Quality of Life
You're looking for a place with a low cost of living, nationally ranked schools and picture-perfect communities. But you also want a place with world-class dining, great nightlife and wide-open spaces for outdoor adventure. It isn’t always easy to find that combination. But that’s exactly what you get in Kansas.
In Kansas, we don’t just live life. We live life to the fullest. We’re big on business and economic development, but we know how to relax and have a good time, too. We’re balancing work and play, progress and history, urban and rural to create a quality of life you can’t find anywhere else. And that’s what makes this place so special.
COST OF LIVING
The cost of living in Kansas is nearly 8.7 percent below the national average, making our state among the most affordable in the nation. From food and gasoline to property taxes and car insurance, most of what you need costs less here.
Housing costs are especially low, with the median value of owner-occupied homes nearly 35 percent below the national average. In fact, the 2009 Coldwell Banker Home Price Comparison Index ranked Kansas among the most affordable places in the country for buying a home.
The bottom line is this - your dollar goes further here.
COMMUNITIES
Kansans are famous for their modesty, but it’s hard not to brag about the state’s world-class communities.
Kansas is a blend of cosmopolitan and rural, with everything from thriving metro areas, downtowns and suburbs, to serene farm communities and quaint college towns. There are 2.8 million people in Kansas, including 382,368 in Wichita, the state’s largest city and the aerospace manufacturing capital of the world. Overland Park is next with 173,372 residents. And don’t forget the state’s historic farm towns - places like Dodge City and Great Bend - that have made Kansas the Heartland of America and one of the most prolific agricultural regions on Earth.
Some other great information about Kansas communities:
RelocateAmerica.com named Overland Park, Kan., among its “Top 100 Places to Live” for 2010. The community excelled in categories such as employment opportunities, quality of K-12 education, crime rates, median housing costs and real estate appreciation.
- Forbes magazine has named Johnson County, Kan., as the nation’s third-best county to raise a family, citing its affordability and accessibility.
- Topeka, Kan., made Kiplinger magazine’s “Top Ten Cities for the Next Decade” list for 2010. The report cited Topeka’s quality schools and hospitals, stable job market, municipal university and low housing costs.
- Kiplinger also ranked Wichita a “Best Value City in 2011”. Wichita has big city amenities along with perks often found only in towns a fraction of its size – friendly people, short commutes and low prices.
- Forbes ranks Wichita #6 Best-Bang-For-The-Buck Cities in 2009. Locating a desirable spot to settle down means something quite different today than it did just three years ago. That's when Americans flocked to coastal and Sun Belt cities like Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas, where properties were easy to acquire and home values were expected to noticeably appreciate.
- KCK is selected as the first Google Fiber Community
- According to the Associated Press Economic Stress Index, Dodge City and Ford County is the least economically stressed county in the United States. The economic climate in western Kansas continues to be strong, with new construction, business expansion and growth continuing in the area. While much of the country continues to struggle, Dodge City and Ford County are truly setting the pace in a recovering economy!
- By The Associated Press - Greensburg Kansas named one of 10 Coolest Small Towns in America 2011—Budget Travel
- In 2011, Forbes Magazine rated Manhattan No. 1 for "Best Small Communities for a Business and Career."
