Ulysses41%
Garden City6%
Hugoton5%
Wichita2%
Dodge City2%
10 mi
median commute distance
1,639
jobs based in Ulysses
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Natural hazards
Low risk, with tornadoes at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 23% of U.S. communities.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
TornadoesInland floodingHail
1
paid flood claims since 1981
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Climate
Four seasons, hot summers
Ulysses has chilly winters and hot summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
18″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter20–48°
Spring39–70°
Summer62–91°
Fall41–71°
Oct 16
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
About Ulysses
City in Grant County, Kansas
Ulysses (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Kansas, United States. It is named after Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,788.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1888
- Population
- 5,788
- Area
- 3.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 3,051 ft
- ZIP code
- 67880
- Area code
- 620