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WathenaKS

A town of 1,554. A regional job hub with 1,099 jobs.

Population
1,554
−8.7% since 2010
Typical home
$191K
+12.6% in a year
Household income
$87K
median
Median age
46.2
years
Jobs based here
1,099
A job hub

What makes Wathena stand out

The 2 things Wathena does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
A job hub

Every workday, about 1,031 people come to Wathena for work

Where Wathena’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

38% → St. Joseph St. Joseph 38% 6% → Kansas City Kansas City 6% 3% → Troy Troy 3% 3% → Elwood Elwood 3% 2% → Topeka Topeka 2% 2% → Center Center 2% Wathena · 13% stay
1,099jobs based in Wathena
13%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

Wathena’s report card

See the data ↓

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70°
Clear
H 77° · L 60°

Upcoming events

Nothing on the calendar.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Wathena. Another town gets a different order.

Work & commute

About one in eight working residents works right in Wathena

Most working residents leave Wathena for work: only 13% work in town. The top destinations are St. Joseph (38%), Kansas City (6%) and Troy (3%). Half commute less than 7 miles.

13%work in town

Where working residents work

In Wathena13%
St. Joseph38%
Kansas City6%
Troy3%
Elwood3%
7 mi
median commute distance
1,099
jobs based in Wathena
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Housing

A typical Wathena home is worth about $191K

The typical Wathena home is worth about $191,000, up 12.6% in a year, 23% below the Kansas typical home.

$191KZillow home value

Typical home value

Wathena$191K
Kansas$250K
+12.6%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Climate

Four seasons, hot summers

Wathena has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

21″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter21–40°
Spring43–65°
Summer65–86°
Fall44–67°
Oct 17
typical first frost
Apr 19
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Natural hazards

Moderate risk, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 45% of U.S. communities.

45risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
45Moderate riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Health

Healthier than 48% of U.S. towns

Wathena beats the Kansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.

B−Health Grade
32 measures vs. Kansas
0 better28 too close to call4 worse
What stands outWathenaKS
More older adults who have lost all their teeth15.9%11.3%
More adults with arthritis29.7%25.5%
More adults who have had cancer9.4%8.1%
Mosaic Life Care at St. Joseph
8.2 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
43rd
percentile among KS towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Outdoors

1.2% of Wathena is conserved land

0.0 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.

1.2%conserved
Map of Wathena: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk
Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below
1.2%
conserved · 17 of 1,516 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Elwood Wildlife Area—9
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Wathena Fruit Growers' Association Building
Wathena Fruit Growers' Association Building · National Register of Historic Places
Wathena’s story

Wathena in pictures

1 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 1 places on the National Register.

Explore the history →

About Wathena

City in Doniphan County, Kansas

Official town website ↗

Wathena is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States, located about 5 miles (8.0 km) west of St. Joseph, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,246.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Population
1,246
Area
2.3 sq mi
Elevation
827 ft
ZIP code
66090

Wathena’s neighbors

One town shares a border with Wathena.

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