Wizard of Oz
| Cost of Living Index | |
| Individual Kansas Communities | |
| Dodge City, KS | 89.2 |
| Garden City, KS | 89.7 |
| Hays, KS | 89.4 |
| Hutchinson, KS | 93.9 |
| Lawrence, KS (MSA) | 94.6 |
| Manhattan, KS | 94.9 |
| Salina, KS | 86.8 |
| Topeka, KS (MSA) | 91.7 |
| Wichita, KS | 91.8 |
| U.S. Average | 100.0 |
| Source: ACCRA Cost of Living Index | |
| State | Percent of Adults with High School Diploma (National Ranking) |
Average Act Entrance Scores (National Ranking) |
Pupil-Teacher Ratio (National Ranking) | Percent of Adults with Bachelor's Degree or Higher (National Ranking) |
| Kansas | 89.7 (15) | 22.0 (19) | 13.1 (40) | 29.5 (16) |
| California | 80.6 (48) | 22.2 (15) | 20.8 (2) | 29.9 (14) |
| Oklahoma | 85.6 (32) | 20.7 (34) | 13.9 (29) | 22.7 (42) |
| Illinois | 86.4 (31) | 20.7 (34) | 15.6 (16) | 30.6 (12) |
| Missouri | 86.8 (28) | 21.6 (27) | 13.6 (34) | 25.2 (33) |
| New York | 84.7 (34) | 23.3 (4) | 12.6 (43) | 32.4 (8) |
| U.S. Average | 85.3 | 21.0 | 15.3 | 27.9 |
| Source: Kansas Department of Education | ||||
EDUCATION
Kansas’ education system is one of the best in the nation and a powerful factor in the state’s economic growth. Almost 90 percent of Kansas adults have a high school diploma, ranking Kansas No. 15 in that category. Kansas is also among the top states for percent of adults with a college degree (16th).
HEALTH CARE
Kansas offers a variety of premium health services, usually at below-average costs.
- Morgan Quitno Press ranked Kansas as the 16th most healthy state in the nation based on 21 health-related factors.
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks Kansas the 19th healthiest state for kids, using a set of 10 key indicators to establish a standard for measuring health across states.
ATTRACTIONS
If you’re looking for adventure, then Kansas is the place to be. History buffs can explore Kansas’ legendary cowboy towns and experience the state’s pioneer, Wild West and aviation legacies. Outdoor enthusiasts love that Kansas is still home on the range for the American bison and countless varieties of wildlife. And for nature lovers, Kansas has the largest remaining stand of tallgrass prairie in North America, providing a glimpse of what the continent looked like 200 years ago.
Kansas boasts big-time college athletics, minor league baseball, Sporting KC professional soccer and the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, which hosts some of NASCAR’s fastest events. Golfers will find plenty of fairways in Kansas, including Prairie Dunes Country Club, which has hosted the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Women’s Open. In addition, hunters, fishermen and boaters will find the state’s topography perfect for their recreational needs. For more information on exploring Kansas, visit TravelKS.com.
| Sample of Kansas Attractions | |
| Cathedral of the Plains-Victoria | Massachusetts Street-Lawrence |
| Aggieville Shopping District-Manhattan | Beach Museum of Art-Manhattan |
| Boot Hill Museum-Dodge City | Brown v. Board of Education N.H.S-Topeka |
| Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Refuge-Great Bend | Dole Institute-Lawrence |
| Eisenhower Presidential Museum-Abilene | Exploration Place-Wichita |
| Fort Larned National Historic Site-Larned | Fort Scott National Historic Site-Fort Scott |
| Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center-Hutchinson | Kansas Museum of History-Topeka |
| Sporting KC Soccer-Kansas City | Kansas Speedway-Kansas City |
| Kansas Underground Salt Museum-Hutchinson | Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm-Olathe |
| Mid-America Air Museum-Liberal | Milford Reservoir-Junction CIty |
| Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art-Overland Park | Old Town-Wichita |
| Osa & Martin Johnson Safari Museum-Chanute | Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens-Overland Park |
| Oz Museum-Wamego | Prairie Museum of Art and History-Colby |
| Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure-Salina | Spencer Museum of Art-Lawrence |
| Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve-Strong City | Wichita Air Museum-Wichita |
THE LITTLE THINGS
The average commute time in Kansas is less than 18 minutes - the fourth-shortest commute in the country. Moreover, Kansas has the best roads in the country according to Readers Digest, meaning you can count on a safe, worry-free drive whenever you get in your car.
Got weather? Kansas is ranked 10th for percentage of sunny days and is in the top one-third of states for clean air. The average daily temperature is 56.4 degrees Fahrenheit. And while there’s no official index of “crystal-clear days that fade into tranquil starry nights,” we think we’d rank pretty high on that one, too.